We are pleased to offer Cellulaze in our Mountain View office. We have been treating patients since April, 2012,and are gratified by the results. The time required to treat a patient does vary with the degree of cellulite. A treatment area is considered an area about 8 1/2 by 11", the size of a sheet of paper. The current cost is 4,000 for this area, bilaterally, not per side. The second area is 2,500, and the third area, 2,500. The range will be 4,000 to 9,000.
As a highly experienced Smartlipo user, I found the transition to the Cellulaze very easy. Doctors who have never used the Smartlipo platform may find it takes them some time to get the feel for how the procedure is done right under the skin. This is not quite as quick a procedure as some have stated, in my opinion. There is meticulous preparation involved to correctly mark the skin. Marking is key to a good result. Then the patient is prepped, draped and local tumescent anesthetic is gradually introduced to the subdermal layer. This layer is more sensitive to infiltration than the deep fat, so the infiltration has to be done slowly and carefully to minimize patient discomfort. Then some time has to elapse for the anesthetic to take effect.
Then the procedure is done in a three-step process: treatment of the bulging fat areas, laser cutting of the restrictive bands, or septae, and finally treating the underside of the skin to thicken and tighten it. This is done systematically, each 5 x 5 cm square receiving the appropriate amount of energy at each stage.
Patients are most comfortable and relaxed if they are given some oral pre-medication. Similar to Smartlipo, at the end of the procedure, the patient is put into a garment and they are ready to go home.