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The subcutaneous fat is organized into a honeycomb - like structure. The walls of the little chambers are made of fibrous connective tissue and the chambers are filled with fat cells. The fibrous tissue is not elastic. The amount of fat stored in each chamber varies with the amount of fat stored in each fat cell. The number of fat cells in each chamber does not change. It is genetically determined. But each fat cell can become larger or smaller, as it stores more or less fat. When the chambers are not very full, they assume a more or less box-like shape with flat sides. The top surface of each box is flat with the skin and the sides of the box are perpendicular to the skin. If the chambers get overfilled, they try to assume a round shape, but can’t quite do this because the walls are not elastic. So the top surface next to the skin bulges in the center, while along its edges it is held down by the side walls, which are in turn bulging in their centers. This is what gives the surface of the skin the cobblestone appearance. Weight loss should theoretically be beneficial and rid one of cellulite. The problem is that it is normal, in fact necessary, to store a certain amount of fat and your body will try very hard to do this. And there is also a tendency to store fat in one area of the body rather than others. The sites are variable from one person to the next. However, this explains why some thin people have cellulite, and why some people who are overweight can lose quite a bit of weight and still have cellulite.

Spot weight reduction, losing weight in one area of the body, has generally not been feasible. Even if it is achieved, the body will likely transfer stored fat from another site in the body to the area that was reduced, if this is the body’s preferred storage site. Spot reduction can be achieved with the VelaSmooth from Syneron, Inc.. Clinical trials during the FDA approval process demonstrated the ability of the VelaSmooth to reduce the circumference of the thighs and the buttocks. It can also reduce the size of the "love handles" and the back of the arms. The VelaSmooth works by first heating the treated area using a combination of infrared light and radiofrequency energy. This increases the metabolism in the treated area, assisting with "burning" the fat away. In addition, while it is still quite warm, the tissue is susceptible to remolding. The VelaSmooth also pulls the tissue into the treatment head, where the tissue is then massaged and reworked with rollers. The net effect is a smoothing of the surface of the skin and superficial fat layer. The combined effect is a reduction of the volume of fat stored in this area and a smoothing of the cobblestone appearance of the skin. The body will tend to restore the area to its previous state over time, so the results with the VelaSmooth are not permanent. Touch-up treatments every one to three months are required to maintain the results. We also recommend a weight loss effort for each patient, since it can only help to prevent the early recurrence of cellulite. Still, the VelaSmooth is the only device given FDA approval to make the claim that it "removes cellulite", even if the result isn’t permanent. Other devices are only able to claim they "remove the appearance of cellulite" and these results are temporary as well. Results with cellulite therapy are variable and no one can guarantee results. Some forms of severe, long-standing cellulite can be associated with damage to the fibrous connective tissue with irreversible scarring that cannot be treated successfully. And while the VelaSmooth achieves very satisfactory results with bulging fat, it cannot achieve equally satisfactory results with hanging fat. An initial series of cellulite treatments with the VelaSmooth, followed by a regular plan of touch-up treatments, combined with a weight control program, exercise, and the daily consumption of an adequate amount of fluid is the best way to keep cellulite in check on a more or less permanent basis. The vast majority of patients treated with the VelaSmooth are very pleased with the improvement achieved. Determination and hard work pay dividends. Good luck on your self-improvement program.

What follows are examples of what can be achieved with the VelaSmooth.

One month after 8 treatments

One month after 8 treatments

Six months after 10 treatments

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     © 2005 F. J. Fazzio, Jr. MD.