Structural Changes of Subcutaneous Tissue Valued by Ultrasonography in Patients with Cellulitis Following Treatment...

Background: Poor eating habits, a sedentary lifestyle, and limited physical activity are predisposing factors for the development of cellulite. The PnKCelulitis^® Programme (Pronokal Group, Barcelona, Spain) is a new approach to the treatment of cellulite that combines dietary guidelines, physical exercise, and the application of an anti-cellulite cream. Objective: We sought to objectively and via cutaneous ultrasound assess the benefit of the new multidisciplinary anti-cellulite treatment program and to evaluate any visual changes in the appearance of the skin. Materials and methods: Twenty women with Grades 1 to 3 cellulite were included in the study. All women underwent the multidisciplinary treatment. Clinical controls assessed the evolution of the degree of cellulite; the anthropometric parameters (e.g., weight, body mass index, and mean and low abdominal circumference) and body composition were assessed by bioimpedance. Ultrasound assessments were performed blinded at the beginning and at the end of treatment to assess the following: thickness of the skin, dermis, and hypodermis; areas of indentation; and changes in the echogenicity of the dermis. Results: The degree of cellulite was reduced in all locations, and 90 percent (18/20) of the sample saw their cellulite reduced by at least one degree. Cellulite in the abdomen disappeared in all of the women who had initially presented with it. Most of the subjects with cellulite in the buttocks (70%, 13/19) completed the treatment with Grade 0. There was a decrease in weight and a reduction of abdominal perimeters at the expense of only body fat. Significant decreases in the thickness of the skin and hypodermis and in areas of indentation were observed (p<0.05), in addition to an increase in the echogenicity of the dermis in 18 of the 20 patients. Conclusions: The multidisciplinary treatment program evaluated in this study appears to be an effective and safe treatment for patients with different degrees of cellulite, both clinically and via ultrasound imaging. Additional research with a larger patient cohort is needed to support our findings.