Effectiveness of the Electromagnetic Shock Wave Therapy in the Treatment of Cellulite

Abstract

In the past centuries, the human body was undervalued; nowadays, however, it is overvalued, and thus the manifestation of the dissatisfactions regarding the body has been increasing. Most of the time, these dissatisfactions are related to cellulite, which is most common in women. Its treatment is one of the challenges which encourage the development of new therapeutic modalities, among them the shockwave therapy. Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of ESWT in the treatment of cellulite in gluteus and posterior of thigh. Method. This is a prospective and comparative study, in which volunteer women who attended the criteria of inclusion were selected and who were subjected to 10 sessions of ESWT. The following were performed as an evaluation method: anthropometry, perimetry, skin viscoelasticity with the Cutometer®, thickness of hypodermis with diagnostic ultrasound, analysis of the scale of severity of cellulite (CSS), and quality of life by the Celluqol® questionnaire. The evaluations occurred before the first session (baseline), after 6 and 10 sessions, and during a follow-up of 3 months after the last session. The statistical test applied was the ANOVA one-way with post hoc of Tukey (P-value < 0.05). Results. There was significant improvement (P<0.05) for CSS, for the variable referring to gross elasticity and skin deformation ability evaluated in the Cutometer® and improvement of quality of life represented by Celluqol®. The result was maintained particularly in the follow-up of 3 months after the end of the treatment. Conclusion. The results presented demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of ESWT in the treatment of cellulite and in the decrease of the degrees, improvement of the aspect of the skin, and reestablishment of quality of life. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials: NCT03275259.

Microwave Therapy for Cellulite: An Effective Non-Invasive Treatment

“…This method molds the shapes and volumes, making them more regular but not modifying the skin surface. Numerous therapeutic modalities have been proposed for the treatment of cellulite; among these are cosmetics, therapeutic massage, radiofrequency, ultrasound, laser therapy, carboxytherapy, intense pulsed light, subcision vibration/oscillation platform therapy, and most recently, extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) or acoustic wave therapy (AWT) [6][7][8][9][10][11].…”

Cellulite Pathophysiology and Psychosocial Implications

“…47 Between the initial evaluation and the 3-month follow-up after completion of treatment, the Celluqol scores significantly improved ( p < .05). 47…”

“…46 The Celluqol scale was also used to evaluate patient satisfaction in 27 women undergoing ESWT. 47 Between the initial evaluation and the 3month follow-up after completion of treatment, the Celluqol scores significantly improved (p , .05). 47 The BODY-Q cellulite scale is a 15-item assessment that measures how bothered the patient is by the appearance of cellulite.…”

“…47 Between the initial evaluation and the 3month follow-up after completion of treatment, the Celluqol scores significantly improved (p , .05). 47 The BODY-Q cellulite scale is a 15-item assessment that measures how bothered the patient is by the appearance of cellulite. It measures 3 overarching domains (appearance, health-related QoL, and experience of care) and asks patients how bothered they are by the amount of cellulite they have, its location on the body, how it looks up close, and how noticeable it is in tight-fitting clothing.…”

A review of current modalities to treat cellulite effectively

“…Another study in women that received 10 sessions of acoustic wave therapy, evaluated the biophysical changes induced by this treatment modality by measuring skin viscoelasticity with the Cutometer®, and thickness of hypodermis with diagnostic ultrasound. At the 3‐month follow‐up results showed that the treatment led to significantly improved skin elasticity and decreased skin deformation 24 …”