In recent years, however, many people have started to swear by mesotherapy, a series of injections that helps to contour the body and drastically reduce the appearance of cellulite. Although most people who have tried mesotherapy have reported successful results, the side effects are not always appreciated; the injections can be somewhat painful and may cause bruising and swelling.

At Susan Lin M.D.’s celebrated San Mateo med spa, on the other hand, patients are rejoicing over the new cellulite treatment plan that offers the same results as mesotherapy, minus the needles and bruising. In California, especially, says Dr. Lin, people tend to be more outdoorsy and wear shorts and skirts more often throughout the year. Not only then is cellulite an issue, but residents are also worried about residual marks from numerous rounds of treatments that involve needles. Fortunately, she says, patients have spoken of their satisfaction with DermaWave Needleless Mesotherapy, which uses specially designed pulses of ionophoresis (electrical) energy instead of needles to relieve the congested tissue and fat pockets.

The reason this works so well, Dr. Lin explains, is because the DermaWave process is actually able to push the medical grade formulas that are used on top of the skin deep into the tissue. Topical treatments fail to work most of the time, she continues, because they only sit on the surface of the skin and never get deep enough to cause change. It is missing the added step of pushing the product into the skin that DermaWave is able to offer which causes faster results. In addition, Dr. Lin says, unlike mesotherapy needles that focus on dissolving fat, DermaWave tones your muscle and contours your figure while also targeting fat pockets.

Once you have completed your first round of DermaWave treatments and are starting to notice the lasting results, Dr. Lin says that followup treatments are only needed every six months afterward to ensure that your smooth, toned new look lasts you all year long. So if you’re tired of staring at cellulite on your body and are looking for treatment that works, visit a medical spa that offers this innovative formula.

What Is Cellulite?

Cellulite, says Dr. Kanase, is a term used to describe the dimpled, wrinkly appearance of skin on areas such as the abdomen, thighs, upper arms and buttocks due to fat deposits below the skin. Thanks to hormonal and other factors, cellulite more frequently occurs in women than in men, and is very common after childbirth or weight fluctuations. Cellulite is often resistant to changes in diet and exercise – even otherwise fit and healthy individuals struggle with cellulite deposits.

Excess fat cells themselves, says Dr. Kanase, are not the cause of cellulite’s dimpled, bumpy appearance. Fat cells expand and contract with weight gain and weight loss. Fat cells are connected, however, by fibrous strands that are extremely tough and not elastic like fat cells. In order to eliminate cellulite, you must not only address the fat cells, but also the fibrous strands that connect them. That, says Dr. Kanase, is where VelaShape can help.

What Is VelaShape?

VelaShape is a relatively new technology that uses a combination of light energy and radio frequencies to effectively shrink and smooth treated areas. Completely non-invasive, VelaShape can be performed in a medical spa setting and involves no downtime and virtually no discomfort.

VelaShape works best on fat and cellulite deposits that are resistant to diet and exercise (such as the thighs, buttocks, upper arms, and abdomen – particularly after childbirth). The best candidate for VelaShape is someone who makes healthy lifestyle choices, but who has stubborn “trouble spots” with which she is unhappy.

VelaShape treatment sessions, says Dr. Kanase, feel similar to deep tissue massages. Most patients, he says, find the experience relaxing.

How Does VelaShape Work on Cellulite?

In order to reduce the circumference of the treated area, VelaShape’s light energy and radio frequencies penetrate the skin to selectively target and destroy fat cells. The skin itself, Dr. Kanase says, is left completely unharmed. To eliminate dimples, VelaShape also attacks the fibrous strands that connect fat cells. The treatment, says Dr. Kanase, offers excellent results when patients complete a series of sessions and maintain their results with healthy diet and exercise habits.

According to Dr. Menon, physicians who work in the cosmetic field cannot seem to come to a single consensus on the effectiveness of today’s cellulite reducing lotions and creams. As a doctor who regularly sees patients who tried to use cellulite reduction lotions and failed to see any results, Dr. Menon says she cannot in good faith recommend that people go out and spend money on these products. The majority of the women she sees at her practice say they have tried these lotions without seeing positive results.

With that said, Dr. Menon explains that some of the lotions and creams available could potentially work if they were able to actually penetrate the skin. The cellulite that these creams are trying to dissolve is hidden under many layers of skin, and Dr. Menon says that she cannot imagine any of these creams working unless there was a way to get the product past the upper layers of the epidermis and deep into the body. Because of this,  she cannot give cellulite lotions her stamp of approval.

