Cellulite is especially common on the thighs and buttocks. It can appear as dimpling, rippling, uneven texture, or an “orange-peel” appearance.
One of the most important things to understand about cellulite is that it is not simply excess body fat.
Cellulite involves the relationship between the skin, underlying fat, and fibrous connective tissue. These connective-tissue bands can pull portions of the skin downward while underlying fat pushes upward, contributing to the characteristic dimpled appearance.
This helps explain why cellulite can be visible in people of many different body types—including people who are slim, athletic, or close to their ideal weight.
Exercise has many health and body-composition benefits, but it cannot specifically change every structural factor responsible for cellulite.
Strength training may improve muscle tone, and overall fat loss may change body contours, but cellulite can remain.
That is why someone can have strong legs and relatively little excess fat while still noticing dimpling across the thighs or buttocks.
If cellulite rather than excess fat is the primary concern, a treatment designed to improve the appearance of cellulite may make more sense than simply choosing a fat-reduction procedure.
VelaShape III is a non-invasive body-contouring technology that combines several mechanisms in one treatment:
The combination of controlled heating and mechanical manipulation is used to address concerns such as cellulite appearance, skin texture, and body contour.
VelaShape is particularly relevant for areas such as the thighs and buttocks because these are common locations for cellulite.
VelaShape approaches cellulite differently from a treatment designed primarily to reduce a pocket of fat.
Radiofrequency energy generates controlled heat within the treated tissue. Infrared energy contributes additional heating, while vacuum and mechanical manipulation affect the skin and underlying tissue.
Together, these mechanisms can temporarily improve the appearance of cellulite and create a smoother-looking contour.
The goal is improvement, not permanent removal of every cellulite dimple.
The thighs can develop several different aesthetic concerns at the same time:
Because these problems are not identical, determining what is actually causing the appearance is important.
Someone with primarily cellulite may be a good candidate for a cellulite-focused approach.
Someone with a significant localized fat pocket may benefit more from a dedicated fat-reduction treatment.
And someone with substantial loose skin may require an entirely different approach.
Cellulite frequently appears along the outer thighs.
Depending on the individual, the area may look relatively smooth while standing in one position but become more visibly dimpled with movement, muscle contraction, or changes in lighting.
VelaShape can be used to address the appearance and texture of cellulite in appropriate treatment areas.
Treatment should be customized rather than assuming every outer-thigh contour problem is cellulite.
If inner-thigh fullness is your main concern, see our guide to inner thigh fat and non-surgical treatment options.
The inner thighs are another common area of concern, but inner-thigh fullness is not always cellulite.
It may involve:
That distinction affects treatment selection.
If the concern is predominantly cellulite and texture, VelaShape may be considered.
If there is a distinct pocket of pinchable fat, a fat-reduction treatment may be more appropriate.
If loose skin is the dominant concern, a skin-focused treatment plan may make more sense.
The buttocks are another area where cellulite commonly appears.
Patients may notice dimples across the buttocks themselves or around the transition between the buttocks and upper thighs.
VelaShape may help improve the appearance of cellulite by combining controlled energy with vacuum and mechanical tissue manipulation.
However, VelaShape should not be confused with a buttock-lifting surgery or a muscle-building treatment.
Its role here is primarily improving cellulite, texture, and body-contour appearance.
No.
Cellulite is extremely common and is influenced by anatomy, connective tissue, fat distribution, genetics, age, hormones, skin characteristics, and other factors.
VelaShape should therefore not be marketed as a permanent cure for cellulite.
A realistic treatment goal is to make the treated area appear smoother and less dimpled.
The degree of improvement varies from person to person. You can also compare VelaShape with other options in our complete guide to non-surgical cellulite treatments.
Radiofrequency-based body-contouring treatments may cause the skin to look or feel tighter as a result of tissue heating, skin shrinkage, and changes involving collagen.
That can be useful when cellulite is accompanied by relatively mild loss of firmness.
But VelaShape does not remove significant excess skin.
This distinction is particularly important after major weight loss. Mild changes in firmness are very different from substantial folds of loose skin.
Patients with significant excess skin should have realistic expectations about what a non-invasive procedure can accomplish.
VelaShape should not be viewed simply as a substitute for a dedicated fat-reduction treatment.
Cellulite and excess fat are different concerns.
