In order to make the best possible decisions when it comes to targeting those pesky cellulite pockets that just don’t want to budge, it is quite important to understand what cellulite is NOT.
Cellulite is NOT, a build-up of toxins or impurities that sit beneath the surface of the skin, which has been a commonly accepted myth for many years.
Rather, cellulite is a lifestyle disease that manifests as dimpling (or “orange peel”) on the surface of the skin where most of us commonly store excess fat. The appearance of cellulite is due to a collection of contributing factors, it cannot just be pinned down to one single cause.
Cellulite occurs when underlying fat deposits begin to push through layers of collagen fibres, or connective tissue, under the skin, often in the buttocks and thigh areas, but also on the arms and stomach. Connective tissue can be weakened by hormones, lack of exercise and muscle tone, excess fat, and poor, sluggish circulation.
Cellulite affects women far more than men, because women tend to carry more fat around their hips and thighs, and we have less supportive connective tissue to keep it all in place. Our deposition of fat in the hypodermis (the layer when our fat is stored beneath the skin), differs vastly from that of men, and therefore we don’t see cellulite as much on men.
So, for any product, or treatment for cellulite to be effective, we need to ensure that, that treatment or product can deliver the following:
- Increased blood and lymphatic circulation
- Increased metabolism of the fat cells in the hypodermis
- Breaking and releasing of the fibrous bands that pull down on the skin revealing the dimpled, orange peel
- Balancing of the hormones
When one looks at the various factors you need to take into account, it should now seem fairly obvious why an over-the-counter lotion or cream is not going to yield significant results, as simply applying a cream is going to have absolutely no effect on your hormonal balance, or muscle tone or movement or breaking and releasing the fibrous bands causing the dimpling.
What some topical products DO achieve, however, is the improvement of circulation, by including active ingredients that speed up micro-circulation in the skin.
So the very best course of action to take, if you really want to make a difference to your cellulite is as follows:
- Do use a good topical product that increases circulation in the area.
- Do drink water, and do some moderate exercise a few times a week to increase blood and lymph circulation.
- Do go for treatments that increase circulation and help to break up those bands and will help strengthen the collagen fibres and connective tissue to reverse that orange peel and dimpling i.e. Velashape, Carboxy Therapy, Exilis, Accent and Titania.
- Lastly, it’s a great idea to go for a Health Renewal consult to have a look at your hormonal profile so that one of our integrative doctors can assist you in taking the right supplements to help balance your hormones as best possible.