Cellulite: what is it and what can do you do about it?
This blog first appeared on the Cryostar website.
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“A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips” Hands up who has heard this phrase at least once in their life? Yeah, me too! Normally when I’m about to take a bite of a jam doughnut or other delicious treat, some comedian thinks that it’s a good moment to remind me.
But seriously, whilst in essence that saying is true – what we put into our body’s will affect how we look - the obsession of what a woman’s body should look like has come under far too much scrutiny and debate over the last 50+ years. With ever-growing outlets like social media, forums, and independent journalists - criticism and opinions on how women should look are getting out of control.
We love those celebrities such as Camila Cabello, who recently has been fighting back and embracing their stunning figures un-ashamed, not hiding them away under clothing.
Whilst we fully encourage following her example – years of being made to feel like we need to look a certain way and the insecurities each of us have to deal with, combined with knowing that as we age there are certain body parts or problem area, which no matter how well we look after our bodies, don’t look like they used it has taken its toll.
One such areas that continues to be seen as a negative aspect of the womanly form, is Cellulite. That niggling issue the majority of women experience to some degree.
So, what is Cellulite?
There is a long and complicated history as to why Cellulite came to be a mainstream term and something that is viewed negatively which had to be ‘cured’. We won’t go into detail about that here, but Refinery 29 has a great article on the history of Cellulite and how it came to be if you want to know more.
The long and short of it is that, today, Cellulite is widely understood as small bumps or dimples that appear mainly on women, in areas of that body that particularly hold more fat, such as the buttocks or the thighs. It can appear on other areas of the body such as arms, face and stomach also.
The reason these small bumps appear is due to the structure of the layers of skin and the fat cells contained beneath. In the dermis layer of the skin, connective tissues such as collagen and elastin are produced. When fat cells start to clump together, they can push through gaps in the connective tissue.
As you get older the structure of the dermis layer also starts to break down due to a reduction in the body’s production of elastin and collagen, which means more of the fat can push through these weaker bonds. The top layer of skin is also partially relying on strength collagen and elastin, so as the structure is weakened the top layer of skin is less taut.
Women suffer more so than men due to the fact the connective tissues in men are a diagonal structure (think a fish net) and in women they are more vertical, which is a weaker structure and has more give, allowing more fat to push through.
Can you get rid of Cellulite?
As explained above it is part of how the body stores fat under the skin, it’s a totally natural part of the make-up of our bodies and so it’s almost near impossible to 100% avoid.
ontrary to popular belief there are no magic treatments out there that will make your Cellulite completely disappear. Any company that tries to tell you otherwise is lying, especially if they are trying to sell you a cellulite cream. As Refinery 29 tells us “The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has successfully taken legal action against many of the makers of these products, on the basis of false or deceptive advertising, including L’Occitane, Wacoal, Rexall, QVC, Nivea — really, any entity which has ever attempted to sell a cellulite cure.”
That being said, there are things you can do to reduce the appearance of cellulite on the body, these 3 suggestions we all know are a must do on the daily:
Drink 2 litres of water - keep that lymphatic system moving
Eat as healthily as possible – 5 helpings of fruit and veg daily
Move your body – even just one quick walk around the block will help
By increasing these bonds the skin is strengthened and it's harder for the fat cells to push through. Combined with a healthy diet and exercise the appearance of cellulite can be dramatically reduced. The below diagram show how these bonds break down above the layer of fat cells, more so as you age.
The great thing about the CryoToning treatment, is that the results can be boosted further by incorporating other treatments such as a lymphatic drainage massage, offered at many salons and spas. Or by carrying out body brushing at home, something that can be done one or twice a week to boost blood flow and stimulate the lymphatic system.