Laser Energy + Fat Transplantation: A Possible Treatment for Cellulite?
A treatment that uses both laser energy and fat transplantation may be able to significantly improve cellulite, a pilot study has found.
Researchers recruited 52 women, aged 18 to 47, with severe cellulite. None of the women had previously undergone lipoplasty or any other surgical treatment for their cellulite.
For this study, the women were first treated with a 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser, followed immediately with injections of their own fat to fill in depressions in their skin. They also received a massage to distribute the fat evenly. Tissue samples were collected after the treatment from some participants to determine the histologic effects of the laser treatment. Follow-up ranged from 1 to almost 3 years.
The results: The combined treatment resulted in significant clinical improvement in cellulite. Adverse effects were mild and temporary, and patient satisfaction was high. Almost 85% of the participants rated the treatment results as “good” or “excellent.”
“This represents a new treatment option for the ubiquitous cellulite disorder,” concluded the study’s authors. “Although this treatment has shown promising results in this pilot study, further studies are necessary in order to draw final conclusions.”
Source: Goldman A, Gotkin RH, Sarnoff DS, Prati C, Rossato F. Cellulite: a new treatment approach combining subdermal Nd:YAG laser lipolysis and autologous fat transplantation. Aesthet Surg J. 2008;28:656-662.
