Cellulaze June 1 - Discouraged - Maryland
Found this forum while trying to find some...
Found this forum while trying to find some encouragement and answers after having the Cellulaze procedure on 6/1 - seems like the right place. After The Today Show highlighted this procedure, I made a beeline to the nearest qualified Dr. and he agreed I was an ideal candidate - 39 years old, healthy weight, good eating and exercise habits and he was sure he could eliminate the cellulite that has kept me out of a swimsuit in public for decades. My cellulite is along the back and outside of my thighs. I had been to a couple other consults before Cellulaze was approved and those Drs. recommended expensive, painful procedures that required a minimum of 8 weeks recovery and would not change the appearance of the skin. This seemed like the perfect solution.
For whatever reason, I told nobody except my husband about this.
During my consult, I explained to the Dr. that I have a triathlon coming up and needed minimal downtime in order to train - or would have to wait until the Fall. He felt I would need to take a week off from training – maybe two.
The procedure itself was as expected and took about 3 hours with minimal pain/discomfort. It was done on a Friday morning and I expected to go back to work Monday, but didn’t go back until Tuesday.
Two and a half weeks later, the pain and numbness are agonizing (I have been taking tylenol/advil and my pain threshold is high), there are sharp twinges of pain, I am still in the compression garment, and haven't been able to work out (although I tried a short slow run). It hurts to sit or get out of bed and it feels like I have 25 lb sand bags tied to my thighs. My weight is up and my mood is down. My follow up appointment isn't until 6/25 - but I have called the office about the pain and numbness and was told that "everyone heals differently". I have large areas that feel hard and they said it could be scar tissue forming and recommended that I massage the hard areas using cocoa butter. The idea of having my legs full of scar tissue is the scariest thing to me. There is still some bruising, but the swelling has subsided. Now that the swelling has subsided, it seems there is no improvement at all in my cellulite.
So, I am discouraged. I know there are others who had longer than expected recoveries and results that were less significant than expected. My hope is to find others that felt similarly early on and have since realized good results and can reassure me to just be patient – patience is not one of my strengths.
Hopefully, my follow up appointment will be reassuring too. The Dr. took before pictures and maybe I need to see them alongside current pictures to realize a difference. Sadly, there is still no way these thighs can be exposed to the general public!
My husband shrugs and says "you tried it and it didn't work, no big deal"...this is his way of being supportive, but I feel like I wasted money and time, plus dealing with the pain and lack of results is disheartening.
Any advice/suggestions would be appreciated.
Replies (5)
I did read LaurelC's review - think I read them all before I got the nerve to post here. My hope is that I need to be patient, but so many saw results right away. Of course, many are not seeing results right away, so I am hopeful that, as time passes, we will all triumph over the cellulite. For me, the expectations were set that Cellulaze is an easy procedure with minimal down time and immediate permanent results, which adds to the frustration.
I purposely left out specific information about the Dr. and the office staff. There are reviews of my Dr. (for other procedures) on Real Self with extremely positive feedback, but I do not feel that the "customer service" has been great. I don’t want my disappointment in the results to cloud my opinion about the staff. Yeah, maybe they don’t call back, but maybe I wouldn’t be as upset if I felt this was going well. Really like the Dr. and had faith in him, but don't think he gave me realistic expectations at this point (maybe I heard what I wanted to hear?!). Plus, not having a follow up appt for 3 1/2 weeks is making me crazy.
I think my other mistake (besides believing the hype – which is easy to do when you are desperate to be rid of cellulite!) was not finding someone to confide in, other than my husband (who has never lived with cellulite) and can’t understand why I am so upset. I can make more money, but I can’t get the time back and am struggling with the pain and disappointment. That is why I posted here – to find others who are willing to “listen” and can relate and understand – and hopefully I can help them in some way too. Thanks for replying.
I will update after my appt on 6/25
I've been massaging, dry brushing, and applying bentonite clay daily. I think that all of these have accelerated the healing of bruises, and I will continue my home treatments to get smooth out the hard lumps.
I hate to see anyone discouraged as Cellulaze has brought hope to so many of us....keep the faith
I read your review and can relate to the weight gain - I keep hoping it's water/fluid too. My expectation was some immediate results, with continued improvement for 6 months to a year...trying to keep the faith (and be patient)!
Today seems like less numbness and more pain - so maybe things are healing? Maybe I am in a better place mentally because I let some of my pent-up frustration out by posting and feel like someone "gets it"...
Thanks for the tip on bentonite clay. I am going to try it!
Hey there- I just found your review and relate to your frustrations. I too am a workout lover and it was so frustrating to not be able to return to my activities. I will say that I have improved tremendously - I still can't run or play tennis - although I did go spinning today for the first time since the procedure. It hurt when I spun fast- my skin felt painful when being jiggled like that. But my overall pain and discomfort is getting better by the week- I'm almost at 8 weeks now. And my skin still feels weird to touch ... but again, much better with each passing week. I am a bit nervous about tennis- I need to return to my team and my practices - and I am not sure I can run and stop suddenly and do all the hussling I do in tennis. My skin hurts when I run. I am definitely modifying my workouts- any sort of jumping or bouncing or running my skin just plain ole hurts! But again, better with each passing week. Regarding cellulite- I have probably 50-75% improvement. Some areas are very good - others much improved. It's not perfect, but so much better. I'm hoping with time it will continue to improve. I am also struggling with some extra pounds - I'm about 5-8lbs over my ideal weight - I have no clue what is going on with that b/c I workout daily and eat well and it's frustrating. I also got a significant amount of spider veins I believe resulted from the procedure- they were NOT there before. But I will deal with those in the winter - and I'd prefer those to cellulite dimples anyday. Keep your chin up- it's hard, I get it. But what's done is done. We have done the procedure and now just need to wait for time to pass to get better and improvement. Patience. xx Laurel
Thanks LaurelC for your response. As I mentioned,...
