Cellulite treatments
What is cellulite?
Cellulite usually appears on the hips, thighs and buttocks, in the subcutaneous level of the skin. Here’s how it forms: fat cells are arranged in chambers, which are surrounded by connective tissue fibers called septae. As your body retains water, the fat cells stretch the connective tissue, which eventually hardens and becomes less flexible. The problem is, the surrounding tissue remains flexible, and when it expands (due to weight, water retention or age), it bulges outward, creating that lumpy, “cottage cheese” effect we all love to hate.
The swollen fat cells have other unpleasant effects: they damage small blood vessels that bring nutrients to the area, causing reduced blood flow and spider veins. They also prevent lymphatic vessels from draining excess fluids and toxins.
How exactly does mesotherapy/ActhydermTM target cellulite?
Mesotherapy targets bulging fat cells and hardened tissue and reduces cellulite by:
- Dissolving excess fat deposits.
- Improving blood flow to the area.
- Removing hardened tissue bands between the fat cells.
- Improving lymphatic drainage.
Mesotherapy is ideal for the initial stages of cellulite (skin feels cool, spider veins appear, blood flow is sluggish, skin is dimpled.) For cellulite that is in an advanced stage, (swollen fat cells, fibrosis, severe “cottage cheese” appearance), lipotherapy is the most effective treatment.
Please be aware that no therapy is a cure-all for cellulite. These procedures helps you control it. Diet and exercise must go hand-in-hand with your treatment, or else you won’t have the results you want. The clinic will be happy to give you information about an exercise routine that will help keep your cellulite at bay.
What is Acthyderm®?
Acthyderm® is similar to mesotherapy – it involves direct delivery of active ingredients into the subcutaneous fat to dissolve cellulite. But instead of needles, the Acthyderm Pulse™ delivers these ingredients using an electric current. The effects are similar. Acthyderm® creates tiny temporary passageways or electropores through the epidermis. Using a pulsed 50-volt current, nutrients and medicines can be delivered into the dermis and cellulite, all without needles.
Dr. Nield uses medications that improve blood flow and increase lymphatic drainage. Lipolytics dissolve excess fat and anti-fibrotics break down hardened connective tissue bands.
Acthyderm® Pulse is currently one of the most effective treatments for cellulite and skin tightening.
What is an Acthyderm® treatment like?
A session takes about 30-45 minutes, with very little downtime. The process is relatively painless; our patients have told us that Acthyderm® treatments are actually quite relaxing. We usually perform 12-16 weekly sessions, with monthly or bi-monthly maintenance treatments after the initial series is completed.
To start, we ask that you remove all metal jewellery. Then we prep your skin and apply a grounding pad. A hand-held steel-tipped wand is stroked over your skin to create electropores, and then a charged roller massages the nutrients and medicines into your skin. Every treatment is followed by a light massage.
You may notice some redness or swelling, but these are generally mild; you can return to normal activities immediately following your treatment.
What is mesotherapy?
Mesotherapy is a broad term that encompasses cellulite reduction, body sculpting and skin rejuvenation. Different techniques and ingredients are used for each type of treatment.
In mesotherapy, conventional or homeopathic medications and vitamins are injected into the middle layer of skin (the mesoderm), replenishing the skin at its source, and supporting collagen formation, which requires a rich supply of vitamins to generate.
Until recently, the only way to absorb collagen-enhancing nutrients was through oral supplements or topical creams. However, our bodies don’t absorb enough of the supplements to be effective, and creams may not be fully absorbed, so they also have limited effectiveness.
Mesotherapy goes deep enough into the skin to make a real difference. It’s safe, and the benefits are remarkable; it improves skin tone and texture, decreases cellulite, prevents wrinkles – and when it’s combined with a healthy lifestyle and other treatments such as Botox® and fillers, it can slow the aging process. Other benefits include improved blood flow to the area, dissolved excess fat deposits, removal of hardened, fibrotic tissue bands, and improved lymphatic drainage.
What does a mesotherapy treatment involve?
Very small doses of different medicines and plant extracts are administered to a specific area. (All medicines are obtained from approved compounding pharmacies). We do a thorough medical history to ensure you have no known allergies to any of the medicines being used and that you’re healthy enough to have the procedure.
When combined with exercise, proper diet and fluid intake, plus decreased alcohol consumption and no smoking, mesotherapy is an effective treatment for semi-advanced cellulite (dimpled skin, spider veins, sluggish blood flow). Treatments are usually performed weekly for 12 to 16 sessions. After that, you’ll need maintenance treatments every month or two.
How was mesotherapy developed?
First developed in 1952 by a French doctor named Michel Pistor, mesotherapy was formally recognized as a treatment by the French School of Medicine in 1987. It is currently taught in medical schools across Europe and South America, and has more recently been recognized as a valid therapeutic procedure in North America.
In addition to being a cosmetic treatment for cellulite and skin rejuvenation, mesotherapy is also used to treat skin disorders, sports-related injuries, arthritis, circulatory disorders and migraines.
What products are used to treat cellulite?
Cellulite drugs are delivered via Acthyderm® treatments in our office. A combination of drugs is used to break up the cellulite, dissolve it and drain it away. Numerous sessions are needed and maintenance treatments are required. Cellulite can be treated, not cured. The drugs we use may include:
- PENTOXYPHYLLINE (Trental) is a member of the methylxanthine class of drugs such as caffeine and theophylline. It enables the red blood cells to travel deeper into the tissue, which improves oxygenation and improves the microcirculation. In medicine, it helps improve circulation in those with peripheral vascular disease. In cellulite therapy, it acts as a vasodilator, delivering the drugs to the cellulite.
- HYALURONIDASE is an enzyme that dissolves hyaluronic acid, a component of the fibrous septal bands that trap the swollen fat cells in cellulite. It loosens the connective tissue and helps diffuse the medications.
- COLLAGENASE is an enzyme that breaks down the septal fibrous bands.
- CAFFEINE causes an increase in cell metabolic activity and helps in fat destruction by opening the B receptors in fat cells and moving the fat out.
- L-CARNITINE is used by the body to transport long chain fatty acids to the mitochondria in cells, where they are burned for energy. It is thought to increase the metabolism of fat cells.
- COUMARIN (not to be confused with Coumadin) is used in aiding the microcirculation by improving venous return and lymphatic drainage.
All drugs are obtained from approved compounding pharmacies in Canada and the United States. Please be aware that these medicines are FDA- and HPB-approved, but are used off-label.
Using off-label drugs is a common practice for Canadian physicians. One example of off-label usage is the drug Cimitidine, which is approved for treatment of stomach ulcers. Dermatologists will, on occasion, prescribe Cimitidine for difficult-to-treat warts; even though it is not an approved indication, it can work. As long as a patient is aware that the medicines being used are off-label, then there is usually no problem. Most of the medicines listed above are approved for oral usage and since mesotherapy/Acthyderm delivers the drugs transdermally, only a very small amount is actually used. Drugs to which the patient has a known allergy will not be used.
