Best cellulite treatment in Brasília: what actually helps dimples on thighs and buttocks
Cellulite is a structure problem, not only fat: fibrous bands, thin skin and volume all play a part. The best option depends on your type, and it improves cellulite rather than erasing it.
Agendar ConsultaShort answer: cellulite is a structure problem, not only fat
The best cellulite treatment is the one matched to what is actually causing your dimples: tight fibrous bands, thin or lax skin, a real volume deficit, or a mix of the three. Dr. Thiago Perfeito (CRM-DF 23199), an aesthetic and regenerative medicine physician at the INTI clinic in Lago Sul, Brasília, assesses which type you have in person before any number is quoted, and treats cellulite as something that can be improved, not erased.
Patients search for this problem in their own words: dimples on the thighs, cottage cheese skin, orange-peel skin, lumpy buttocks. Behind all of these words sits one structural picture. The skin is anchored downward by fibrous septa, the fat between the anchors bulges upward, and the skin on top is not thick or firm enough to hide the difference. A cream, a massage or a single machine session rarely changes that structure, which is why trying one thing after another can disappoint.
The honest framing matters before any comparison. No current option removes cellulite permanently for everyone. What the options can do is soften the relief, thicken and tighten the skin, and refill the depressions that look deepest. Each does a different one of those jobs, so the right choice depends on your type. This page walks through the causes, how to tell your type apart, and how the routes compare by indication, with the price ranges the clinic uses.
The options compared here are subcision, hyperdilute biostimulator injections, Lipocube autologous fat grafting, Morpheus8 body radiofrequency microneedling and combination protocols for laxity. Subcision, the technique that mechanically releases the tight fibrous septa, is performed by Dr. Thiago Perfeito on its own or combined with nanofat or with a biostimulator; it costs R$ 3,500 to R$ 12,500, and when it is combined with another treatment the range of that treatment is added.
Why dimples form on thighs and buttocks
Under the skin of the thighs and buttocks, the fat is divided into small chambers by thin walls of connective tissue called fibrous septa. These septa connect the underside of the skin to the deeper tissue. When some of them are short, thick or rigid, they hold the skin down at fixed points. The fat in the chambers between those points pushes outward, and the result is the dimpled, puckered surface that looks like cottage cheese or orange peel. This is why cellulite is described as a structure problem: the pattern of the septa sets the pattern of the dimples.
Several factors change how visible that structure is:
- Septa pattern. Short, rigid bands pull harder and create deeper, more defined dimples, often in the same spots on both sides.
- Skin thickness and firmness. Thin skin with less collagen and elastin shows the underlying relief. Skin that has lost tone after age, hormonal change or weight loss shows it more.
- Fat and volume distribution. Where there is a local shortage of volume, a depression appears. Where there is a bulge between anchors, it reads as a lump.
- Weight change. Losing weight can unmask cellulite that fat had been hiding, because the skin no longer has the volume beneath it to stay smooth.
Because the causes are structural and mixed, different treatments target different layers, and a plan that matches the layer to the problem beats repeating the same session many times.
Which type do you have? Dimples, laxity or lumps
A simple self-check helps you arrive at the consultation with better questions, although only an in-person examination confirms the type. Stand in good light and look at the thighs and buttocks while relaxed, then again while gently pinching or tensing the muscle.
Type 1: shallow, widespread orange-peel skin
The surface looks finely textured and the relief appears mainly when you pinch or when the light is low. The skin is often thin. The main issue is skin quality and collagen rather than a deep tether.
Type 2: defined dimples that stay visible standing up
Distinct depressions are visible without pinching, often in the same places on the buttocks and back of the thighs. This pattern points to fibrous bands anchoring the skin, sometimes with a local volume deficit under each depression.
Type 3: dimples plus laxity or crepey skin
The skin looks loose or thin, the buttock may have lost projection, and the dimples worsen after weight loss or with age. Here skin support and volume matter as much as the dimples themselves. The page on loose and crepey skin treatment in Brasília covers the skin side of this type in more detail.
Type 4: lumps and unevenness after weight loss or liposuction
Firm irregular areas, sometimes from previous procedures or from fibrosis, need individual assessment. This is the group where a general option is least likely to fit and where an in-person examination matters most.
Types 2 and 3 can coexist. If the buttock has also lost projection, the page on the best treatment for a flat or saggy buttock explains that side. During the assessment, the physician examines the skin, checks the depth and position of the dimples, and identifies which of these patterns dominates before recommending a route.
