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Banishing the Bumps

Cellulite treatments are plentiful, but are they effective?

By Karen Buscemi Photo by Rosh Sillars

Few things put more fear into women than the annual moment of truth: Standing in the fitting room, you slip on the bikini/tankini/one-piece suit and prepare for a verdict from the surrounding mirrors.

But no matter how much you’ve befriended the salad bar and embraced the elliptical machine, you might still find cellulite gracing your thighs and butt.

The “cottage cheese” culprit is not the kind of fat we can diet or exercise away. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, 85% of women have cellulite. It’s the body’s natural way of storing fat in post-adolescent females to ensure that the body has enough calories for pregnancy and lactation. Cellulite forms when fat cells push up against surrounding tissue, due to estrogen production and the anatomy of connective tissue just beneath the skin.

With such widespread presence, cellulite has inspired scores of professional and at-home treatments. But do any of them really work?

Creams and gels

Indira Misra-Higgins, D.O., a dermatologist at Beaumont Hospital with a private practice in Troy, says that while at-home creams and gels don’t actually reduce cellulite, they can lessen its appearance by promoting circulation and firming the skin.

Common active ingredients include caffeine, touted to reduce fat cells just below the skin’s surface and move fluids from the spaces between cells; retinol, which increases collagen production and makes skin thicker; and DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol), which stimulates muscles to contract and become firmer

No studies, however, have verified the effectiveness of individual ingredients and there is no medical consensus as to whether creams and gels really fulfill these claims. Misra-Higgins says creams might be worth a try for women who are fit, but are looking to improve the texture of their skin. Results, she says, are variable.

Avon, L’Oreal, Neutrogena, Nivea and Mary Kay are among the many popular brands with creams and gels, along with Web-based companies, such as Cellulean and Body Shape. Prices range anywhere from $8 to $70, and most products require at least two weeks of consistent application to produce results, some two months or longer.

High-tech therapy

At Allure Medical Spa in Shelby Township, technicians treat cellulite with a handheld device called VelaSmooth. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2005, the device uses gentle suction on the skin and applies light and radio frequency.

According to Charles Mok, M.D., physician medical director of Allure, the procedure tightens the skin and creates lipolysis, which is shrinkage of fat cells. “It works fairly consistently and offers more of a long-term result,” says Mok.

Patients are generally treated twice weekly for about six weeks, which can cost up to $2,000.

American Laser Centers, which has 17 locations throughout Michigan, offers the AmeriSmooth regimen, a series of treatments that combine deep-tissue massage, suction and rollers to stimulate circulation and mobilize fluid, with infrared heat and radio frequency to increase collagen production. Typically, 10 to 15 weekly treatments are recommended, at $300 each. Select American Laser Centers locations offer VelaShape, which achieves the same results in four to six treatments, at $2,000 for four or $3,000 for six.

According to Kathleen Gilmore, M.D., corporate medical director and vice president of American Laser Centers, results can last anywhere from three to six months.

No matter which treatment you choose, the results won’t be permanent.

“Cellulite is not curable,” says Gilmore.

“Be realistic and understand that it’s important to maintain a healthy weight – eat properly and exercise, first,” says Mok. “When you’re at a weight that you’re comfortable at, and diet and exercise aren’t helping, that’s when you might seek treatment.”