An apparatus and method for the treatment of cellulite. The connective tissue subjacent to the dermis provides a barrier resisting protrusion of adipose tissue located beneath the dermis. Such connective tissue is generated or strengthened by applying radiation of appropriate frequency to disrupt or otherwise destroy normal cells within or underlying the dermis adjacent to the interface between the dermis and the subcutaneous adipose tissue, or exclusively within the subcutaneous fat or dermis. Following cell destruction, the body's repair mechanism causes a sheet-like fibrous layer to form at the site of cell destruction which is resistant to the protrusion of depot fat underlying the fibrous layer into the dermis. The technique may be useful for other cosmetic procedures which benefit from a contraction or stabilization of the skin or tissue immediately underlying the epidermis, such as facelifts or strengthening of flaccid tissue.