Cellulite affects the bums and thighs between 80% and 90% of all women past puberty, while only about 10% of men have it. “Unfortunately, cellulite, unlike ‘normal’ fat, does not correlate with how much you eat and how much exercise you do,” explains Maria Naskos, national educator for Dibi Milano.
“Cellulite can appear even if you’re thin and is actually more connected to the endocrine system, a complex network of glands and organs that uses hormones to control and coordinate the body’s metabolism.”
Although the condition is so common that it’s considered ‘normal’ and doesn’t cause serious physical health problems, it plays on many women’s minds because of the dimpling and rippling it causes to the skin – a far cry from the super smooth and toned ideal that society pushes us . “If you look at a 300kg man walking on the beach, nothing is moving, whereas a 200kg woman could be moving all over the place,” he says. Repêchage founder and managing director Lydia Sarfati. “It’s really unfair.”
What is cellulite?
The term “cellulitis” was first printed in an English-language magazine in France in 1968 – it was Fashion. “The mainstream media has ‘christened’ cellulite as unattractive, which only adds to the stigma and self-consciousness associated with having it,” Naskos says.
“Cellulite, in its simplest terms, is trapped fat,” he continues. “It develops because of increased fat, which stretches the connective tissue cords beneath the surface of the skin that surround the fat, trapping it.” These hard cords pull down around the fat and create unevenness and dimples. Although common and harmless, this action separates the fat into different areas honeycomb shape, causing lumpy flesh on the thighs, hips, buttocks and abdomen.
“Not only can its host find this undesirable, but it also leaves the fat in a position where it cannot be used for energy and nutrient consumption as needed and is instead stored as cellulite.”
Sarfati adds, “It’s also about the fact that adipose tissue in women has a different structure than men. In women, it’s more spiral, but in men it’s more diamond-shaped.”
When a man gains weight, his fat cells will enlarge, but because of the cross-linked structure of the fat cell chambers, the fat will be contained and distributed evenly. Meanwhile, when a woman gains weight, enlarged fat cells, contained in more column-like chambers, are pushed upward, leading to the “orange peel” effect of cellulite.
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How to treat cellulite
Cellulite is notoriously difficult to get rid of [even surgical interventions like liposuction have proven to be ineffective at getting rid of it] which means the market is overloaded with tinctures and tricks that promise to get rid of the uneven skin caused by the condition.
The fact that it can affect fitness and health shows that a good diet and exercise alone may not be very effective, although less body fat and more muscle tone can certainly help.
While completely eliminating cellulite is practically impossible, improving its appearance is not. There are several ways to get smoother skin that have a lot of promise, and as Naskos says, “To deal with it effectively, it needs to be understood scientifically and addressed from multiple angles for a comprehensive approach.”
Non-invasive cosmetic devices are an increasingly popular way to treat the appearance of cellulite. “The technology of aesthetic treatment has evolved so much that I believe that liposuction will not be necessary in the future,” says renowned body doctor Dr Galyna Selezneva. “Non-surgical approaches have taken the world by storm and the results they can produce are amazing.”
Mechanical massage
Mechanical techniques of lipomassage or endomassage, such as e.g LPG’s Endermologie uses motorized rollers to grip and knead the skin and tissue for a deep massage that helps stimulate circulation and reduce adipose tissue.
The activity targets the connective tissues of the body and face, including the skin, muscles, blood and lymphatic circulation, working to reactivate dormant cellular activity beneath the skin’s surface and improve the appearance of cellulite and tone of the skin.
Compressional microvibration and compression
When clients come in with concerns about their cellulite, Dr Selezneva’s first line of defense is often to stimulate the lymphatic system. “Often, when clients ask for cellulite treatments, what you may see is simple fluid retention,” she says.
When such cases occur, he advises that instead of devising a complicated treatment for cellulite, therapists should focus on activating lymphatic drainage. This can also be done to enhance the results of many other treatments, such as fat freezing or injectables.
Dr. Selezneva often uses Endospheres as a stand-alone cellulite or drainage treatment, or in combination to enhance the results of other treatments, such as fat freezing or injectables.
The technology uses a compressive micro-vibration system and roller, which helps move any stagnant lymphatic fluid around the body to improve circulation, break up fibrous septa, relieve inflammation and tone muscles, which can improve the appearance of cellulite. .
Pressotherapy devices such as Body Balancer includes a compression garment that compresses and contracts to move lymph fluid up the body, performing lymphatic drainage for you. Seeing as the number of formally trained lymphatic massage therapists in the UK is still very low, schemes like this allow clinics and salons to offer more free treatments that they could not provide otherwise.
LEDs
Red LED light was first used by NASA to grow plants in space. NASA later identified another need that could be addressed using LEDs: the astronaut health. A major concern for astronauts is maintaining healthy cell growth, including preventing bone and muscle loss and enhancing the body’s ability to heal wounds – all of which are adversely affected by prolonged antigravity.
As Sarfati explains, the technology went on to be used by the US Navy Seals to speed wound healing before it hit the cosmetic market. “Because cellulite skin doesn’t look teachable, it’s often associated with aging,” she says. While young people also suffer from cellulite, aging skin and loss of elasticity and collagen is definitely a factor.
“Red light reduces the appearance of wrinkles and builds collagen,” adds Sarfati. “So when Repêchage started using this, we saw a big improvement in skin density, which means the LED was helping to build the collagen matrix in the dermis.”
He adds, “If the client’s dermis is firm, firm and strong, you’re not going to see the spiral fatty composition of the adipose tissue below, so we have to tighten the collagen and the dermal layer. That’s why RF LED and EMS work so well, combined with a cellulite product or serum.”
Radio frequency
Cellulite is persistent and likes to hide and get trapped in areas of the body, making it difficult to treat and get rid of those areas. “An increase in the metabolic activity of fat cells will ultimately reduce cellulite structures, reducing swelling [swelling] and water retention creating oxygenation and increased blood flow via lymphatic drainage within the fat cells,” Naskos says.
“This will promote lipolysis, which is ultimately the hydrolysis of triglycerides. By breaking down triglycerides, we can improve fat cell function to use fat for energy instead of storing it as cellulite. Cellulite is also best treated by reducing inflammatory signals and promoting collagen and elastin production to enhance skin elasticity.” To cover all these bases, Defining the scheme of APG Tech The device incorporates controlled heat from a technology such as radio frequencies in combination with endomassage and lymphatic drainage.
“Radiofrequency releases heat, essentially melting fat, smoothing tissue and stimulating the formation and growth of new collagen and elastin,” he says. Nascos. “This results in a lifting and toning effect, which is achieved thanks to the contraction of collagen at different depths in the skin.”
EMS
Bigger, toned muscles mean less skin laxity. Electrical muscle stimulation [EMS] it involves a machine that transmits electrical impulses through electrodes to key muscle groups. The technology activates the muscles and creates faster blood flow to these targeted areas.
These devices that can be worn on different areas of the body can be used in conjunction with exercise. In recent years, EMS fitness studios have begun to appear, offering high-intensity training with the addition of EMS to enhance toning strength and muscle growth, which in turn will help improve the appearance of cellulite.
Better in combination
As all of the technologies listed above are non-invasive, many can be used in combination with each other, lifestyle changes, and in conjunction with more invasive treatments.
When it comes to non-invasive devices for cellulite, Naskos says patience is needed: “You can’t just do a few treatments and expect it to go away because it may have taken 20 to 30 years to build up.”
