Treatment of cellulite using a 1440-nm pulsed laser with one-year follow-up.

Background: Cellulite is characterized by a thickened hypodermal fat layer, along with hypodermal fat lobules that extend upward into the dermis, expanding and stretching the fibrous septae that separate the fat lobules. Eventually, the septae sclerose, contract, and harden, holding the skin at an inflexible length while the surrounding tissue continues to expand.

Objectives: The author evaluates the efficacy, safety, and duration of clinical benefit associated with a pulsed laser that delivers 1440-nm energy to the dermal-hypodermal interface for the treatment of cellulite. The changes in the dermal structure that affect the appearance of cellulite are also examined.

Methods: Ten healthy women with cellulite on their thighs enrolled in a prospective Institutional Review Board-approved study conducted in the author's private plastic surgery clinic. Patients received a single treatment with a 1440-nm pulsed laser. Energy was delivered to the subdermal tissue through a fiber that was designed for side firing and enclosed in a cannula. Treatment addressed the thickened hypodermal fat layer, hypodermal fat lobules that extended upward into the dermis, and fibrous septae by thermal subcision.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 47 years ± 5.4 years. Mean skin thickness (as shown by ultrasound) and skin elasticity were shown by objective measurements to increase significantly at one, three, six, and 12 months. Subjective physician and subject evaluations indicated improvement, high subject satisfaction, and minimal adverse effects.

Conclusions: In this study, a single treatment with the 1440-nm pulsed laser improved the appearance of cellulite, an improvement that persisted through at least one year of follow-up with minimal adverse effects.