Innovative drugs and world bestsellers available in Ukraine

Pathogenetic approach in the treatment of cellulite and "fat traps"

2023-04-11

If everything is complicated with the face and it is necessary to take into account age-related changes in several layers of the skin - superficial and deep fat, facial muscles and skull, then with the figure it is much easier. Here everything is decided by subcutaneous fat, which is one of the largest tissues in the human body in terms of area and volume and accounts for 15-20% of body weight in men and 20-25% of body weight in women.

Tatyana Epifantseva, microsurgeon, dermatovenereologist, cosmetologist, certified trainer of Sinclair Pharma, certified trainer of the international class EMET Medicine

It is the condition of subcutaneous fat that most often leads either to the appearance of additional undesirable contours - fat traps, or to the appearance of a violation of the skin relief like an “orange peel”, that is, cellulite. Fat trap is hyperplasia of subcutaneous fat, that is, an increase in the number of adipocytes, cellulite is hypertrophy of subcutaneous fat, that is, an increase in adipocytes in size. And these are the most common types of changes in subcutaneous fat in cosmetology practice.

Accordingly, drugs used for injection correction of these changes in subcutaneous fat should take into account the pathogenesis of the development of these changes. Injections of lipolytics in cosmetology include procedures aimed at reducing the volume of subcutaneous fat by introducing compounds that somehow act directly on adipose tissue or fat metabolism in adipocytes. These compounds are conditionally divided into two groups: "direct lipolytics", or more correctly adipocytolytics, which include phosphatidylcholine and sodium deoxycholate, destroying fat in fat traps, as well as "indirect lipolytics", this group includes theophylline, caffeine, L-carnitine, lipase, calcium pyruvate, yohimbine, artichoke extract, etc. They don't break down fat.

The scientific name for cellulite is gynoid lipodystrophy. This condition can be described by three main characteristics: subcutaneous fat hypertrophy (increased adipocyte volume), impaired microcirculation, and compaction of the connective tissue.

The current methods and injections of "indirect lipolytics" are aimed at trying to solve individual symptoms, or improve blood circulation, or stimulate the reduction of fat cells, or destroy the membranes of connective tissue in subcutaneous fat.

*Full version of the access article in Ukrainian and Russian