“TL;DR: Does Liposuction Remove Cellulite? The answer is a resounding no—and it often worsens the appearance of cellulite. Liposuction targets subcutaneous fat beneath the skin, not the hypodermal and dermal fat within the skin that causes cellulite’s dimpled look. Removing subcutaneous fat can leave skin looser, making cellulite more visible. Advanced techniques like Vaser or Smart Lipo aim to tighten skin but don’t address cellulite and may cause complications. For cellulite reduction, non-invasive options like radiofrequency, ultrasound, and a healthy lifestyle are far better. Post-liposuction, these methods can help mitigate increased cellulite visibility. In short, liposuction is not a cellulite solution - it’s a misstep. Opt for a good, non-surgical treatment instead.”
Liposuction for cellulite?
Does lipo get rid of cellulite?
There are two types of superficial fat
Liposuction removes subcutaneous fat
Does liposuction remove cellulite?
In fact, liposuction almost always makes cellulite look worse and skin looser
Can vaser, smart lipo or body-tite help?
If lipo leaves skin loose, then what is the solution?
If cellulite looks worse after lipo, what do I need to do?
Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment with London’s cellulite experts
Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia
The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening
Does lipo get rid of cellulite?
This is a common question we hear at the clinic and it is totally understandable, given all the misleading “advice” by anyone from clueless influencers all the way to unscrupulous plastic surgeons.
There are two types of superficial fat
To understand whether liposuction can help with cellulite we have to know what kind of fat liposuction removes and what kind of fat cellulite is made of.
In addition to deep fat, found deep inside the stomach (visceral fat) and intramuscular fat, found inside muscles (as in “marble fat” in steaks), there are two other types of fat depots on the human body, both of which are found on the surface of the body:
Subcutaneous fat, which is found UNDER the skin
Hypodermal and dermal fat, which is found INSIDE the skin
Liposuction removes subcutaneous fat
When a surgeon inserts a cannula to remove fat via liposuction, vaser, smart lipo, body-tite, airsculpt or any other liposuction-like procedure, they go UNDER the skin to remove the subcutaneous fat found there, i.e. fat between skin and muscle.
During weight gain this fat can expand to become several up to 80mm deep and that fat is aspirated (sucked) out of the body via a liposuction procedure.
Does liposuction remove cellulite?
Hypodermal and dermal fat are located inside the skin itself and their upward pressure can create bumps on the surface of the skin of a maximum of 2mm height, creating the cellulite appearance.
Hypodermal and dermal fat (i.e. cellulite fat) is interwoven within the skin itself, so liposuction can never remove that fat. Obviously trying to remove that fat would remove the skin itself - not a great idea…
If a surgeon tells you that they will remove your cellulite with liposuction, they are simply and clearly lying. We cannot imagine a surgeon who has seen with their eyes hundreds or even thousands of subcutaneous adiposes tissues and hypodermal adipose tissues to be so ignorant.
(Over the years we have seen clients at the clinic that were promised by their surgeons cellulite reduction with liposuction - very unethical.)
In fact, liposuction almost always makes cellulite look worse and skin looser
When we put excess fat on, our skin stretches to accommodate that excess fat underneath it.
In most people, this fat keeps skin relatively taut
In some, skin is so loose that it already sags, due to gravity
When fat is removed after lipo (or even after normal weight loss), the skin tautness, which was there due to the pressure of fat underneath, disappears. As a result, the excess skin is left appearing loose or even hanging, just like a deflated balloon that looks puckered.
The fact is that liposuction almost always leaves skin loose - and sometimes very loose.
This excess skin looseness makes cellulite LOOK worse. Cellulite does not itself become worse or better after lipo, it just becomes more evident, more visible: it looks worse.
Can vaser, smart lipo or body-tite help?
Vaser (ultrasound-assisted liposuction), smart-lipo (laser-assisted liposuction) and body-tite (radiofrequency-assisted liposuction) in theory tighten up the skin after surgery, by literally burning the skin from within and sticking it (coagulating it) with the underlying fascia, in order to leave you with “tight” - or at least not too loose - skin.
In reality, however, these techniques cause skin hardening/scar tissue-ing, rather than healthy skin tightening. The quality of collagen produced after a deep skin burn that the ultrasound / laser / RF cannula tip produces is very low: randomly aligned collagen fibres and not much elastin, as is the case with all scar tissues.
