{"id":15736,"date":"2021-03-16T12:40:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T19:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/?p=15736"},"modified":"2024-02-16T10:34:14","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T18:34:14","slug":"qwo-cellulite-treatment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/qwo-cellulite-treatment","title":{"rendered":"Qwo, A Newly FDA-Approved Injectable Is Being Called a \u201cGame Changer\u201d for Cellulite"},"content":{"rendered":"

For years, we’ve been hearing whispers of a mythical-sounding shot for cellulite<\/a>—those frustrating dimples blazoning the backsides of women of all ages, sizes, and ethnicities. And now, after almost a decade in clinical trials, Qwo (formerly known as CCH, or collagenase clostridium histolyticum-aaes, from Endo Aesthetics<\/a>) has officially won FDA approval for the treatment of moderate to severe cellulite in the buttocks of adult women.<\/p>

Interested in cellulite treatment?<\/small><\/div>Find Doctors Near You<\/a><\/div>

How Qwo works<\/strong><\/h2>

The first FDA-sanctioned injectable treatment for cellulite, Qwo (pronounced kwhoa<\/em>) contains two types of collagen-degrading enzymes that eat away at the fibrous bands (or fibrous septae) connecting skin to muscle, gradually dissolving the tethers and allowing skin to float up and smooth out. (Septae are regarded as the root cause of cellulite, since they tug the skin down, causing surrounding fat to visibly bulge under the surface.) The full minimally invasive treatment consists of three rounds of injections, spaced 21 days apart. <\/p>

“This is the single biggest study<\/a> that’s ever been done on cellulite,” says board-certified Miami dermatologist Dr. Joely Kaufman<\/a>. (She served as a clinical investigator on the double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, which included 845 participants, 30% of whom were Fitzpatrick skin types<\/a> IV–VI, ranging from light brown to very dark brown). For the drug to earn approval, study subjects and evaluators had to independently report a two-point improvement in cellulite severity. <\/p>

These clinical grading scales can be painfully esoteric, but as Dr. Kaufman clearly explains: “A two-point improvement is like going from a lot<\/em> of cellulite—a very bad-looking backside—to a very, very smooth one.” <\/p>

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“It’s a huge endpoint,” she adds—“unattainable by anything I’ve ever seen before [in this realm].” These impressive clinical improvements followed subjects’ third and final treatment—up to 12 injections were given during each round, across the right and left butt cheeks—though Dr. Kaufman says folks with mild dimpling may see improvements sooner or in fewer sessions. <\/p>

In the studies, the best results tended to be quite durable, she points out, with effects lasting for a year or more. Proper patient selection is key for optimal outcomes, however. Ideal candidates for the new treatment have distinct “tight” cellulite divots, directly caused by fibrous bands of connective tissue. “A lot of women see skin laxity in the area of the buttocks or thighs and read that as cellulite—but that’s not really what cellulite is, and this drug is not designed to treat laxity or sagging,” notes Dr. Deanne Mraz Robinson<\/a>, a board-certified dermatologist in Westport, Connecticut, who was also involved with the trials.<\/p>

Qwo recovery<\/strong><\/h2>

The shot experience is akin to that of other injectables, like Botox<\/a> or fillers<\/a>, and requires no anesthesia. “It’s quick, relatively painless—and 30 minutes after, patients can walk out of the office and continue with their day,” Dr. Kaufman says. <\/p>

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