However, there are instances where trying a cellulite cream might not necessarily be a bad idea. Dr. Menon says that a patient may be able to see some actual results if she combines the creams with a cosmetic treatment like VelaShape. When used in conjunction with VelaShape—which uses a heating element that makes it easier for creams to penetrate the skin—there is a better chance that the cream will actually be able to help heal the affected area like it claims.

The problem with most creams on the market is that they are trying to tackle a problem that is very difficult to treat. Cellulite is a very hard thing to get rid of completely, and even physicians themselves struggle to find treatments that will truly produce lasting results. Although physicians like Dr. Menon can make cellulite look better, they cannot get rid of it forever, even with cosmetic surgery.

Just like doctors cannot stop the clock on aging, they cannot stop cellulite completely either. No matter how many cellulite treatments a person has, the cellulite is going to eventually come back if it is not kept in check with regular treatments. However, as far as effective treatments are concerned, VelaShape is an excellent option, according to Dr. Menon. She says that studies are still ongoing regarding the effectiveness of using SmartLipo on cellulite, which is why at this point she still recommends VelaShape as the best medical spa treatment option for women in Roseville looking to reduce cellulite on their thighs and buttocks.

The procedure itself is aimed at getting rid of the cellulite deposits that plague so many women. In essence, VelaShape is a procedure that works by sucking the tissue in the body up into a tighter sphere and utilizing the body’s lymphatic drainage system. During the VelaShape procedure, the fat tissues in a patient’s body will be heated up to the point where they become much more pliable and easy to work with. Once this stage of the procedure has occurred, the physician will utilize a series of complex rollers to roll the fat around until it has been completely smoothed out.

In order for VelaShape to work effectively, patients need to undergo a series of circulation treatments that actually smooth out the affected area—whatever that affected area may be. The number of treatments that a patient chooses to undergo will be dependent on her physical goals and preferences, although follow-up appointments are generally recommended.

Although many women choose to have VelaShape done on their buttocks and thighs, Dr. Menon says that the procedure has been proven safe on a number of areas around the body. VelaShape is among the most popular procedures available for reducing cellulite and fat deposits.

Because cellulite is a much larger problem for women than men, Dr. Menon says it is much more common for her to see women coming into her Roseville-based practice for VelaShape treatments than men. The reason that cellulite is more common in women has to do with estrogen. Estrogen is what causes cellulite, and men simply do not have the same levels of estrogen in their bodies that women do.

VelaShape can help women in a number of ways, but the essence of how it works is by improving the body’s circulation, increasing lymphatic drainage, and using the element of heat to create a smoother body. VelaShape is not a cosmetic procedure that will create an entirely new body. Rather, it is a procedure that can make the body look sleeker and tighter.

Because VelaShape does not require any cutting or general anesthesia, it is a completely safe cosmetic procedure that people of all ages can try. Although everyone’s pain tolerance is different, Dr. Menon says that most people in Roseville report that undergoing VelaShape feels like having a deep tissue massage. She recommends that people who are interested in finding a way to get rid of cellulite once and for all contact her medical spa to find out more about this safe, easy, and effective procedure.

Many would-be blushing brides seek surgery before their wedding day to look as beautiful as possible, thinking that pre-wedding lipo will help them look perfect on their wedding days. While that may be true, traditional lipo also carries certain health risks, not to mention the risk of scarring, lumpiness and bumpy-looking skin. The alternative, according to Dr. Alexandra F. Lambrou, medical director of Chicago’s Sculpt Medical Spa, is Lipo-Ex.

Lipo-Ex is different than traditional liposuction in that it doesn’t suck away fat, it melts it away. It heats it up using a hand-held device in a painless procedure that takes about an hour, and later the fat is naturally expelled by the body. It doesn’t hurt, it has virtually no health risks, and there is also no risk of scarring. Best of all, for people looking for cellulite reduction in the Chicago area, Lipo-Ex also minimizes the appearance of cellulite as it melts away the unwanted fat deposits, getting rid of that orange peel skin for good.

Slimming down for your wedding and looking good in your photos is vitally important for most women. Another benefit of Lipo-Ex is that it can target specific areas of the body unlike simple dieting alone, so you can choose which parts of the body you want to concentrate on. If your problem areas are your hips, thighs or abdomen, Sculpt Medical Spa can help. “A lot of women choose to wear strapless dresses on their wedding days, hoping to make their arms look nice and slender,” says Dr. Lambrou. “We do a lot of arm treatments as well, helping women to look as svelte and sleek as possible for that special day.”

