Cellulite, a perceived alteration in skin topography, is predominantly found in adipose tissue-rich body regions such as the hips, buttocks, thighs, and abdomen. Contrary to common belief, the etiology and pathophysiology of cellulite are not well-established or universally agreed upon. This lack of understanding about the actual etiology of cellulite directly influences the selection of suitable treatments that can address both the aesthetic and inflammatory aspects of the condition. Various treatment methods, including electrophysical agents like electric currents, radiofrequency, ultrasound, and photobiomodulation, have been tested. However, the questionable methodological quality of many studies complicates the determination of effective treatments for cellulite. In this study, we conducted a systematic review of clinical studies that utilized electrophysical agents in cellulite treatment. Methods: We employed the PICO (population, intervention, control, and outcome) process to develop our search strategy and establish inclusion/exclusion criteria. We searched five databases: Medline, Central, Scopus, Lilacs, and PEDro, for studies conducted between 2001 and July 2021 that involved cellulite treatment with electrophysical agents. To ensure systematicity and guide study selection, we adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: Our initial search yielded 556 articles: 379 from Medline, 159 from Central, and 18 from Lilacs. After applying our inclusion criteria, only 32 studies remained. Of these, only two (6.2%) were evaluated as having strong and good methodology via the QualSyst tool. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the quality of evidence from clinical studies on the use of electrophysical agents for cellulite treatment remains subpar. Further studies with robust experimental designs and more precise assessment techniques are necessary. While our study does not refute the effectiveness of the techniques used for cellulite treatment, it underscores the need for additional well-designed trials.

脂肪团是一种皮肤形态的明显变化，主要存在于脂肪组织丰富的身体区域，如臀部、臀部、大腿和腹部。与普遍看法相反，脂肪团的病因学和病理生理学尚未明确或得到普遍认同。对橘皮组织的实际病因缺乏了解，直接影响了可以解决该病症的美观和炎症方面的合适治疗方法的选择。已经测试了各种治疗方法，包括电流、射频、超声波和光生物调节等电物理制剂。然而，许多研究的方法学质量值得怀疑，使得确定橘皮组织的有效治疗方法变得复杂。在这项研究中，我们对利用电物理制剂治疗脂肪团的临床研究进行了系统回顾。方法：我们采用 PICO（总体、干预、控制和结果）流程来制定我们的搜索策略并建立纳入/排除标准。我们检索了五个数据库：Medline、Central、Scopus、Lilacs 和 PEDro，查找 2001 年至 2021 年 7 月期间进行的涉及使用电物理制剂治疗脂肪团的研究。为了确保系统性并指导研究选择，我们遵守系统评价和荟萃分析的首选报告项目 (PRISMA) 指南。结果：我们最初的搜索产生了 556 篇文章：379 篇来自 Medline，159 篇来自 Central，18 篇来自 Lilacs。应用我们的纳入标准后，只剩下 32 项研究。其中，只有两个 (6.2%) 通过 QualSyst 工具被评估为具有强大且良好的方法。结论：我们的研究结果表明，使用电物理制剂治疗脂肪团的临床研究的证据质量仍然较低。有必要采用稳健的实验设计和更精确的评估技术进行进一步的研究。虽然我们的研究并没有反驳用于脂肪团治疗的技术的有效性，但它强调需要进行额外的精心设计的试验。