How to minimize the appearance of cellulite
Cellulite is a very common skin condition that affects many. It is most prevalent in women and regularly stops some from wearing revealing swimwear, miniskirts, and short shorts. In fact, it seems there’s hardly a woman out there who hasn’t struggled to get smooth legs and thighs. Over 90% of women experience cellulite.
Cellulite risk factors
Your chances of getting cellulite comes down to a variety of factors.
Your sex
Cellulite affects women more than it does men.
Your genetics
If other women in your family have cellulite, there’s a good chance you will too.
Your skin tone
Cellulite tends to be more noticeable on women with lighter skin.
Your eating, drinking, and fitness habits
This includes poor diet, fad dieting, lack of exercise, and dehydration.
Your body’s state
This includes hormonal changes, your total body fat, and your skin’s thickness.
14 ways to fight cellulite
The enemy is strong, but he isn’t invincible. Here’s how to beat him.
1. Eat a healthy diet
A healthy diet plays an important role in preventing cellulite. Eat plenty of fiber and whole-grain foods, such as bran and oat cereals; they help to remove waste and toxins from the intestinal tract. You should also drink plenty of water. If you increase your daily intake of water, your body will begin to shed its excess fat — including fat stored as cellulite. The water will also help strengthen the collagen in your skin and help to reduce any lumpiness.
2. Exercise regularly
Cellulite is fat, and excess weight can contribute to it. That’s why it’s important to engage in physical exercise like walking, jogging, and swimming several times a week. Keep in mind that cardio alone doesn’t decrease cellulite. Strength training is highly recommended as a complement to any exercise regimen. Two to three times a week, work muscles in the areas where dimpling occurs. This means doing lunges in all directions as well as butt-and-thigh-toning squats.
3. Massage problem areas
Take a few minutes every day to firmly massage trouble spots. Try it in the shower or when you apply lotion. Massage improves blood flow and gets rid of excess fluid, which may make dimples less noticeable for a while.
4. Quit smoking
Lighting up affects the blood supply to your skin, making it thinner and more likely to sag. This makes the cellulite on your arms, thighs, and bottom more visible. Talk to your doctor about the smoking cessation method that’s best for you.
5. Exfoliate
Like massage, exfoliation can reduce the appearance of cellulite by improving circulation, which can help loosen up excess fluid. Body scrubs also exfoliate skin, making it appear healthier and more radiant. You can make your own body scrub by combining peppermint essential oil, coconut oil, and brown sugar.
6. Try an anti-cellulite cream
Creams with plant extracts can make your skin look better. Products with caffeine can quickly tighten the skin. A lot of anticellulite creams work by temporarily narrowing blood vessels, forcing excess fluid from the skin. Look for a cream containing retinol; it can improve your skin’s look and texture. You need to use it for at least six months. A product with 0.3% retinol is best; it will thicken your skin’s outer layer to help cover the bumpy areas.
7. Use a self-tanner
If you have fair skin, a self-tanner may help. Dimpled areas are less noticeable on darker skin. Start with a gentle body scrub, then apply a self-tanning lotion to the areas afflicted with cellulite. Then spritz your entire body with a tanning spray. Don’t be tempted to get a real tan, though; it’ll damage your skin and make cellulite look worse.
8. Wear compression tights
Wearing support stockings can make your cellulite look smoother if you wear them often. But it may take a year or two to see results. Compression tights help prevent cellulite from storing fluid. You can also wear slimming workout gear that hides the appearance of cellulite. Most slimming workout clothes provide an instant slimming effect, and some of them are even infused with retinol, vitamin E, and caffeine that help to tighten and hydrate skin, leaving your legs looking less lumpy after you take them off.
9. Indulge in a body wrap
You can get a body wrap to tighten and smooth your skin for a short period. The effects last about a day and costs vary. Body wraps reduce the appearance of cellulite by improving circulation and drawing out excess body fluids. The results are loss of inches and smoother-looking skin. A body shaper or an Ace bandage wrapped around your cellulite zones might give you spa results for less money.
10. Lipomassage
Sounds strange, but lipomassage uses a rolling suction device to gather your skin and massage it. This causes fat cells to break up beneath the surface of the skin and dissolve. Research has suggested that lipomassage can trigger the release of fat and stimulate production of collagen and elastin, helping to create smoother, tighter, and healthier skin. Several treatments are required, and the benefits are likely to go away unless you have it done repeatedly.
11. Avoid alcohol
Alcohol consumption can make your body look bloated and puffy. What’s more, alcohol is stored as fat in your cells. Alcohol also increases your appetite, tires the liver, reduces energy levels and causes water retention and poor circulation. When combined with sugars, as in beer and cocktails, these effects are magnified.
12. Limit your sugar and salt intake
You should avoid consuming too much sugar, which gets stored in fat cells and causes them to expand. And limit salt intake too, since sodium causes fluid retention, making cellulite appear even worse. Consume no more than six teaspoons of sugar each day, and stay away from foods containing more than 200 mg of sodium.
13. Get checked for hormonal imbalances
Although many women don’t realize it, there is a connection between cellulite and hormones. Some experts believe that estrogen tends to aggravate and worsen cellulite since it encourages the body to build up and store fat, especially in the stomach, thighs, hips and butt. Cellulite can also get worse during pregnancy because of acute weight gain and fluid retention. And during and after menopause, many women see more cellulite. This is because the quality and texture of skin changes and it becomes thin, making cellulite more apparent. If you think you might have a hormonal imbalance, you should contact your doctor for testing and a treatment plan.
14. Look into a high-tech treatment
VelaShape consists of radiofrequency, infrared light, vacuum suction, and mechanical massage. The infrared light and radiofrequency energies heat with precision dermal and hypodermal tissue in the treatment area. This boosts the metabolism of fat cells and reduces their number. In this way it reduces cellulite.
Smooth beginnings
Though it sounds like a medical condition, cellulite is nothing more than normal fat beneath the skin. It appears bumpy because it pushes against connective tissue, and this causes the skin above it to pucker. Contrary to popular belief, having cellulite doesn’t mean you’re overweight. Even thin people can have it.
But you don’t have to live with it. New technology and time-honored habit changes can have you looking smooth from the waist down in no time.
References
- “9 Proven Ways to Get Rid of Cellulite,” Redbook, January 4, 2017.
- “9 Ways You Can Actually Get Rid of Cellulite,” Cosmopolitan, June 9, 2016.
- “All Puckered Out: What Really Works (and Doesn’t) to Get Rid of Cellulite,” Fitness, September 19, 2014.
- “How to Diminish Cellulite While Giving Your Self-Confidence a Boost,” POPSUGAR, December 24, 2016.
