Abstract
BackgroundCellulite is a widespread problem involving women’s buttocks and thighs (85% of postadolescent women). It is characterized by an irregular, dimpled skin surface with thinning of the epidermis/dermis and presence of nodular clusters of fat cells. Caffeine has anticellulite effect owing to its lipolytic activity in fatty cells. Moreover, shock wave therapy treats cellulite through improvement of cell permeability.ObjectiveTo compare between the effects of caffeine phonophoresis and shock wave therapy in the treatment of women with cellulite.Participants and methodsA total of 41 women with bilateral cellulite grade 2 and 3 at their thighs (ages 30–45 years) were randomly assigned into two groups. The caffeine phonophoresis group received caffeine 5% gel phonophoresis with an intensity of 0.2 W/cm2 at a rate of 1 min/cm2, three times/week. The shock wave group received shock wave therapy for two times/week. The treatments were conducted to a randomly selected side (the contralateral side serving as an untreated control). The cellulite grade and skin fold thickness were measured before and after 4 weeks of intervention.ResultsThere was a significant decrease in the cellulite grade and skin fold thickness of the treated side of both groups (P=0.001). There was no significant difference between the pretreatment values of both groups (P=0.724 and 0.341, respectively), and no significant difference between the posttreatment values of cellulite grade and skin fold thickness of both groups (P=0.149 and 0.268, respectively).ConclusionCaffeine phonophoresis and shock wave therapy were equally effective in improving the cellulite grade and skin fold thickness in adult women with cellulite.
Highlights
Cellulite is defined as a localized metabolic disorder of subcutaneous tissue that alters the local body shape, leading to an unaesthetic appearance of the skin called ‘orange peel’ or ‘cottage cheese-like’ [1,2]
It is important to distinguish between cellulite and cellulitis, which is an inflammation of the adipose tissue
The results of this study showed that there was a significant improvement in cellulite grades of both groups, with the improvement in the shock wave group being higher than that of caffeine group
Summary
Cellulite is defined as a localized metabolic disorder of subcutaneous tissue that alters the local body shape, leading to an unaesthetic appearance of the skin called ‘orange peel’ or ‘cottage cheese-like’ [1,2]. Cellulite affects 80–90% of all women [3]. It is not considered as a pathological condition but as esthetically disturbing dimpling of the skin seen most commonly on the thighs and buttocks [4]. Cellulite represents a condition in which fibrosis arises with the proliferation of fibroblasts around adipose cells in association with progressing peripheral circulatory failure and metabolic failure in normal tissue, thereby leading to progressive enhancement of metabolic failure in adipose tissue and eventually leading to adipose tissue degeneration and advanced fibrosis in the surrounding tissues [6]. Cellulite is a widespread problem involving women’s buttocks and thighs (85% of postadolescent women). It is characterized by an irregular, dimpled skin surface with thinning of the epidermis/dermis and presence of nodular clusters of fat cells. Shock wave therapy treats cellulite through improvement of cell permeability
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