Does cellfina leave dark spots at the treatment site?

Cellfina is performed with a controlled mechanical device that vibrates a fine blade under the skin to release dimpling. It uses a single pinhole for treatment of a each small area and generally these pinholes heal without being visible. However, there is a small risk of "Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH)". PIH is a higher risk in darker skin and often patients that are more likely to get PIH have had brown spots develop either from sun exposure or prior surgical scars.The good news is that if a patient is at high risk, we can pre-treat with hydroquinone to decrease this response. If we do see dark spots at these pinpoint sites after treatment, we are able to treat with hydroquinone and careful sun avoidance and sunscreen and should see these go away.Hope this helps,Nick Slenkovich MD, FACS

Any #soreness, tenderness, or bruising will #resolve within a week. Patients can return to activities of daily living, to high-impact aerobic activity and may wear any clothing. Results can be seen in as little as three days post-op.  After the Cellfina™ cellulite treatment, patients can go about their day, but may want to take it easy for up to 24 hours. There have been no serious adverse events associated with our #treatments such as Cellfina™. The most common side effects reported by patients in the FDA-approved pivotal study were #soreness and #bruising. Over 90% of patients had no bruising at four weeks after the cellulite procedure. For full product and safety information, including possible mild side effects. If at anytime, you are concerned about your #healing and #recovery, it's best to contact your surgeon or meet with them for an #evaluation.

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

This is likely related to the tiny puncture sites created by small needles and blades used in performing the Cellfina technique. They are likely residual bruising or hyperpigmentation. Both should improve with time and are not something routinely caused by the Cellfina device.

Hello and thank-you for your question!Cellfina is the latest break though for the treatment of cellulite. 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 aft the treatment.  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.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 2 years. This is a very exciting solution for the many women who suffer from the embarrassment of cellulite.Thank you, Andrew Lyos MD, FACS

Although the company has not had medical reports of pigmentation after Cellfina, it is known that some patients will bruise and the bruising can last for a few weeks before it goes away. Some patients, especially those of skin of color and some MidEastern skin types are prone to post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, especially on the legs. In other words, they may get darker brown if there leg bumps into a coffee table's edge, or if they fall and get scraped, or get mosquito bites or pimples.  Sometimes, the iron of the red blood cells in a bruise can cause long term staining of the skin. As Cellfina is a minimally invasive procedure involving a needle that penetrates the skin to enter the fat layer, theroretically, some patients might be prone to develop a temporary post inflammatory hyperpigmentation darkening at the puncture sites or bruised sites.  I have not seen this yet from Cellfina, but it is a relatively new technology. If a patient should happen to notice something similar to this occurring after they have any procedure, they should see their doctor sooner rather than later, as certain prescription topical creams might help lessen the darkening.  Remember to protect your treated sites from sunexposure to lessen the chance of developing darkening.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.

The Cellfina procedure is
a minimally invasive one that numbs the area around the dimple on your buttocks
or thighs, and then treats the connective bands woven throughout the fat that
pull down the skin, creating dimpling seen on the skin’s surface. The Cellfina
cellulite procedure works by precisely treating these tethered bands, causing
them to fully release. Similar to a rubberband under tension, once released,
the treated skin bounces back to smooth itself out in as little as three days.

Weight gain or weight loss
should not affect the outcomes and the results have been seen for over 2 years
(if not more). It is truly a really
exciting new technology that most women can benefit from.  The areas of entry can stay pigmented just like any other scar can.  But this pigmentation usually fades over the years.

We have been using CellFina for a few months now and the results have been very consistent and excellent in properly selected patients.If you have some bruising, which all patients do with this technology, the blood can breakdown into dark stains called Hemosiderin.  This is the body breaking down the iron in the blood.  It will eventually resolve and some options for increasing its resolution time are some bleaching creams and or IPL laser to help break up the staining.Even doing nothing it should resolve in a few months.Best!Dr Bengtson

Just like acne can sometimes leave dark (temporary) spots- they will eventually go away with some time. You can also treat the spots with the right creams- a dermatologist can help you do this. PIH is not common from this procedure but can happen. 

It is funny that these are not reported by the company but has happened in patients of mine. This is PIH and is caused by the motor/blade which is used to subcise the cellulite. Creams might help but these have persisted in patients for longer than one year. I would be careful in skin of color. I haven't used on any darker skin tones other than a 3+ or light 4.