Is there a cure for cellulite?
Cellulite – the dimply bane of our lives. One day the back of your thighs look firm and smooth, and suddenly those dimples creep up on you and make themselves a little too comfortable and homely on our bodies.
The bad news? There’s no easy cure for them.
The good news? All’s not lost, there are things you can do to improve its appearance.
What is cellulite?
There’s a network of connective-tissue strands, called septae, that hold the fat in place, under your skin. When the septae aren’t strong and tightly woven together, the fat tends to bulge out between them, which in turn creates ripples on the skin’s surface a.k.a. cellulite.
Unfortunately, women are more susceptible to cellulite than men are, due to the differences in the distribution of fat, muscle and connective tissue. If you want to really get rid of cellulite, you would have to get rid of the fat around your body and change the interior structure of the skin.
Is losing weight the solution?
Since cellulite is linked to fat, it would seem logical that losing weight through diet and exercise would help, it just might. But at the end of the day, it still depends on your skin’s elasticity. You may notice a reduction in cellulite if one has more resilient skin that bounces back after weight loss but if your skin isn’t quite so resilient, the opposite could occur where skin sags, making bumps appear even worse off.
Topical solutions
It’s quick and convenient to find over the counter products to improve the appearance of cellulite. You will commonly find those that contain caffeine, which has a temporary tightening effect and help to improve the appearance of these bumps, and those with a vitamin A derivative, which over time can thicken the outer layer of the skin and make lumps less visible. These ingredients are usually combined with other ingredients, such as gingko and vitamin C, both of which are known to improve circulation to help minimize bumps and tighten the skin.
Professional Treatments
For longer lasting solutions, you can opt for Onda Body Magic or Cellulite by Thermage.
Onda is a well-established fat busting treatment and is one of its kind that uses patented CoolwavesTM technology to melt and dissolve stubborn deposits of fat. It heats up skin to various depths, to target both fat reduction and skin tightening by targeting the connective septa between the adipose lobules in the more advanced stages of cellulite. Immediate shrinkage of the collagen fibres can be expected from this treatment too, whilst new collagen production is stimulated. The effect? A smoother and toner skin.
Alternatively (or even to complement Onda), Cellulite by Thermage uses radiofrequency to restore the elasticity of the fibrous septae while strengthening the overlying skin at the same time, to effectively improve the orange-peel appearance. Besides a weakening of the septae, age can also cause fibrous septae to harden which then makes it unable to maintain healthy fat, connective tissue and skin metabolism. This worsens the effect and appearance of cellulite. The advantage of using Thermage is that it uses volumetric heating to improve the health and metabolism of the treated tissues and promotes tissue repair. Healthier tissue means better skin!