Women who want pre-wedding Lipo-Ex treatments ideally should come in to Sculpt Medical Spa once a week, allowing at least eight to 12 treatments for the best effect. It’s important to keep in mind that even after the treatments are finished, some weight loss and inch loss will still occur over the next few weeks, so it’s best to leave enough time before your wedding for maximum results.

The Lipo-Ex procedure has been around for 10 years and studies show that there are no side effects–so there is no need to worry about scarring or downtime before your wedding. Some people even say that having Lipo-Ex is a great way to relax while you’re in the midst of planning your wedding. Most people find it pretty relaxing and half of all Lipo-Ex patients actually fall asleep during the procedure. So for the best fat and cellulite reduction procedures in Chicago, there’s really no need to look for anything else.

For many women, buying ineffective drugstore creams and over-the-counter “remedies” for cellulite have become a regular part of life. Still others have chosen to give up the fight altogether, accepting defeat in the battle against bulging legs and cellulite.

The professional team behind Endermologie hopes to change all that.

A non-invasive medical technique designed to erase the appearance of dimpling and the cottage cheese-like skin caused by cellulite, Endermologie has been used by women in France for years. Only now is the product gaining popularity at spas across the United States, as more and more women discover how well the patented product can work to help fix their problem areas.

What is Endermologie?

Endermologie is a cosmetic procedure performed by spa technicians designed to reduce the appearance of cellulite. By using a mechanical roller and suction system, trained spa technicians are able to improve a patient’s circulation and temporarily improve overall body contouring and skin conditioning, according to the Medical Spa Association.

Although Endermologie appointments usually last 30 to 45 minutes, patients usually need 15 to 18 appointments before they can expect to start seeing optimal results. According to the American Skincare & Cellulite Expert Association, it is recommended that patients undergo an average of two treatments per week during the initial phase, with one follow-up treatment per month for maintenance once a plateau has been reached.

Not only can Endermologie help erase cellulite, but patients have reported that it can erase other skin imperfections as well, such as burn scars and stretch marks, while also helping improve overall skin tone.

How does Endermologie work?

Endermologie has been sanctioned by the FDA for the purposes of reducing the appearance of cellulite through the use of a motorized rolling device and suction system. According to the Aesthetic Medical Studio in Great Neck, NY, trained spa technicians will cover the legs in a stocking—similar to pantyhose—before starting with the actual machinery, which rolls and pinches the skin in any area covered by cellulite. Thanks to the use of the stocking, the rolling machine can glide across the skin and break down the subcutaneous fat, water, and toxins more effectively. Ultimately, these fats and toxins will be drained through the patient’s lymphatic system to create the look of a more contoured body.

In most patients, the roller and suction system feels somewhat like a having a deep massage. While the majority of these patients actually look forward to the feeling, some patients with lower thresholds of pain report feeling discomfort during the procedure.

In addition, the ultimate success of the procedure depends largely on the patient, as it is recommended that anyone undergoing Endermologie drink at least two liters of water a day to rid of the body of the toxins stimulated during the treatment.

Who are the best candidates?

According to the Medical Spa at Lindsay House in Rochester, NY, Endermologie is an option for women of all shapes and sizes. Ideally, the best candidates for Endermologie are adult women 30 to 45 who consider themselves fit and exercise regularly. Without proper amounts of exercise, patients can expect their results to last for much less time than they would otherwise. Unfortunately, patients who are more than 30 pounds overweight are unlikely to see any benefits from the procedure.

Finally, ideal candidates should be willing to follow the spa technician or doctor’s orders, including drinking proper amounts of water before and after the procedure, to see the best results.

What are the risks involved with endermologie?

As with any cosmetic procedure, there are potential side effects to undergoing Endermologie. Many of these can be minimized by choosing a well-regarded spa as well as a technician with plenty of experience with the procedure.

The most common side effects include minor bruising and soreness in the hours or days following the Endermologie procedure. In addition, it is recommended that patients who are pregnant not undergo Endermologie.

How much does it cost?

The cost of Endermologie can vary greatly depending on the geographic location and the spa itself. However, the procedure generally ranges in cost from $50 to $150 per session, according to Spavelous, a service that helps consumers find day spas in their local area.