Treatments that reach the bands of tissue under the skin reduce cellulite. Treatments that work on the surface do not.
Cellulite is not extra fat. Bands of connective tissue anchor your skin to the muscle underneath, and fat fills the space between them. When the bands pull tight and the fat pushes up around them, the surface dimples.
It is a structure problem, which is why it turns up on lean people and why losing weight often does not touch it.
Do cellulite creams work?
A little, for a while, and only on the surface. The American Academy of Dermatology says creams with caffeine may improve the look of the skin for a short time. It also says retinol needs six months or more of daily use before anything shows.
Nothing you rub on reaches the bands. So a cream can make the skin look a bit smoother on the day, and it cannot change the thing causing the dimples.
Does dry brushing reduce cellulite?
No. A brush works on the top layer of skin, and it moves blood around for a few minutes. That makes the area look pinker and smoother for a short time, but the bands are underneath and bristles do not reach them.
It is cheap and it feels nice, so there is no harm in it. Expecting it to change the dimpling is where people lose months.
Does losing weight get rid of cellulite?
Sometimes it helps, and it is not a fix on its own. The AAD notes that extra weight can make cellulite more visible, and that some people see less of it after losing weight. The bands are unchanged after the weight is gone, which is why plenty of slim people have cellulite too.
Does fat freezing reduce cellulite?
No, and this is worth saying because we offer it. Cold treatments work on fat cells, and cellulite comes from the bands. The AAD lists fat freezing among the treatments that have not been shown to reduce cellulite.
If someone is selling you cold for dimpling, ask what it does to the bands.
What does reduce cellulite?
Treatments that reach the bands, and the AAD names acoustic wave therapy first, which sends pulses through the skin. It says studies show the pulses can reduce the appearance of cellulite over several sessions. Two in office procedures that cut or release the bands, done by dermatologists, also make its list.
Acoustic wave therapy is what we use, under the name shockwave therapy. The pulses work on the bands and push the skin to make more collagen. Over a course of sessions the surface evens out and the skin firms up.
The same tool works on stretch marks and on skin that has lost its snap, because it is the same tissue.
What we see work in Creve Coeur
A session takes about 20 minutes and feels like a tapping, drumming sensation. Odd, and not painful. There is no downtime.
Collagen builds slowly. One session shows you little, and a course shows you the change, so we plan it as a course from the start.
When fat and dimpling are both part of the picture, most plans pair the two tools. The cold works on the fat and the shockwave works on the skin over it. Each does its own job.
What to do next
If the dimpling is on your thighs or the backs of your legs, our page on cellulite treatment in St. Louis covers what shockwave therapy treats, what it will not do, and the questions people ask before their first session.
Call (314) 301-9012 or book an intro visit. We are on Old Olive Street Road in Creve Coeur, and the visit takes about half an hour.