Deep mechanical massage has been advocated as an alternative or adjunctive
therapy for the contouring of subcutaneous fat and as a treatment for cellu
lite. We evaluated the effects of deep mechanical massage using two pig mod
els. Yucatan pigs were divided into three groups (n = 4). One side of each
body received 4, 10, or 20 treatments and the other side served as a contro
l. Full-thickness tissue sections, including the underlying muscle, were ha
rvested from identical treated and untreated regions. Examination of these
regionally matched samples revealed an accumulation of dense, longitudinal
collagen bands in the middle dermal and deep subdermal regions, which progr
essively increased with the number of treatments. Distortion and disruption
of adipocytes was noted. In Yorkshire pigs, force-transducing balloon cath
eters were surgically placed between the deep subcutaneous tissue and muscl
e fascia. Catheters were inserted into two regions with different skin and
subcutaneous tissue characteristics, the midflank and the hip. Standardized
maneuvers were performed at suction settings 3, 5, 7, and 9 to record base
line tissue forces. Each maneuver carried a unique force signature. The mea
surement of tissue forces was repeated on the opposite side after 10 standa
rdized treatment sessions. Analysis showed a significant reduction of measu
red forces at the midflank after the treatments. The actual force measured
with each particular maneuver varied between different operators but not wi
th different suction settings, suggesting that the technique of administeri
ng the treatments is the primary factor in creating the force within the ti
ssue. This leads to the conclusion that deep mechanical massage is highly d
ependent on the individual operator of the device.