Furthermore, real life has shown that this effect is usually short-lived (less than a year). On the other hand, if the skin hardening / scar tissue-ing is excessive, it causes more problems than it solves, i.e. ‘adhesions’ and fibrotic hard lumps, which may take several years to be reabsorbed.
Who is going to have fibrosis and adhesions depends on both surgeon skill and how each body reacts, i.e. it’s totally unpredictable.
In any case, those three methods (vaser, smart lipo, bodytite) do not affect cellulite in the slightest, they just aim to improve skin tautness. If someone tells you they can “cure” cellulite with vaser, smart-lipo or bodytite, they are simply lying.
(Again, over the years we have seen clients at the clinic that were promised by their surgeons cellulite reduction with vaser, smart-lipo or bodytite. Also very unethical.)
If lipo leaves skin loose, then what is the solution?
Unfortunately there is no fool-proof solution.
Lipo, in all its guises, with an energy-based cannula tips or not, will leave skin loose: either a bit loose (in light cases) or very loose (in more severe cases).
The secret is not to have weight gain in the first place, especially excessive weight gain that requires lipo. Boring fact, but still the most important fact.
For people with small amounts of fat to be removed, the best choice is to lose the weight with healthy nutrition and exercise and in the same period of time as you lose the weight tighten up your skin and remove cellulite with deep-acting, high-power radio frequency/ultrasound:
It will cost less than lipo
There will not be any downtime, fibrosis or scar tissue
The weight loss will improve your health and the diet/RF/ultrasound will remove cellulite and tighten up your skin
…all of which lipo cannot do.
For people with large amounts of fat to be removed, yes, liposuction is the answer, with the concomitant skin laxity.
If cellulite looks worse after lipo, what do I need to do?
The same as in all cases of cellulite:
Have a course of a good, deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and high-power ultrasound cavitation, starting two months after lipo
Apply a real cellulite cream, i.e. one with multiple, high-purity anti-cellulite actives in high concentrations
Follow a super-healthy nutrition, exercise and lifestyle regime
Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts
At LipoTherapeia we have specialised 100% in skin tightening and cellulite reduction for more than two decades and 20,000+ sessions.
This is all we study and practise every day and have researched and tried hands-on all the important skin tightening equipment and their manufacturers.
As strong, deep acting radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the technologies of choice for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, we have invested in the best RF/ultrasound technologies in the world.
Furthermore, over the last two decades we have developed advanced RF and cavitation treatment protocols in order to make the most of our technologies, for maximum results, naturally and safely.
And for even better, faster results, we now combine our RF/ultrasound treatments with high-power red/infrared light LED treatment.
Our radiofrequency/ultrasound/LED treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.
(No unsafe and ineffective RF microneedling or HIFU and no safe but ineffective acoustic wave therapy, superficial RF (bipolar/tripolar/multipolar etc), low power RF/cavitation, electrical muscle stimulation, lymphatic massage, cupping, dry brushing and no ridiculous bum bum creams.)
Our focus is on honest, realistic, science-based treatment, combined with caring, professional service, with a smile.
We will be pleased to see you, assess your cellulite, skin laxity or fibrosis, listen to your story, discuss your case and offer you the best possible treatment.
Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia
At LipoTherapeia we are passionate about phototherapy (also known as photobiomodulation/PBM, red light therapy, infrared light therapy, blue light therapy, LED light therapy etc) and we use the most powerful equipment available today (up to 200mW/cm2), for best results and treatment of large body areas.
We use specialised therapy protocols for skin rejuvenation / anti-ageing, pigmentation / post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), moderate/severe acne, skin redness, sensitive/inflamed/irritated skin, wound healing, sports injuries / musculoskeletal pain and overall wellness / well-being.
Our LED phototherapy sessions are comfortable, deeply relaxing and super-safe and are great to enhance our radiofrequency/ultrasound treatments for skin tightening / cellulite reduction.
On our booking page you can book stand-alone phototherapy sessions or combine them with our other treatments, as an add-on.
Learn more or check prices and book an expert LED phototherapy treatment at our London clinic.
The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening
Do you want to deeply understand radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, LED phototherapy, cellulite and skin tightening?
Attend a half-day, 1-day, 2-day or 3-day one-to-one masterclass and confidently offer your clients the safest, strongest and most effective treatment possible.
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