"I'm really excited, because this is something I really want to do," patient Jackie Ackbar said.
Ackbar, 25, has struggled with cellulite. Now her doctor is prepping her skin for what he calls a gamechanger.
"This is a groundbreaking new procedure," dermatologist Dr. Bruce Katz said.
For the last two years, Dr. Katz has done studies for the FDA on the now-approved "Cellulaze." Heat energy from a very fine laser targets the structures of cellulite.
Blame hormonal changes, but 80 percent of women have cellulite. The depressions are caused by bands of collagen pulling down on the skin. The Cellulaze laser, inserted just under the skin, cuts those collagen bands.
"So the depressed areas can come back and elevate to the normal level again," Dr. Katz said.
The laser also smoothes the raised areas where fat has pushed up the skin.
"To take away the hills, we point the laser down and melt the fat that's pushing up under the skin," Dr. Katz said. "So the hills will now flatten down to the normal level."
The laser tightens the skin and makes the area smoother.
Treating one area, as in one thigh, costs between $2,500 and $3,500 at Dr. Katz's Juva Skin and Laser Center in Midtown. He has not seen any major side effects, and his patients haven't seen their cellulite return.
"We suspect that if the cellulite hasn't come back after two years, it's going to be gone for good," Dr. Katz said.
Ackbar's procedure took about an hour, and she headed home hopeful.
"In three months, I should see results," she said. "So I can't wait."
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