Cellulaze vs CelluSmooth®: Do You Need Surgery for Cellulite?

Short answer: Cellulaze is a laser procedure for cellulite that is performed as surgery. A London clinic offering it describes it as a surgical treatment carried out by a surgeon in an operating theatre under light general anaesthetic, taking one to two hours, with compression garments for one to two weeks afterwards. CelluSmooth® treats the same cause, the fibrous bands that pull the skin down into dimples, under local anaesthetic, with a fine needle, in 30 to 45 minutes. There is no general anaesthetic, no operating theatre and no compression garment.

CelluSmooth® is Dr Hasan Benar's one-session cellulite protocol combining ultrasound assessment, medical subcision and skin booster.

What Cellulaze is

Cellulaze (Cynosure) received FDA clearance in January 2012. It uses a 1440 nm laser delivered through a thin fibre inserted under the skin. The laser heats the tissue, disrupts fat and releases the fibrous bands that create dimpling, and it is designed to stimulate collagen. The manufacturer reported increases in skin thickness and elasticity at one year, and results maintained for at least one year.

Cellulaze aims at the right targets: the bands and the skin. The difference is how it gets there. It does so with laser heat under the skin, as a surgical procedure.

How Cellulaze is performed in London

According to a London clinic that offers it, Cellulaze is:

Performed under light general anaesthetic, by a surgeon, in an operating theatre.

One to two hours long, depending on the areas treated.

Followed by compression garments for one to two weeks, with up to three days off work and full recovery in one to two weeks.

What CelluSmooth® does differently

1. No general anaesthetic, no operating theatre. CelluSmooth® is performed under local anaesthetic in a clinic room. You are awake throughout and go home straight afterwards.

2. A fine needle instead of laser heat. Each band is released by hand with a fine needle, after the bands have been mapped with ultrasound. The depth and direction are adjusted to each band.

3. Skin booster in the same session. Instead of heating the tissue, CelluSmooth® improves skin quality with a skin booster in the same visit.

Cellulaze vs CelluSmooth®, side by side

Type of procedure: Cellulaze is a surgical laser procedure. CelluSmooth® is a needle-based procedure in a clinic room.

Anaesthesia: Cellulaze, light general anaesthetic. CelluSmooth®, local anaesthetic.

Treatment time: Cellulaze, one to two hours. CelluSmooth®, 30 to 45 minutes.

Instrument: Cellulaze, a laser fibre under the skin. CelluSmooth®, a fine needle guided by hand.

Planning: CelluSmooth® maps the bands with ultrasound before treatment.

Skin quality: Cellulaze uses laser heat. CelluSmooth® uses a skin booster in the same session.

Compression garments: Cellulaze, one to two weeks. CelluSmooth®, none.

Number of sessions: one for both.

Who performs it: Cellulaze is performed by a surgeon. CelluSmooth® is always performed by Dr Hasan Benar, a dermatologist with more than 1,000 cellulite subcision cases.

Why I prefer this approach

Cellulite dimples are caused by bands, and bands can be released precisely with a needle under local anaesthetic. In more than 1,000 cases, I have not found that the result requires a general anaesthetic or an operating theatre. Avoiding both means a shorter procedure, no compression garments and a simpler recovery, while ultrasound mapping and a skin booster still address both the bands and the skin.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cellulaze surgery? Yes. It is performed as a surgical procedure, and a London clinic offering it uses light general anaesthetic.

Do I need general anaesthetic for CelluSmooth®? No. CelluSmooth® is performed under local anaesthetic and you are awake throughout.

Will I need to wear compression garments? Not after CelluSmooth®. After Cellulaze, compression garments are usually worn for one to two weeks.

How long does CelluSmooth® take? 30 to 45 minutes, in a single session.

What is the recovery like after CelluSmooth®? Bruising and tenderness for one to a few weeks are common, and most people return to normal activities within a day or two.

References

Cynosure. FDA 510(k) clearance for the Cellulaze Cellulite Laser Workstation, 30 January 2012.

Hexsel DM, Mazzuco R. Subcision: a treatment for cellulite. International Journal of Dermatology. 2000;39(7):539-544.

Dr Hasan Benar is a dermatologist practising at Dr Elif Clinic, 54 Harley Street, London.