Are African-Americans good candidates for Cellfina if there is previous history of keloid? Is there a risk of disfigurement?

Thank you for the question. You may be a good candidate for Cellfina if you have true cellulite dimples on your buttocks. Cellfina is not really indicated to treat the inner thigh though but rather the posterior thigh. I am not aware of any reported cases of keloids developing after Cellfina and have not observed it in my own patients. However there is a small chance of hypertrophic scar or keloid formation with the Cellfina system. Any time that the skin is cut or punctured a scar will form and even very small puncture scars like those from Cellfina have the possibility to develop hypertrophy, albeit likely a very small possibility. Cellfina utilizes a needle sized, extremely sharp cutting blade. The skin is punctured once with this blade for each dimple or group of dimples released. Therefore, a complete cellulite treatment of all dimples of both buttocks and both thighs may result in dozens of puncture wounds. Any wound that for whatever reason develops an increased inflammatory reaction during healing is at higher risk for hypertrophy of the resulting scars. Cellfina wounds are only a few millimeters in size and should heal with minimal inflammation. Most often they will heal with minimal if any visible scar. However, individuals with a predisposition to keloid scar formation based on personal history or ethnicity could possibly develop hypertrophy of their scars after Cellfina. The fact that your liposuction scars developed hypertrophy does not necessarily mean that your Cellfina puncture wounds would do the same. Liposuction cannula incisions are small but are still much larger than Cellfina punctures and liposuction incisions are often burned or abraded from numerous passes of cannulas back and forth through them. They therefore tend to heal with more inflammation and scarring than a Cellfina puncture site should.When you find a board certified surgeon for your Cellfina consultation, I am sure that they will assess and review this specific risk with you in more detail. In addition, the appropriate post-operative wound and prophylactic scar treatments will help to limit your risk and assure the best possible outcome.Best of luck!Dr. Polo.    

During treatment with the Cellfina System, a needle-sized device is used to release the tethering bands that create visible dimpling of the skin. The puncture sites initially appear darker in color, but they fade quickly and typically do not leave a visible scar. Using a silicone scar gel, such as bioCorneum, may be helpful for some patients if they are prone to scarring. Consult a board-certified plastic surgeon to see if Cellfina is right for you. Good luck!

Cellfina does require very small incision sites near the dimpled areas. Given your personal history, you would have to carefully weight the risks and benefits. If you decide to proceed with the Cellfina, I would suggest asking your physician to inject a small amount of Kenalog (a steroid) to help reduce the risk of a keloid developing.

Liposuction allows the physician to place an insertion site in a removed crease that is not as visible as the area treated. This is not the case with Celfina as the device is applied directly over the dimples to be treated and therefore the insertion sites can be numerous. If this is on the forward part of the thigh and if a patient is susceptible to developing raised hypertrophic scars, keloids or dark scars they will probably be unhappy with the appearance because they wouldn't be as easily hidden compared with the buttocks.The information provided in Dr. Shelton's
answer is for educational purposes only and is not intended
to constitute medical advice. The information provided should
not be relied upon as a substitute for consultations with a qualified
health professional who may be familiar with your individual medical
needs.

Cellfina is an FDA approved minimally invasive procedure that reduces the appearance of cellulite for at least two years on the buttocks and back of the thighs of women.It works by releasing the internal bands that cause the cellulite dimpling and so we have not seen any fat atrophy. You should not see much of a difference with weight gain or loss but this also has not been studied.Other areas of the body with dimpling, it is important to make sure it is truly cellulite before treatment.It is common to have swelling bruising and firmness after the procedure. This can last for a few weeks.It is different than Cellulaze which is a laser. If you have had previous poor results with cellulaze, you can still do Cellfina.Cellfina has shown 100% noticeable improvement and 96% satisfaction in all patients at 2 years. Cellfina is designed to be a one time procedure. It can be used on women with all skin types but caution should be taken if theres a history of keloiding.It can also be combined with other treatments such as Thermi orUlthera if skin tightening is needed.We have done Sculpsure and Coolsculpting if fat reduction is wanted, but its best to wait 3 months to see the results before proceeding.It can also be done at the same time as other procedures such as liposuction and BBL or as a stand alone procedure in the office.Since Cellfina outcomes can be based on technique and experience, please see a board certified plastic surgeon that specializes body contouring to see if Cellfina or other treatments are available to meet your goals. Take care,Dr Schwartz Board Certified Plastic SurgeonDirector-Beverly Hills Breast and Body Institute

Cellulite dimples treated with Cellfina are released using a tiny blade which is essentially the width of a needle. The tiny hole left by its penetration is equivalent to that left by a needle stick and does not require any sutures. Given your history, it is wise to obtain an evaluation by a board certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon who has Cellfina to explore all of this in greater detail.

Hello and thank-you for your question!Cellfina is the latest break though for the treatment of cellulite. It is most effective for the treatment of deep dimples and depressions of the buttocks and back of the thighs. The treatment targets the fibrous bands which are the source of the dimpling in cellulite, lysing the fibrous bands is done with a microblade no wider than a needle. The entrance site generally heals well and is undetectable soon after the treatment. The entrance sit of the microblade is much smaller than the incision site for liposuction and is not subjected to the repeated insertion of a cannula, so the risk of hypertrophic scarring or keloid formation is much less.   In individuals prone to inflammation induced darkening,(post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation), the healing process can result in darkening due to melanin production. I personally have not seen any of our patients form dark spots after Cellfina. If we did have such a case, I would treat the darkening with hydroquinone cream and sun avoidance.Cellfina has received FDA clearance for the treatment of cellulite of the buttocks and back of the thighs. We are currently limiting our treatments to these areas. It is less effective for treatment of generalized waviness seen with skin laxity. With time, further studies will be completed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Cellfina in other areas. We are seeing an extremely high level of satisfaction for our patients treated with Cellfina. The investigational studies for Cellfina have just been released and have shown an impressive patient satisfaction rate of 85% at 3 months, 94% at one year and 96% at 3 years. This is a very exciting solution for the many women who suffer from the embarrassment of cellulite.Thank you, Andrew Lyos MD, FACS

The punctures with the needle and blade used for Cellfina are extremely small and do not require even one stitch. I do breast reductions and tummy tucks on patients with darker skin all the time and their scars are generally very good, so I would not be concerned about the tiny punctures with Cellfina. If the scars become thick then they can be injected with 5 FU and that will usually soften them greatly. I hope this hlps.

There is always that concern with pigmented skin.  Liposuction is different because of the nature of the repeated motion at the site with the liposuction cannula. With Cellfina there is the needle stick type opening and placement of local anesthesia.  Later when the area is released it is typically a different small needle stick opening for the release of the fibrous band.

Thank you for your question.  There have been no reports of keloids or hypertrophic scars from Cellfina that I am aware of yet so if you have dimple cellulite I would consider you a candidate.   It would seem the risk is small since the blade passed is small similar to a needle and it is only punctured once, that being said any puncture wound to the skin can cause Keloids or hypertrophic scars.  Regards, Dr. Matt Elias