What is it about?
Cellulite affects 80-90% of adult biological females. It affects the buttocks and thighs and appears as a dimpling of the skin. Although a cosmetic problem, it has been shown to affect women's quality of life adversely. This trial is a "first use" pilot study of a new combination of compression pants with patented raised pads ("Vari-pads") on the inside. These pads are thought to increase lymphatic drainage in the affected area, with the aim of reducing the appearance of cellulite. The trial showed that the participants reported a significant improvement in the appearance of their cellulite, having worn the garments for 8 hours in every 24 hours over a 4 weeks period. Photographic analysis showed some improvement, but this did not reach statistical significance in this small sample over a short time.
Featured Image
Photo by Huha Inc. on Unsplash
Why is it important?
As cellulite is both a widespread problem with proven adverse effects on women's quality of life, a treatment that can improve cellulite's appearance would benefit a large proportion of the population. This first-in-human pilot study suggests that compression with patented "Vari-pads", ink-printed in a specific pattern on the inside of the garment, improves the appearance of cellulite as assessed by the subjects themselves. Although the objective measurements using digitised photography and transcutaneous water measurements did not show a statistically significant improvement, the most important outcome is that the participants themselves noticed an improvement. After all, if the participants themselves found that their cellulite improved, their confidence and quality of life will be improved. This will be explored in future trials.
Perspectives
The inventor of the Vari-pads approached me (the senior author) for assistance in seeing if there could be any evidence that the combination of the compression and Vari-pads could improve the appearance of cellulite. I have considerable experience in clinical medical research and have previously investigated the effect of other apparel on cellulite. Therefore I agreed to perform this study through my research team at The Whiteley Clinic and Absolute Aesthetics. Following on from the positive subjective results from the participants, the inventor set up a company called Coria Skin Technologies Ltd., Company Number 14954118. He invited me to join the company as Medical Director. Having seen the results of this study, I agreed and joined the company after this paper had been written and posted on the preprint server. I will now be supervising further research as Medical Director of Coria Skin Technologies Ltd to optimise the use of Vari-pads and compression to reduce cellulite.
Professor Mark S Whiteley
The Whiteley Clinic
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Participant Reported Improvement in Cellulite by Vari-pad Apparel and Objective Measurements – a “First Use” Pilot Study., June 2023, Center for Open Science,
DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/a3uq9.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