Treatments compared by indication
The table below compares routes by what they are matched to, not by which brand is trendiest. Ranges are what the clinic uses in Brasília, in reais (R$), and each figure is a range because the final number depends on the area, the extent and the plan defined at the assessment. Where a manufacturer product is named, it is named inside its category with the criterion that makes the category fit.
| Type / cause | Best-matched option | How it works | Range at INTI clinic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thin, crepey skin with fine relief and mild laxity (types 1 and 3) | Morpheus8 body (radiofrequency microneedling) | Fine needles deliver radiofrequency energy into the dermis and the tissue beneath it, aiming to stimulate collagen and firm the skin on thighs and buttocks. | R$ 6,000–12,000 per session for thighs and buttocks |
| Cellulite with laxity, low skin density or a need for collagen support (types 2 and 3) | Hyperdilute calcium hydroxylapatite biostimulator (for example Radiesse) | Diluted so that it spreads more superficially over a wider area, it is used to stimulate collagen and elastin rather than to add volume. | R$ 2,900–3,900 per box; at least 1 box per side, usually 2–4 per side, and 5–6 per side when laxity or cellulite is significant |
| Defined depressions with a local volume deficit or fibrotic area, with or without thin, lax skin (types 2, 3 and 4) | Lipocube autologous fat grafting | The patient's own fat is harvested in a small amount, up to about 250 mL (closer to a mini-liposuction than to traditional liposuction), and processed to preserve the stromal vascular fraction; microfat is placed to refill the volume deficit beneath the depression, and nanofat is used for skin quality and laxity; outpatient, local anaesthesia. | R$ 30,000–50,000 per protocol; a single area roughly R$ 30,000–35,000 |
| Cellulite plus laxity across several layers (mixed type 3) | Combination protocol (radiofrequency microneedling, biostimulator and microfocused ultrasound) | Different layers are treated in a planned sequence: skin quality, collagen support and deeper tissue. | R$ 15,000–45,000 for the combined protocol |
| Tight, rigid septa producing defined dimples that stay visible standing up (type 2) | Subcision, on its own or combined with nanofat or a biostimulator | A cannula or needle passed under the skin releases the fibrous septa (bands) that tether the skin down at each dimple, so the surface can lift. Nanofat can be added for skin quality, or a biostimulator for collagen support. It is a separate technique, not Lipocube. | R$ 3,500–12,500; when combined with nanofat, Lipocube or a biostimulator, the range of the other item is added |
Dr. Thiago Perfeito has no commercial relationship with any manufacturer mentioned on this page.
Two cautions apply. First, a price far below these ranges is a warning sign, because it can reflect a diluted or split product, a product without traceability or an unprepared operator. Dr. Thiago Perfeito uses products registered with the health authority and does not split a vial between patients. Second, no route in the table is ranked above the others in general. The ranking is by indication: subcision fits a dimple held down by a tight band, the skin-first route fits a thin, crepey skin, the volume route fits a depression that is really a deficit, and the combination fits a case with more than one problem.
What the evidence does and does not show
Cellulite treatment is a field with more clinical practice than large controlled trials, so it is worth being precise about what each source supports. This section is written to keep that difference visible.
For the biostimulator route, a practical guidance article published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal in 2022 brings together experienced injectors' approaches to hyperdilute calcium hydroxylapatite. It lists cellulite and stretch marks among the areas where the technique is used, alongside the face, hands, neck, abdomen, buttocks and thighs. The idea is that a more diluted product placed more superficially and over a wider area is meant to stimulate collagen and elastin, whereas an undiluted product is meant to add volume. This is expert practical guidance from a medical education programme. It is not a randomised trial, so it supports a described technique and does not prove a percentage of improvement.
For the radiofrequency mechanism, a 2025 study in Lasers in Medical Science used a computational model and porcine skin to compare the frequencies of non-invasive dual-frequency monopolar radiofrequency. In that work, one frequency heated deeper and wider within the fat and the other travelled along the fibrous septa, and the combination produced a reaction at the junction between the dermis and the subcutaneous layer, with remodelling of collagen and elastin without killing fat cells. This is a mechanism study, not a clinical trial in people with cellulite, and its authors have links to the manufacturer. That is a different category from the radiofrequency microneedling in the table above, and the study did not look at cellulite. It shows how that energy behaves in tissue; it is not evidence for any specific device in patients with cellulite.
For the fat-grafting route, a critical review published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 2019 examined fat grafting in the breast and buttock. It reported that most events were fat necrosis, usually managed simply, that larger volumes were associated with more fat necrosis, and that the less frequent serious complication was fat embolism in buttock augmentation, with correct technique lowering the risk. Separately, a 2017 ASERF task-force survey linked injection into the deep muscle to fat embolism and advised against it, and against cannulas smaller than 4 mm. For that reason, Lipocube in the buttock is done only in the subcutaneous plane, with a cannula of at least 4 mm, and for a small to moderate volume; larger augmentation is a different conversation.