If you can pinch a distinct pocket of unwanted thigh fat, your treatment options may differ from those for someone who has relatively little excess fat but noticeable dimpling.
A consultation should therefore determine whether the main concern is:
Choosing the treatment should come after identifying the problem.
VelaShape and CoolSculpting Elite may both appear in searches for thigh body contouring, but they have different primary purposes.
VelaShape III is more relevant when the concern involves:
CoolSculpting Elite is designed to reduce appropriate localized pockets of subcutaneous fat using controlled cooling.
So if the problem is predominantly a fat bulge, CoolSculpting may be more relevant.
If the problem is predominantly dimpling and cellulite, VelaShape may make more sense.
Some patients have more than one concern, which is why an individualized assessment matters. Learn more about CoolSculpting Elite for inner and outer thigh fat.
These treatments should not be considered interchangeable.
VelaShape is used primarily for concerns involving cellulite, skin texture, and contour.
Emsculpt Neo combines electromagnetic muscle stimulation with radiofrequency and may be considered when improving muscle tone or definition is an important part of the treatment goal.
Someone who says, “I want smoother-looking cellulite,” is describing a different goal from someone who says, “I want more muscle definition and firmness in my buttocks.”
The appropriate technology depends on the desired outcome.
VelaShape combines warmth, suction, and mechanical tissue manipulation.
During treatment, patients may experience sensations such as:
Individual sensitivity varies, and some body areas may feel different from others.
For this reason, it is more accurate to describe the expected sensations than to promise that treatment will be completely painless for everyone.
VelaShape is non-invasive and does not require surgical incisions.
Many patients can return to their regular activities quickly after treatment.
Temporary treatment-area effects can occur, however, including warmth, redness, tenderness, discomfort, or bruising.
That is why “little to no downtime” is a more appropriate description than guaranteeing zero downtime.
VelaShape uses technologies that have been used in non-invasive body contouring, but non-invasive does not mean risk-free.
Potential effects associated with radiofrequency body-contouring procedures can include discomfort, redness, swelling, burns, blisters, nodules, skin-color changes, or other treatment-area reactions.
Mechanical massage and vacuum can also cause discomfort or bruising.
Patients should disclose their medical history, medications, previous procedures, implanted devices, and other relevant information before treatment.
Certain people with active implanted medical devices or metal in the treatment area may not be appropriate candidates for radiofrequency treatment.
There is no treatment number that is correct for every patient.
The appropriate plan can depend on:
Some patients may undergo a series of treatments rather than a single session.
Your provider should recommend a treatment plan after examining the area instead of promising everyone the same number of sessions.
Changes vary from person to person.
Some people may begin noticing improvements in the appearance or feel of the treated area during a treatment series, while other changes may become more apparent over time.
Results should be evaluated realistically.
Before-and-after photographs can help illustrate possible outcomes, but another patient's result cannot guarantee your own.
VelaShape should not be presented as permanently eliminating cellulite.
The appearance of cellulite and body contours can change over time because of aging, weight fluctuations, pregnancy, hormones, skin changes, and other factors.
Maintenance treatment may sometimes be considered depending on the patient's response and goals.
VelaShape may be worth considering if you:
It is not intended to produce substantial weight loss, remove large amounts of fat, or remove significant excess skin.
This may be the most important question before choosing a body-contouring procedure.
Dimpled or orange-peel texture:
Cellulite may be the primary concern.
A soft, pinchable bulge:
Localized fat may be contributing.
Thin, lax or hanging tissue:
Skin laxity may be the larger issue.
Lack of shape or definition:
Muscle tone may be contributing.
Many people have a combination.
An appropriate consultation should identify these components before recommending treatment.
For patients bothered by cellulite on the thighs or buttocks, VelaShape III provides a non-invasive option designed to improve the appearance of cellulite, skin texture, and body contour.
The key is choosing it for the right problem.
VelaShape is not a weight-loss treatment, it does not surgically remove loose skin, and it should not be expected to permanently erase every cellulite dimple.
For appropriately selected patients, however, it can be part of a personalized approach to creating smoother-looking thighs, buttocks, and body contours.
Park Slope Laser Aesthetic Center offers VelaShape III consultations in Brooklyn to determine whether cellulite, localized fat, skin laxity, or another concern is primarily responsible for the appearance you want to improve. Learn more about VelaShape III skin tightening and cellulite reduction at Park Slope Laser Aesthetic Center.
