Body
Cellulite is the dimpled, uneven look most women see on the thighs, buttocks and hips. It is normal, it is common, and no treatment removes it for good.
Physician led. Burnaby and Richmond. Honest about what helps and what does not.
Book a complimentary consultationWe will tell you honestly what can soften cellulite's appearance and what cannot, before you decide anything.
Understanding the condition
Cellulite is a normal change in the skin's surface that gives the thighs, buttocks, hips and abdomen a dimpled, uneven look, and it is not a disease.
The dimpling comes from the structure under the skin. Bands of fibrous tissue called septae anchor the skin to the muscle below, with a layer of fat between them. When the bands tighten and the fat pushes up against them, the surface puckers into the pattern people call cellulite. Because that cause is structural and sits deeper than diet, exercise or skincare can reach, even very fit and lean women have cellulite.
Grading guides a realistic plan, because cellulite that eases when you lie flat behaves differently from deep, fixed dimples.
Smooth skin with no dimpling whether you stand or lie down.
A mattress-like surface that shows when you stand and eases when you lie flat. This laxity-driven pattern responds best to the tools we offer.
Dimpling that shows whether you stand or lie down. These deep, fixed dimples are the hardest to change, and we say so plainly.
The BioPlus difference
Cellulite affects every skin tone, because it is a structural change that has nothing to do with skin colour. The good news is that most cellulite treatments are colour-blind. Radiofrequency and electromagnetic energy heat the deeper tissue and do not target the pigment in your skin, so there is little risk of the dark or light marks that some light-based treatments can leave on Fitzpatrick IV to VI skin. Many people with deeper skin have been turned away from body treatments elsewhere. Reading skin tone correctly is what we have done since 1996, so here there is no tone-related barrier to care.
Radiofrequency and electromagnetic energy heat deeper tissue and do not target pigment, so there is little risk of the marks light-based treatments can leave on deeper skin.
Anything that uses needles carries a small risk of post-inflammatory pigment change in deeper skin. Conservative settings and correct technique keep that risk low.
Reading Fitzpatrick IV to VI skin correctly is judgement built over three decades of treating deeper skin tones.
Most cellulite pages promise more than the evidence supports. We will not. Cellulite is normal, it is common, and no treatment removes it for good. The strongest evidence in the field sits with approaches that release the fibrous bands directly, which we do not currently offer, and we will tell you so and discuss referral where that is your best route. What we do offer, energy tightening and a collagen biostimulator, softens the appearance where laxity and skin quality are part of the picture. That is the truth, and it is where the trust starts.
Honesty is the first thing a physician led clinic owes you.
How your visit works
Cellulite is very sensitive to lighting and posture, so we begin with a careful, consistent assessment.
A physician examines the area standing and lying down, grades the pattern, and checks your skin quality and laxity.
We separate laxity-driven cellulite from deep, fixed dimples, then match tools to the cause or, where dimples dominate, talk honestly about options including referral.
Energy tightening or a collagen biostimulator, delivered as a comfortable series with little or no downtime.
We photograph the area in standard lighting and posture at each stage, and plan maintenance, because the improvement is gradual and needs upkeep.
How care is built
No two cellulite plans are the same, because the plan follows the cause, your skin quality and your goals.
Where laxity and skin quality drive the look, radiofrequency tightening or a collagen biostimulator can firm the skin and soften the surface. Where deep, fixed dimples dominate, we are honest that these tools help less.
Improvement from energy and biostimulator treatments is gradual and temporary, so most plans run as a course with periodic maintenance rather than a single fix.
Health Canada licenses these devices and Sculptra for tightening, contouring and volume, not specifically for cellulite. Using them this way is off-label, and your physician explains the evidence before you decide.
Treatments we may use
Three options, in the order the evidence supports. Each is used off-label for cellulite, and each softens the appearance rather than removing it. Which suits you depends on your assessment.
Multisource 3DEEP radiofrequency
Six phase-controlled energy sources steer heat into the dermis and deeper tissue while the surface stays cool and comfortable. Of the tools here it has the most direct cellulite evidence, with a 2015 study reporting improvement in the appearance of cellulite alongside skin tightening.
Why this oneThe best-evidenced choice here for laxity-driven cellulite and skin quality. The change is modest and maintained with periodic sessions.
Learn more →Collagen biostimulator
An injectable poly-L-lactic acid that prompts your own skin to build collagen gradually over 3 to 6 months. A small randomised trial reported improvement in the appearance of cellulite on the buttocks and thighs, and separate work showed better skin quality.
Why this oneBest understood as improving skin quality and firmness over a dimpled area, rather than correcting the dimples themselves. Known reactions are small papules or nodules.
Learn more →Monopolar radiofrequency
A single-session treatment that heats the deep dermis and the fibrous network in the fat to tighten skin, with the surface protected by cooling. Its mechanism over dimpled areas is plausible, though modern outcome data for cellulite specifically are thin.
