A plastic surgeon in San Francisco is offering a new cellulite treatment that is completely non-invasive. Dr. Amir Moradi of has acquired a device called the Zwave. It was developed by Zimmer Asethetics and apparently it uses radial waves to reduce cellulite. Could this be the future of cellulite treatment?

I’m always skeptical when I hear about things like this, but lets give it the benefit of the doubt and look at how it works. The doctor rubs an applicator over problem areas. This smooth applicator makes it feel like you’re getting a massage, but it also sends high-energy pulses that break up the grid of molecules around your cellulite. This causes tiny gas bubbles in your cellulite to collapse which means smoother layers of fat and thus smoother looking skin. (If you want to know more, I found that goes into more detail.)

There are many benefits to this sort of technology, not the least of which is the fact that it’s completely noninvasive. Instead going in for an operation, it’s like you’re going in for a massage. There’s no pain and no downtime after the treatment is over. It even improves blood flow in problem areas, helps flush out toxins and rejuvenates cells. Pretty amazing, huh? Treatments take about 20 minutes and you’ll need 2 a week for 5 weeks (for a total of 10 treatments). Here’s a video that explains more:

</noscript>

But there’s one very important question we have to ask: Does it work? Dr. Moradi says his patients are satisfied, and we have no reason not to believe him. But there are three things you should know:

It will only help people with mild to moderate cellulite. If you’re obese and your cellulite is very severe, it might not make a noticeable difference. It will cost you about a thousand dollars. The average cost per session is $100 and it takes ten sessions. That’s a bit pricey for most of us. It’s only a temporary fix. It says so on the site. Quote: “ZWAVE Radial Pulse Therapy delivers high energy pulses to temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite.” (Italics mine.)

This is less than encouraging. However, it could be that as the technology advances it will become more affordable. Eventually it might only take one session that doesn’t cost so much, and anyone could pop in for a treatment just before swimsuit season. But that’s at least several years down the road. Until then, we’ll have to keep watching what we eat and .

Related posts: