Why cellulite dimples are so hard to erase

You may arrive at this page with that question already settled in your mind. This article does not try to explain the cause. It focuses on how to evaluate a promise to remove cellulite, since that is the point at which money changes hands. A useful first read is the ASPS guide to nonsurgical fat reduction, because it shows how a professional body describes treatments aimed at fat.

Separate the claims

Cellulite and fat are not the same word, and a provider may use them close together. When you hear a promise, ask which one it is about. If a treatment is described as fat reduction, ask whether it is also offered for cellulite and what the basis for that is.

Check what the source says the treatment is for

Take the treatment name from the quote and look it up. The Cleveland Clinic page on fat freezing is one example of a source you can read to see what the treatment is described as being for. Compare that with what you were told.

Ask what "improvement" means

Ask how the provider measures a result and what a typical outcome looks like for someone like you. If the answer relies on photos, ask whether the photos were taken under the same lighting and at the same angle. A figure with no measure behind it is a headline, not a result.

Price the whole course

Ask for the number of sessions, the spacing and the cost of maintaining the result. The ASDS page on cryolipolysis is a second source to check what a course is described as involving.

Ask what happens if it does not work

Ask what the provider offers if you are unhappy with the result. Ask for the reply on paper rather than across the counter. A policy that exists only as a spoken promise is hard to rely on later.

Hold each promise to four tests

The dimples you are asking about may be hard to change, and a provider should be able to tell you honestly what they expect. Hold any promise to the same four tests: a defined claim, a named source, a measured result and a priced course. The ASDS page on cryolipolysis for excess fat is a final reference to read before you book. We review claims rather than treat skin, so ask a licensed provider what they expect for your own cellulite.