Why this oneAn option for mild, laxity-driven cellulite in one session with no downtime. Temporary improvement only, and not used with a pacemaker or other implanted electronic device.
Learn more →The honest numbers
What to expect
Change from energy and biostimulator treatments builds gradually, usually over 2 to 6 months, and with Sculptra over 3 to 6 months.
Radiofrequency tightening runs about 6 to 8 short sessions. Thermage is a single session. Sculptra is a course of 2 to 3 or more, spaced weeks apart.
Little or none for radiofrequency, which feels like a warm massage. Sculptra brings 1 to 3 days of swelling and possible bruising.
Simple upkeep, plus maintenance sessions to hold the result. We photograph progress in standard lighting so you can judge it fairly.
Here is the part many clinics soften, and we will not. The improvement is partial, gradual and temporary. You will see a softer, smoother look rather than a flat surface, and it fades without maintenance. No treatment we offer removes cellulite for good, and results vary from person to person. If deep, fixed dimples are your main concern, the strongest evidence sits elsewhere, and we will tell you so.
We would rather tell you the truth about cellulite than sell you a promise we cannot keep.
The BioPlus approach to cellulite
Questions patients ask
No. Cellulite cannot be removed for good by any current treatment, because its cause is structural: the fibrous bands and fat layer under the skin sit deeper than any treatment can permanently change. Treatments can soften how it looks for a time. The most durable results in the field come from approaches that release the fibrous bands directly, and even those need maintenance.
The treatments with the strongest evidence for the dimple itself target the fibrous bands directly, such as mechanical subcision, along with acoustic wave therapy. A 2024 review ranks energy devices used on their own below those approaches for lasting correction. The radiofrequency devices and collagen biostimulator we offer work mainly on skin quality, firmness and mild, laxity-driven cellulite, softening the look rather than erasing it.
No. The improvement from energy treatments and biostimulators is gradual and temporary, and it fades without maintenance sessions. Even the most durable approaches in the field show results measured in a couple of years rather than for life, and dimpling tends to return over time. We build plans around maintenance and say this plainly up front.
It comes down to how the tissue under the skin is built. In women the fibrous bands that anchor the skin run parallel, so the fat between them bulges at the surface. In men the bands cross in a lattice that hides the puckering. Female hormones add to it, and between 80 and 90 percent of women have some cellulite, compared with fewer than 10 percent of men.
Not necessarily. Losing weight can make cellulite look less prominent, but it does not change the structure that causes it, which is why even very fit and lean women have cellulite. For some people, weight loss makes loose skin more noticeable, which changes the appearance in a different way. Weight and body composition are worth discussing at your consultation.
Yes. The radiofrequency and electromagnetic treatments used for cellulite heat the deeper tissue and do not target skin pigment, so there is little risk of the marks that some light-based treatments can leave on deeper skin. Cellulite affects all skin tones. Treatments that use needles carry a small pigment risk in darker skin, which experienced operators manage. BioPlus has treated Fitzpatrick IV to VI skin for thirty years.
It depends on the treatment. Radiofrequency tightening is usually a series of 6 to 8 sessions over a couple of months, with change building over 2 to 6 months. Thermage is a single session with results over 2 to 6 months. Sculptra is a course of 2 to 3 or more sessions with results building over 3 to 6 months. Your physician sets the number, and results vary from person to person.
Most cellulite treatments here involve little or no downtime. Radiofrequency tightening feels like a warm massage and needs no numbing. Thermage delivers cycles of deep heat with cooling and needs no recovery beyond possible brief redness. Sculptra involves injections with 1 to 3 days of swelling and possible bruising.
That depends on whether your main concern is skin quality and mild laxity, or deep, fixed dimples. Laxity-driven cellulite responds better to radiofrequency tightening and collagen biostimulation. Deep, fixed dimples respond better to treatments that release the fibrous bands, which carry the strongest evidence. A physician assesses your skin at your complimentary consultation and gives you an honest recommendation.
Cost depends on the treatment, the area and the number of sessions, so honest pricing follows your assessment. Your consultation at BioPlus is complimentary, and a physician agrees a plan with you before any pricing is set. Our services are private esthetic services and are not covered by MSP.
Related concerns
Fat and muscle
For reducing fat and building muscle in an area, rather than treating the skin dimpling itself.
Loose skin
Loose or crepey skin often sits alongside cellulite, and the same tightening tools serve both.
Collagen loss
Collagen loss and skin quality across the face and body, where a biostimulator also helps.
Complimentary consultation
Cellulite is normal and common, and we will always be honest with you about what treatment can and cannot do. Your consultation is complimentary. A physician assesses your skin, explains a realistic plan, and answers your questions before you decide anything.
Book a complimentary consultationExplore treatmentsOur services are private esthetic services and are not covered by MSP.