Cellulite treatment in Paris
Aesthetic medicine at Henri Mondor Hospital
Cellulite treatment in Paris
Aesthetic medicine, Professor Hersant
The tissues are fibrosed, leading to a halt in cellular exchanges. Cellulite, the medical term for which is oedematofibrosclerotic panniculopathy (OFSP), is a pathological alteration of the connective tissue and the adipose panniculus.
There is also compression of the cutaneous microcirculation and an increase in lipogenesis compared with lipolysis. Also known as orange peel skin, it appears mainly in women, around the pelvis and the roots of the lower limbs (gynoid form).
Aesthetic medicine at Henri Mondor Hospital
Cellulite treatment in Paris
The preferential appearance of cellulite in women is mainly due to the structure of the female adipose lobules. Unlike those found in men, they have a diamond-shaped structure. So when the lobules are distended, due to the accumulation of triglyceride-laden adipocytes, this has repercussions on the appearance of the skin, which takes on the appearance of dimpled tissue or ‘orange peel skin’.
Cellulite occurs more easily during puberty or pregnancy. During these periods, sex hormone levels (oestrogen and progesterone) are high. The increase in these hormones causes premenstrual syndrome, characterised by water retention. The permeability of the capillaries is altered, leading to the formation of oedema. Following the appearance of oedema, the collagen fibrils surrounding the adipose lobules multiply in number and thickness. This multiplication leads to the formation of nodules that are painful when pressed.
To sum up, there are 3 causes of cellulite:
- excess fat
- water retention
- fibrosis of adipose tissue
Cellulite treatment in Paris
Pr Hersant surgery & aesthetic medicine
Treatment and advice
Combating excess fat: diet, sport, cryolipolysis, radiofrequency, ultrasound, liposuction, etc.
Combating water retention: anti-oedema treatment, reducing salt intake, sport, compression, etc.
Combating adipose fibrosis: massage, lipomodelling (LPG), radiofrequency, liposuction
Radical treatment: dermolipectomy or facelift (see figure surgery).
A new, highly sophisticated surgical technique: surgical lipomodelling and sectioning of subcutaneous adhesions using microcannulas.
The method chosen depends on the type of cellulite diagnosed. Then, in the long term, a balanced diet and muscular strength should be sought to avoid a progressive recurrence. Psychological work on body image and self-esteem should not be neglected in order to avoid excessive demands.
Slimming treatments
The product may be in the form of a gel, cream, milk, oil or patch. The patch is applied once a day to the desired area for four weeks. The other forms should be applied once or twice a day for at least four weeks, in the direction of venous return for the legs and in a circular motion for the buttocks, stomach and hips. The massage that accompanies the application of these products is essential. This is known as palpate-roll massage. This allows the product to penetrate more effectively and act on the fat cells. To make it easier for the slimming product to penetrate the skin, exfoliate at the start of the treatment and then regularly once a week. As a general rule, these slimming products should act at different levels through their various components:
Activate lipolysis/inhibit lipogenesis
Activate microcirculation to drain toxins and water from cellulite-prone areas
Strengthen vessel walls to reduce permeability and deformability
Restructure connective tissue
Delay tissue ageing
Soften, firm and smooth the skin. Little scientific evidence
Don’t spend too much money on creams. The most important thing is mechanical massage (there are suction pads available at affordable prices).
In my opinion, Sport+++ is the key. Great sports women have little cellulite because sport combats excess fat, stimulates microcirculation and tissue oxygenation during physical effort and activates drainage (reducing water retention).
Our department has carried out a study on cryolipolysis, published in the world’s leading plastic surgery journal, which demonstrated its effectiveness on saddlebags (38% loss of fat layer thickness at 6 months, with an improvement in cellulite in 50% of patients).
Paramedical treatments are used in institutes or by physiotherapists; they stimulate physiological (slow) lipolysis as opposed to ‘fast’ lipolysis methods which act by bursting the adipocyte and releasing triglycerides: lipomodelling and lymphatic drainage for cellulite linked to water retention.