Although it doesn’t pose any physiological harm, cellulite can be a big hindrance to a woman’s confidence. “Cellulite is one of those things—most women, we have it, and it holds us back with certain things,” says Katina Byrd Miles, MD, FAAD, of Skin Oasis Dermatology. “You want to put on shorts or short sleeves, but you just don’t feel comfortable because your legs aren’t as smooth as you want them to be.”
But now there’s a new treatment option for cellulite that emerged just last year. Known as Emtone, it’s a device that combines radiofrequency and mild pressure to treat the causes of cellulite and give skin a smoother appearance.
The Mayo Clinic explains that cellulite appears when fat cells grow under the skin and the fibrous connective tethers that bind skin to the muscles are pulled rigid, creating an uneven, dimpled surface on the skin, commonly on a woman’s legs, arms, or stomach.
Before the advent of Emtone, the most common procedure to reduce the appearance of cellulite was surgery. “With that, you do have some healing time,” Dr. Miles, one of the greater Annapolis area’s very first physicians to offer Emtone, explains. “With Emtone, the nice thing about it is there’s no downtime. [After the procedure], you get up off the table and go about your activities as you normally would.”
When a person is treated with Emtone, they lie down while the operator runs the device over their afflicted area. As Dr. Miles describes it, being treated with Emtone feels like a massage. But while the patient is being pampered, Emtone’s gentle pressure and radiofrequency break up the adhesions under the skin that cause dimpling.
Dr. Miles encourages anyone who is self-conscious because of cellulite to consider the treatment, though there’s a small group of people who are ineligible. Those who have had a knee replacement and still have metal in their leg cannot be treated, nor can those who have a defibrillator or a pacemaker. Otherwise, the ideal candidate is anyone who has cellulite.
“It’s a great treatment,” Dr. Miles says. “If you’re exercising and the cellulite won’t go away, this is an aid to having your skin be nice and smooth.”
