Subcision: a treatment for cellulite.

BACKGROUND: Cellulite is a common clinical condition, with few proven effective therapeutic options. Subcision is a surgical technique that is useful in treating advanced degree cellulite. This study was designed to determine the usefulness of the treatment of cellulite by subcision. METHODS: From January 1995 to January 1998, 232 female patients, aged 18-52 years, with cellulite on the thighs and buttocks were treated on an outpatient basis by the subcision technique. RESULTS: In the postoperative period, all the patients had pain, bruises, and hemosiderosis. An improvement in the surface depressions was observed and the patients reported a high degree of satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: This outpatient procedure is effective in the correction of surface depressions on the thighs and buttocks, clinically classified as cellulite.

Clinical comparative study between cryotherapy and local dermabrasion for the treatment of solar lentigo on the back of the hands.

BACKGROUND: Solar lentigo is a common and unsightly dermatosis that has a variety of proposed treatments. OBJECTIVE: This study was done to assess the efficacy and the effectiveness of localized dermabrasion compared with cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen on solar lentigo on the back of the hands. METHODS: Ten female patients aged 64-96 years with solar lentigo on the back of the hands were treated with dermabrasion or cryotherapy and observed over a 6-month period. RESULTS: The postsurgery signs and symptoms were less intense and better tolerated with localized dermabrasion. More than 50% of the patients treated with cryotherapy still had hypochromia in the treated areas 6 months after treatment, compared with 11% of the patients treated with dermabrasion. The percentage of recurrence was the same with the both treatments (55.55%). CONCLUSION: Localized dermabrasion is an efficacious and effective technique comparable to cryotherapy for the treatment of solar lentigo on the back of the hands.