Cellulite (adiposis edematosa), a condition that affects most adult women, is a dimpling of skin, caused by the protrusion of subcutaneous fat into the top layer of skin, creating an undulating dermal-subcutaneous fat junction adipose tissue which has been described as resembling a texture of cottage cheese, or orange peel. The condition is present in some degree among about 90% of adult women, although the condition tends to become more noticeable for women in their 30’s and older, and is more prevalent among Caucasian women.

While the condition has affected women through the ages, demand for treatment of the condition has grown enormously in recent years, with an 81 per cent increase in cellulite treatments since 2000 in the United States alone.

The process uses a mechanical massager with rotating rollers. Researchers found that the positive pressure from the massager mixed with the negative pressure from the cellulite itself is the key to its success. The massaging action breaks up the subcutaneous fat beneath the skin and allows the body to remove it by normal physiological methods. While producing noticeable results in the short term, particularly immediately after a treatment session, there is little evidence to support the notion that this therapy provides lasting results without ongoing treatment.

One high tech approach to treating cellultine involves the use of a device that breaks down fat and lumps. Called the VelaSmooth, the machine was developed by the company Spamedica. It works by using a vacuum to suck the targeted flesh into a pinching device, operated by a nurse. It then delivers burst of radio frequency was to the targeted area, while at the same time applying thermal energy using an infrared laser. Patients have described the procedure as feeling like having their flesh vacuumed with a warm/hot sensation emanating from the targeted area.