SANANTONIO --Tuesdaymarksthe first day of summer, the season when people are revealing more of their skin than the rest of the year. Many womendecided it'stime to tackle their cellulite. Now there s a new way to get rid of it.
Cellulite is that unsightly bumpy skin many women have on their buttocks and thighs. A new medical approach to treat this common problem uses suction and lasers.
At the Plastic and Cosmetic Center of South Texas in San Antonio, Dr. Thomas Jeneby uses a new weapon in the war on cellulite, called SmoothShapes.
Cellulite itself is fat pockets between small bits of connections between skin and your muscle, Jeneby said. So in order to target the cellulite, you need to break those connections and melt the fat.
The handpiece of the SmoothShapes system has rollers to make it slide across the skin. Two lasers of differing wavelengths penetrate a millimeter or two beneath the skin.
The suction helps break up the connective tissue and the lasers zap the fat. Most women target the outer thighs and buttocks.
I like to wear skirts. Short shorts, said Melisa Votion. And with cellulite, that just makes me more self-conscious. So that was the area I was wanting to target.
SmoothShapes takes about 40 minutes for each session. Clients usually get eight sessions over four weeks. There s no pain.
What you feel is heat, Jeneby stated. And it s kind of like a hot stone massage. It s very comfortable, actually.
Votion began to notice a difference about halfway through her treatments.
I started noticing my pants, my shorts were fitting a little bit looser in that area, she commented. That was my first realization that the treatments were working for me.
Jeneby has been using SmoothShapes for a few months now with good success. It doesn t eradicate the cellulite, but it can make it less noticeable.
SmoothShapes costs about $2,500 for eight sessions. It s recommended for mild to moderate cellulite.
