Cellulite treatment - does it work?

Most women, many girls, and some men, have cellulite. It is caused by small deposits of fat pressing up against the skin giving a dimpled ‘orange peel’ appearance.

The most common areas affected are the thighs, bottom, and stomach, but it can appear on your calves, arms, and in other places on your body.

This article on cellulite reduction treatment is written by Jackie Griffiths, a freelance journalist who writes health, medical, biological, and pharmaceutical articles for national and international journals, newsletters and web sites.  

What is cellulite? 

Most women, many girls, and some men, have cellulite. It is caused by small deposits of fat pressing up against the skin giving a dimpled ‘orange peel’ appearance. The most common areas affected are the thighs, bottom, and stomach, but it can appear on your calves, arms, and in other places on your body.

What causes cellulite? 

There are several factors that all work together to determine how much cellulite a person has. These include genetics (inherited body traits from your parents), how much fat you have on your body, your age, and the thickness of your skin. Eating too much rich food, smoking, and drinking a lot of alcohol can make the appearance of cellulite worse.

Is there a cellulite treatment? 

There are a great many products available that claim to reduce cellulite. Most only have a very slight, short-term effect, and many only work in combination with several other approaches.

There are three main approaches to dealing with cellulite: the topical approach (applying creams and massages), secondly, injecting substances into the skin, and thirdly, the surgical approach (having operations in hospital).

Topical cellulite treatment 

There is a very wide range of creams on the market that claim to reduce cellulite or the appearance of cellulite, but be careful when paying a lot of money for these, as most have a very limited, short term effect. However, areas of your skin affected by cellulite are often dry and damaged. Creams that contain anti-inflammatories and antioxidants may help stimulate blood flow, and other creams may help hydrate the area as long as they applied, but this doesn’t change the fact that you have cellulite. Creams can’t penetrate down to the dermis of the skin where cellulite damage originates, so they aren’t able to affect the cellulite itself.

Injections and massage as cellulite treatment 

Dermal fillers – these are injected into the skin and are used to make the skin appear firmer, fuller, and rejuvenated. Although they can’t actually get rid of cellulite or change the fact that it is there, dermal fillers can temporarily mask cellulite, giving the appearance of smoother skin.

Mesotherapy – this is a solution of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and medicines injected directly under the skin in order to reduce the appearance of cellulite dimpling.

Endermology – massage administered by a hand-held machine helping to eliminate toxins and re-condition the skin.

Manual massage – stimulating blood vessels via external rubbing can increase the circulation of nutrients in that area, although it cannot remove or decrease cellulite.

Surgical cellulite treatment 

Unfortunately to date there is no known surgical technique that can get rid of cellulite.

Liposuction – although many people think that liposuction will help remove cellulite, it actually just removes excess fat, leaving the cellulite behind. Liposuction removes deposits of fat resistance to exercise and diet, but does not affect the dermal layer of the skin where cellulite is caused.

Lower body lift – although body lifts can give you a firmer, youthful look, it cannot remove cellulite from the body and the scars this invasive surgery leaves behind can be extensive.

The best method of cellulite reduction treatment is through strengthening the blood vessels in the affected area to increase blood flow, helping your body to build connective tissue and stimulate the production of collagen and elastin. Your body should also be attracting water to the cells, repairing cell membranes, reducing water wastage, preventing free radical damage, reducing inflammation and on top of all this, you should exfoliate! Sadly, reducing cellulite is a long, hard road, and is best done through a healthy, balanced diet and regular exercise. There is no direct quick fix.

Tips for reducing the appearance of cellulite 

If you want to reduce your cellulite it is recommended that you should first reduce the amount of fat on your body and begin a regular exercise routine. In the meantime, slightly darkening your skin with self-tanning solutions or sprays can help reduce the visibility of cellulite. 

Profile of the author

Jackie Griffiths writes journal and newsletter articles for companies and non-governmental organisations across the UK. As founder and senior writer at Freelance Copy, she writes top level content for websites and print across a broad range of sectors including health, medical, biological, governmental, and pharmaceutical.

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