What Dr. Thiago Perfeito does for cellulite
The approach at the INTI clinic starts from the type, not from the machine. The consultation examines the skin quality, the depth and position of the dimples, the presence of laxity and the weight history, and it identifies the donor area if fat grafting is being considered. Then a route is proposed in stages: a plan rather than a random treatment.
The facts a patient can verify are these:
- Dr. Thiago Perfeito is a physician in aesthetic and regenerative medicine, CRM-DF 23199, which can be confirmed on the Federal Council of Medicine website under "Busca por médicos".
- He has performed more than 10,000 procedures in total, at an average of four to five a day for about ten years.
- He holds a master's degree in aesthetic medicine from Esneca in Spain (2024) and has international training at Harvard Medical School and Mayo Clinic.
- He is a member of ASLMS, A4M, AMS and NYAS.
- The INTI clinic is at St. de Hab. Individuais Sul QI 11, Deck Brasil, Bl. O, Sala 115, Lago Sul, Brasília-DF, 71625-240.
- Dr. Thiago Perfeito's Google reviews average 5.0; patient reviews are on the reviews page.
- Consultations are available in English.
- He performs subcision for dimples caused by tight fibrous septa: a cannula or needle releases the bands under the skin, on its own or combined with nanofat or with a biostimulator. It costs R$ 3,500 to R$ 12,500; a combination adds the range of the other treatment.
- Lipocube is performed as an outpatient procedure with local anaesthesia, with no operating theatre and no general anaesthesia; the fat harvest is up to about 250 mL, closer to a mini-liposuction than to traditional liposuction; microfat is used for volume and nanofat for skin quality and laxity.
- Dr. Thiago Perfeito does not use PMMA, biopolymers or liquid silicone.
- Body surgery such as liposuction, abdominoplasty or a buttock implant is not performed; when that is the right route, the case is assessed and referred.
The philosophy behind these choices is natural results and treatment in stages. The plan is built in stages, matched to the type identified at the assessment, rather than as a random series of sessions. More about the physician is on the about page. If the buttock itself has lost shape, the pages on buttock biostimulators, Morpheus8 on the body and Lipocube fat transfer explain each route separately, and the page on glute augmentation covers the volume goal.
What cellulite treatment cannot do
Setting realistic expectations is part of treating cellulite well. Cellulite is improved, not erased. Depressions become shallower, skin looks firmer and the surface looks smoother, but a patient with strong septa and thin skin should expect a visible improvement rather than a smooth surface like that of a younger person. Results vary from person to person, and no percentage is promised.
A few limits are worth stating plainly:
- Weight loss does not fix it alone. Losing weight can even make cellulite more visible by removing the fat that masked it.
- Creams and massage do not change the septa.
- A single session rarely does the job. Radiofrequency and biostimulator routes are planned as series or as staged sessions, and the result develops over weeks to months.
- Volume routes are not for fat loss. Lipocube adds and repositions your own fat; it is not a slimming procedure.
- Not every buttock is a candidate for fat grafting. It depends on a donor area with enough fat, stable weight and a small to moderate volume goal.
Cellulite can also return or progress with age, hormonal change and weight fluctuation, so maintenance planning belongs in the first consultation. If the assessment shows that a case sits outside these routes, for example one that needs body surgery, the correct conduct is to say so and refer rather than to sell a session that will not deliver.
Cost in Brasília and how planning works
Price depends on the area, the extent and the number of layers involved, so a figure is set only after the in-person assessment. The ranges above are reference ranges, not packages: Morpheus8 on the thighs and buttocks is R$ 6,000 to R$ 12,000 per session, a biostimulator is R$ 2,900 to R$ 3,900 per box with five to six boxes per side in significant laxity or cellulite (ten to twelve boxes in total, which is why the number is planned individually), Lipocube is R$ 30,000 to R$ 50,000 per protocol, and the combined protocol is R$ 15,000 to R$ 45,000. Subcision is R$ 3,500 to R$ 12,500, and when it is combined with another treatment the two ranges add up. Values are in reais and are not converted here.
For patients travelling to Brasília, the practical path is a consultation in English, an assessment of type and route, a staged plan, and a follow-up schedule that fits the travel. The page on choosing a doctor for body contouring in Brasília lists the criteria for comparing physicians, which apply to cellulite as well.
Frequently asked questions about cellulite treatment in Brasília
What is the best treatment for cellulite dimples on the thighs and buttocks?
There is no single best option for everyone; the best treatment is the one matched to your type. Thin, crepey skin usually points to radiofrequency microneedling or a hyperdilute biostimulator, a dimple held down by a tight fibrous band may suit subcision, a defined depression with a volume deficit may suit autologous fat grafting, and mixed cases may need a combination. Dr. Thiago Perfeito (CRM-DF 23199) at the INTI clinic in Brasília assesses the type in person first.
Can cellulite be removed completely?
