A BREAKTHROUGH IN THE TREATMENT OF CELLULITE

Cellulite is, to the modern, figure-conscious woman, one of the more difficult problems to beat. Liposuction, the concept of removing fat cells by mechanical agitation and suction, is currently one of the most common cosmetic surgery procedures performed worldwide. Up to now, liposuction has been the only effective method of removing those unsightly fat deposits that no amount of dieting and exercise will budge.

Previously, a woman's main weapon in the cellulite battle has been jars of expensive creams, which claim to melt away unsightly 'orange-peel' skin. But that has changed with the latest non-surgical cellulite treatment technology from France, available in South Africa since 1998. This technique is known as ENDERMOLOGIe. This non-invasive system is designed to reduce the appearance of cellulite and improve skin tone without pain or inconvenience. The technique was developed in France nineteen years ago and treatments are available in United States of America, South America, Japan, Central Europe, Great Britain and, of course, South Africa.

ENDERMOLOGIe was used initially to treat scars in patients who had suffered burns, to soften the scars and improve elasticity and mobility of the scarred skin. An additional, unexpected benefit was soon noted; an improvement in the appearance of cellulite. ENDERMOLOGIe has been approved by the FDA in the USA. Since being launched there , patients have been queuing up for what has been described as the 'most exciting breakthrough in body contouring since the invention of liposuction by a French surgeon, Dr Y Illouz'. Dr Illouz currently uses ENDERMOLOGIe in conjunction with liposuction, to smooth, tone and decrease post-operative swelling. A number of plastic surgeons are offering ENDERMOLOGIe as an alternative to liposuction , for those patients who feel more comfortable with a non-invasive procedure.

LPG Systems describes how the technique works. 'ENDERMOLOGIe utilizes aspiration, produced by a vacuum pump, to suck the skin up between two motorized rollers into a fold or pleat. This fold is then kneaded by the two rollers attached to the treatment head. Because the suction level is electronically controlled, the rollers constantly adjust themselves to the thickness of the patient's skin. As the treatment sessions progress, the skin becomes more supple and elastic, causing the rollers to adapt and reach increasingly deep layers. ENDERMOLOGIe improves the circulation by increasing blood and oxygen flow to the suffocated cellulite tissues and thereby accelerating the drainage of the stagnant waste products of metabolism via the lymphatic system and the fine blood capillaries. The metabolism of the fat cells is improved, encouraging them to lose some of their contents and thus shrink in size.

The dimpling effects of cellulite are caused by two factors; the swelling of the fat lobes that lie just beneath the skin, which push the skin up and the contraction of the vertical connective fibres which act as the anchor points and pull the skin down. The suction action of the massage stretches these connective strands, thus smoothing the surface of the skin. As the fibres are stretched, they are stimulated to produce collagen and elastin, which results in an improvement in skin tone. During the treatments, the skin is exfoliated by the kneading action of the rollers, thus improving the appearance.

The ENDERMOLOGIe course involves the minimum of fifteen to twenty treatment sessions of 35 to 45 minutes duration.