Good News: Cellulite is Not Your Fault Better News: There’s a New Treatment in Town!

February 2022 Issue
by Harold L. Kent, M.D.

At my age, I realize there are things I didn’t learn in medical school and residency. They either weren’t discovered, or were outside my field of expertise. Even though almost 80 percent of women have cellulite, I didn’t know the cause of that condition. Now, because my practice has just brought in QWO, a cellulite treatment, I have learned a lot about cellulite in the last few months. I’m excited to share that knowledge with you.

Women are more likely to have cellulite because they have thinner skin and a different orientation of the fibrous collagen bands that cause skin dimpling. Men who get estrogen treatment can develop cellulite. About 77 percent of women spend time and effort dealing with cellulite, and many of them feel cellulite is their fault. The fact is that cellulite isn’t due to obesity, lack of exercise, or failure to lose weight. Only 11 percent of women understand the real causes of cellulite, and most women wish their physician would tell them about treatment options for cellulite.

Over time, cellulite becomes more obvious due to enlarging fat cells, thinning skin, and thickening of the fibrous bands under the skin’s surface. The fibrous bands tether the skin to deeper tissues. The combination of these factors leads to the dimpled appearance of cellulite. Cellulite can occur in women from ages 19 to 90!

There are various treatments available for cellulite, including topical creams, radiofrequency treatments to tighten skin and/or build muscle and ultrasound to help break down the fibrous bands. However, QWO is the only treatment which actually treats the major cause of cellulite by dissolving the fibrous bands.

QWO is the first and only FDA approved injectable for treatment of cellulite in the buttocks of adult women. It is a combination of enzymes called collagenases, which are thought to target the structural causes--fibrous bands made from collagen—under the skin. It’s thought to work by releasing those bands, thus allowing fat cells to redistribute while stimulating the growth of new collagen. QWO has been studied in more than 1800 women over the last seven years and has been available since spring 2021. Glow Coastal Georgia Coast Surgical Med Spa and More is proud to offer this unique treatment!

Treatment is done on an outpatient basis. Each patient’s history is gathered to get informed consent and rule out contraindications for treatment. Then, the areas with cellulite are photographed prior to marking the cellulite dimples. Photos document each patient’s results during the full course of treatment. Each patient gets three treatment sessions during which each buttock is treated with twelve injections. Each dimple receives three 0.1 ml injections of QWO delivered through an extremely small needle—the same size used to inject Botox.

The first consultation and treatment session takes approximately 30 to 60 minutes. Follow up sessions are 30 minutes or less. The injections at each session only take about 10 minutes.

After the first treatment session, almost every patient will experience noticeable bruising. Taking Arnica Montana, which is available in health food stores, before treatment and for several days afterwards can lessen the bruising. Patients will often feel small lumps at the injection sites, but both these and the bruising resolve. Other post-treatment symptoms can include pain, itching, redness, discoloration, swelling, warmth and burning at the injection sites. The second treatment is given approximately three weeks after the first, and includes more photos. The third treatment will be scheduled approximately three weeks after the second treatment. Maximum response occurs about a month after the third treatment. Completing the full series of three treatment sessions is imperative because some of the shallower dimples can resolve completely, which allows us to treat dimples we didn’t notice before, or re-treat those dimples which didn’t resolve. For those patients who want to be ready for the beach, schedule your treatments to start now—about three months before beach weather!

Skin laxity can occur along with cellulite and QWO doesn’t fix that. However, we can tighten skin with several sessions of Exilis Ultra, which is totally non-invasive.

Be in the know about QWO! Call now to get all your questions answered or to schedule your free consultation.
    

Dr. Harold L. Kent, specializing in Bariatric and General Surgery, is owner of Georgia Coast Surgical Med Spa and More; 3226-F Hampton Avenue, Brunswick, Georgia, 912-264-9724. Website: Georgiacoastsurgical.com; Facebook: Georgia Coast Surgical and Med Spa