No. Cellulite can be improved, meaning shallower dimples, firmer skin and a smoother surface, but it is not erased permanently for everyone. Fibrous septa, skin thickness, hormones, age and weight change all influence how it looks, and it can come back or progress over time.
Why do I have cottage cheese skin even though I am not overweight?
Cellulite is mainly about structure, not only about fat. Fibrous bands anchor the skin downward while fat bulges upward between them, and thin or lax skin shows the difference more. Slim people can therefore have visible dimples.
How much does cellulite treatment cost in Brasília?
At the INTI clinic, Morpheus8 on the thighs and buttocks is R$ 6,000 to R$ 12,000 per session, a biostimulator is R$ 2,900 to R$ 3,900 per box (five to six boxes per side in significant cellulite or laxity), Lipocube is R$ 30,000 to R$ 50,000 per protocol, and a combined protocol is R$ 15,000 to R$ 45,000. Subcision is R$ 3,500 to R$ 12,500; when it is combined with another treatment, the two ranges add up. A price far below these ranges is a warning sign for a diluted or split product or an inexperienced operator.
Does a biostimulator help cellulite?
A published practical guide by experienced injectors lists cellulite among the areas where hyperdilute calcium hydroxylapatite is used, aiming to stimulate collagen and elastin. It is expert guidance rather than a randomised trial, so it supports the technique but does not promise a specific percentage of improvement. Whether it suits you depends on your skin and type.
Does Dr. Thiago Perfeito perform subcision for cellulite in Brasília?
Yes. Dr. Thiago Perfeito performs subcision at the INTI clinic in Lago Sul, Brasília. A cannula or needle passed under the skin releases the tight fibrous septa that pull the skin down and form defined dimples. It can be done on its own, combined with nanofat for skin quality, or combined with a biostimulator for collagen support. It suits dimples caused by tethering bands rather than laxity or a volume deficit, and it is not Lipocube. It costs R$ 3,500 to R$ 12,500; when it is combined with nanofat, Lipocube or a biostimulator, the range of the other treatment is added.
Is Lipocube a cellulite treatment?
Lipocube is autologous fat grafting, not a device that melts fat, and it is not traditional liposuction: the fat harvest is up to about 250 mL, closer to a mini-liposuction. It is done as an outpatient procedure with local anaesthesia and is used where a depression reflects a local volume deficit or a fibrotic area: microfat refills volume, and nanofat is used for skin quality and laxity. Lipocube is not subcision, although the two can be combined. It is not the first step for mild cellulite, and it depends on a donor area with enough fat and stable weight.
Does radiofrequency treat the fibrous bands that cause dimples?
A 2025 laboratory study of non-invasive dual-frequency monopolar radiofrequency, using a computer model and porcine skin, found that it heats along the fibrous septa and at the junction of dermis and fat, remodelling collagen without killing fat cells. That is a mechanism study, not a trial in patients with cellulite, and its authors have links to the manufacturer. Radiofrequency microneedling is a different category, used mainly for skin quality and firmness.
How do I check that the doctor treating my cellulite is qualified?
Check the doctor's CRM number is active on the Federal Council of Medicine website under "Busca por médicos"; Dr. Thiago Perfeito is CRM-DF 23199. Ask which product is used, whether it is registered with the health authority and whether the vial is opened only for you, and ask for the reasoning behind the chosen route for your type.
References
- Lorenc ZP, Black JM, Cheung JS et al. Skin Tightening With Hyperdilute CaHA: Dilution Practices and Practical Guidance for Clinical Practice. Aesthet Surg J. 2022;42(1):NP29-NP37. PMID: 34192299 · doi:10.1093/asj/sjab269
- Ko K, Ryu HG, Park J et al. Computational modeling and histologic analysis of 6.78- and 2-MHz monopolar radiofrequency-induced thermal reactions. Lasers Med Sci. 2025;40(1):501. PMID: 41315066 · doi:10.1007/s10103-025-04746-8
- Chopan M, White JA, Sayadi LR et al. Autogenous Fat Grafting to the Breast and Gluteal Regions: Safety Profile Including Risks and Complications. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2019;143(6):1625-1632. PMID: 31136476 · doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000005617
- Mofid MM, Teitelbaum S, Suissa D et al. Report on Mortality from Gluteal Fat Grafting: Recommendations from the ASERF Task Force. Aesthet Surg J. 2017;37(7):796-806. PMID: 28369293 · doi:10.1093/asj/sjx004
Reviewed by Dr. Thiago Perfeito — Aesthetic and Regenerative Medicine, CRM-DF 23199. Reviewed on . Updated on .
Find out which type of cellulite you have
An in-person consultation in English at the INTI clinic in Lago Sul examines your skin, the depth of the dimples and the volume, and tells you which route fits: skin-first, volume, a combination, or a referral.