Here is my update:
I went back to the Dr. last Monday and expressed my concerns. Mainly that it doesn’t seem like there is any improvement in my cellulite, I am still have pain and numbness, the large hard areas, and that there still seems to be extensive swelling and bruising.
In response to the fact that my “dimples” – particularly the two deep ones in each leg – are still there, he indicated that it could take up to three months to see an improvement. It seems I would see SOME improvement – especially based on others’ reviews and the basic idea behind this procedure that they cut the bands that trap the fat and, once released, the appearance of cellulite diminishes. So, I still don’t think that Cellulaze worked for me or was done correctly, but am trying to remain hopeful. He wants to see me again next week and will continue to monitor me and will take pictures again at three months. He is already talking about a “touch-up” procedure, which I am not sure I should do if it wasn’t effective or done right the first time. It would cost additional money and would mean another round of recovery. He did say I could stop wearing the compression garment finally, but I feel more comfortable in Under Armour compression pants. I wonder if that is much different from Spanx?
As for the pain, he gave me an additional medication and said it wouldn’t make me “loopy” – well, it does make me “loopy”, so I can’t take it during the day, but have been taking it at night. Over the counter medications don’t seem to relieve the pain – it hurts all the time and especially when I sit or walk/run/cycle/swim/etc. I have no choice but to get back to my work outs to prepare for an upcoming event – yes, I could skip the event but I also need the physical and mental benefits - and it is very painful. I also have sharp pains like electric currents. It’s still like I have 25 lb. bags full of sand attached to my thighs. He said the hard areas were from the melted fat – I thought the fat would drain or be absorbed by my body – but they do seem to be dissipating. And the swelling and bruising seem to be getting better, albeit very slowly. I have been using the Arnica Montana cream and soaking in Epsom salts.
So, I am keeping my rating at “Not Sure” for now. If I am still in pain and/or not seeing results at the three month mark, I will rate Cellulaze as “Not Worth It”! Of course, it’s hard to know if it is a fluke because of my body or something the Doctor did or did not do…but I am still discouraged and disappointed. I may be on the verge of depression because of the constant pain and disappointment.
Replies (3)
Thanks for posting an update. I'm sorry that you are still feeling down about the procedure. Try to keep in mind it has only been a little over a month - hopefully good changes are to come. I appreciate you letting us all know that you are still having discomfort when you try to workout a month post-procedure. It certainly would have been great if you had that info headed into the procedure, but I appreciate you sharing your experience so others can be informed.
hi there- wanted to let you know that I am fully back to all my activities- both tennis and spinning. My skin still feels a bit weird, but I can do all my normal workouts and feel fine. I wrote you almost 4 weeks ago and I have improved so much in that time. So patience is the key. We all heal at different speeds. I am 10 weeks today. So 2 1/2 months. And my cellulite looks so much better- not perfect- but tons of improvement. My super big dimples are either gone or significantly less pronounced. So keep your chin up mama.
I am now 8 weeks post procedure and still very...
Also, I am very concerned because I still have tremendous pain and numbness throughout the back of my legs. I think 8 weeks is way too long to still have pain and numbness and am fearing that there is nerve damage or something more serious. I have another follow up appointment next week.
I know this is a new procedure and the doctor has a good reputation, but based on the majority of posters here, it seems something did not go right.
The doctor has already started talking about "touch ups"...can't see myself going through anything like this again because it has not been at all what I "signed up for"...
Replies (4)
Undecided28 - my doctor took before pictures and is waiting until 3 months to take after pictures - I did have my husband take before pictures so I will get him to take some (and then figure out how to post them!). Maybe they will show some improvement...
Megan P can help you post pictures- when I put my pics side by side, I literally started crying. So you might have more improvement than you realize. Try it.
I'm sorry to hear you are still having discomfort. :( Hopefully that fades fast for you, and that as you continue to heal good results will come through as well.
I'm so sorry to hear you are feeling discouraged. I'm a workout person too, so I know the emotions that go along with not working out, then add the emotions from having a procedure done and it can add up to be a bit much.
Have you read LaurelC's review? She talks about a similar experience to what you are going through, so if you haven't already check it out.
It seems that ladies are starting to say they are seeing improvement after the procedure, but it is taking the 3-6 months, and unfortunately most the ladies on here aren't to that point yet. We are all waiting to see what goes on when those time frames hit & we can hear about the real final results.
Keep in mind the 3-6 months, and don't stare at your legs everyday hoping for change, it will only frustrate you.
Sending you a hug & looking forward to reading your updates!