Subcision (or subcutaneous incision-less surgery) is a safe, simple technique that provides a significant long-term improvement in the treatment of severe cellulite dimpling and acne scars. It can be safely and easily combined with other treatments, such as Carboxytherapy, Radiofrequency and Laser, to improve the condition further.
What Is Subcision?
Subcision is an in-office surgery procedure that can be performed on the body or face, for any conditions that leave deep dimples, depressions, ripples or rolling scars in the skin. During the procedure, the skin in the affected area is separated from the scar tissue or the fibrous bands that pull down on the skin causing the dimpling, and this allows the skin to grow more even.
After subcision, other treatments can then be performed to smooth out the scar tissue and strengthen the skin resulting in a more even, smooth skin tissue. If for example, a patient presents with acne scarring that has severe depressions, we recommend subcision before starting any acne scar skin rejuvenation treatments such as Fraxel Dual and Dermapen skin needling. The same would apply for a patient who presents with severe cellulite. We would perform a subcision treatment before moving on to treatments such as Exilis Elite, Titania, Velashape or Accent.
In essence, doing subcision before starting with other treatments allows for a better and faster result.
How Does Subcision Work?
During Subcision, the treatment area is marked off with a white pencil and Lidocaine Adrenaline, a local topical anaesthesia, is applied to numb and blanch the skin so that excessive bruising is minimised.
Subcision is performed by using a bevelled hypodermic needle inserted through a puncture in the skin surface and its sharp edges manoeuvred under the defect to make subcuticular cuts or incisions.
*View a video of the Subscision technique here!
The principle of this procedure is to break the fibrotic strands, which tether the scar or the upper layers of skin to the underlying subcutaneous tissue. The depression is lifted from the connective tissue that forms during normal wound healing by the releasing action of the procedure.
How Many Treatment Sessions Are Needed?
For good cosmetic results, anything from 1 to 4 repeated treatments at three-month intervals is required. Other treatments can be started three weeks after each subcision treatment.