What is Cellulite?
Cellulite is a benign structural skin condition caused by subcutaneous fat herniation through fibrous connective tissue septae, creating the characteristic of “dimpled” appearance. It affect almost 90% of the post-pubertal woman due to gender difference in fat distribution and connective tissue architecture.
Factors leading to Cellulites
- 1. Connective Tissue Architecture
- Women’s vertical fibrous septae allow fat to protrude easily.
- Criss-cross structure of collagen in men allow a better support.
- 2. Hormonal Influence
- Estrogen hormone promote adipocyte hypertrophy and fluid retention
- 3. Microvascular Dysfunction
- Chronic reduce in oxygen supply increases fibrosis and glycosaminoglycan deposition
- 4. Aging
- Thinning epidermis and collagen loss makes dimpling more visible.
Clinical Classification according to Nurnberger-Muller Scale
Grade 0 – No Dimpling
Grade 1 – Dimpling on pressure
Grade 2 – Dimpling visible on standing
Grade 3 – Dimpling visible on lying down
Treatment Approaches
- 1. First Line Treatment (Conservative)
- Topical Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors (Caffeine cream)
- Increases lipolysis via cAMP pathway
- Shockwave Therapy
- Break fibrous septae and stimulate neocollagenesis
- Radiofrequency (RF)
- Electrothermal effect of RF cause collagen denaturation which result in skin tightening.
- Laser
- Subdermal laser using 1440-nm Nd:YAG combined with side-firing fiber and temperature sensing cannula effectively treat cellulite.
- Topical Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors (Caffeine cream)
- 2. Minimally Invasive Options
- Subcision- releases collagen-rich subdermal septae
- Collagenase
- Collagen Biostimulator- to increase dermal thickness
Cellulite is harmless, While it’s often stigmatized as a “flaw,” it’s simply a result of fat pushing against connective tissue—not a sign of poor health and good news is the advancement in the technology able to reduce the apperance.
English 
Chinese