Two Ways to Reach the Same Bands.
Cellulite has a structure. Fibrous bands under the skin pull it down while fat pushes up between them. Every treatment that works, works on those bands one way or another.
Cellfina and Avéli cut them. A non-surgical course works them from the outside.
Those are different jobs with different prices, different recoveries and different lifespans. Here is how to think about the choice.
What Cellfina and Avéli Are
Both are minimally invasive procedures performed by a physician under local anesthetic. A small device goes under the skin through a needle-sized opening and releases the fibrous bands responsible for individual dimples.
Cellfina uses a vacuum to stabilize the tissue and a blade to release the band at a set depth. Avéli uses a lighted hook so the physician can see the band, release it and confirm the release before moving on.
Both are FDA-cleared for the long-term improvement of cellulite on the buttocks and thighs. Both are usually a single visit.
What the Research Says About Them
This is where the physician procedures are strongest.
The Cellfina pivotal study followed forty-five women for three years after one treatment. A blinded physician panel found the improvement held with no reduction out to three years.
The Avéli pivotal study, published in 2023, reported its final results at twelve months across multiple centers, with improvement in dimple appearance maintained over that period.
If the goal is a specific dimple gone for years, the evidence for subcision is better than the evidence for anything non-invasive. That is the honest comparison.
What the Research Does Not Say
It does not say the procedures improve skin texture or firmness around the dimples. They release bands; they do not change the skin.
It does not say they are without recovery. The published reviews note local anesthesia, bruising, compression garments afterwards, and avoiding certain activities for up to two weeks.
And it does not say they are cheap. Published 2026 ranges run $2,500 to $7,000 for Avéli and $2,500 to $6,500 for Cellfina.
What a Non-Surgical Course Does Instead
A non-surgical course does not cut anything. It works the whole area from the outside over several sessions.
Firm manual work and wood therapy mobilize the fascia. Vacuum lifts the tissue and brings blood to it. Radiofrequency warms the deeper skin layer so it firms over time. The result is broader and softer than a procedure: the region looks smoother, the skin looks better, and the change is temporary.
The 2015 evidence-based review in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology summarized sixty-seven studies and reached the same conclusion: non-invasive methods produce modest, temporary improvement, and combined approaches with repeated sessions do best.
How to Decide
- A few deep, defined dimples on the buttocks or thighs, and you want them gone for years: a physician procedure. We will say so at your first visit.
- General dimpling, uneven texture or loose skin across an area: a non-surgical course. The procedures do not treat that.
- Both: some people have the procedure for the deepest dimples and use a non-surgical course for the skin around them. That is a reasonable plan, and a surgeon who knows us will often suggest it.
- Not sure: a six-session non-surgical course costs less than a fifth of a procedure and there is nothing to recover from. It is the conservative first step most people take.
What We Will Not Tell You
That a massage does what subcision does. It does not.
That a procedure fixes skin quality. It does not.
That either option removes fat. Neither does.
Cellulite Treatment in Houston
Carolina Pintos Therapy offers non-surgical cellulite treatment, with VelaShape III and Venus Legacy available on their own or built into the course, at both Memorial and The Woodlands locations.
We are trusted by more than a hundred Houston plastic surgeons for post-surgical care. If your goal needs a procedure, we know who to send you to.
References
- Kaminer MS, et al. A multicenter pivotal study to evaluate tissue stabilized-guided subcision using the Cellfina device for the treatment of cellulite with 3-year follow-up. Dermatol Surg. 2017;43(10):1240-1248.
- Stevens WG, et al. Multicenter pivotal study demonstrates safety and efficacy of a new cellulite procedure: final results at 12 months. Aesthet Surg J. 2023;43(4):455-466.
- Improvement in cellulite appearance after a single treatment visit with acoustic subcision: long-term findings from a multicenter clinical trial. Dermatol Surg. 2024 (review of recovery requirements for subcision procedures).
- Luebberding S, Krueger N, Sadick NS. Cellulite: an evidence-based review. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2015;16(4):243-256.
- Thervo: How Much Does Cellulite Treatment Cost? (2026)
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