Cellulite is a common term used to describe overfilled fatpockets right under your skin. These are fat cells that havebecome enlarged causing these cells to take up more spacebetween the skin's connective tissues than normal. The fat thenexpands these spaces resulting in the overlying skin dimpling,often called the orange peel effect.
It appears in ninety percent of post-adolescent women and israrely seen in men. Common areas where cellulite is found, arethe thighs, buttocks, and the abdomen. Contrary to popularbelief, cellulite is not related to obesity, since it occurs inoverweight, normal, and thin women. Cellulite causes many imageproblems and many women avoid wearing short skirts or shortsbecause of it.
Some of the contributing factors for developing cellulite are:
Heredity. However, you can still do a lot to fight cellulite.
Not drinking enough water. Water helps flush toxins and wastefrom your body. Drink seven to eight glasses of water a day.
Diet. Poor eating habits (alcohol, caffeine, spicy or fattyfoods) contribute to the formation of cellulite because thetoxins they produce get trapped in the fatty tissue. Saturatedfats block the arteries and get trapped in the tissue as well,preventing sufficient waste and toxin elimination.
Smoking is not only bad for the skin and lungs, but it weakensthe skin by causing constriction of capillaries. It also damagesthe connective tissue and can increase the dimpling effect ofcellulite.
Tension and stress can cause a muscle to seize up in pain; theycan also cause the connective tissue that covers that muscle toseize up. Tension can also block the tissue, preventing properwaste elimination and purification.
Medication can disturb the body's natural processes, disturbingthe purification system that is naturally in place. Diet pills,sleeping pills and diuretics can all lead to cellulite; oralcontraceptives, which increase the body's oestrogen, cause fatcells to enlarge, leading to water retention. Retaining waterinhibits the body from flushing the system of toxins, leading tothe formation of cellulite.
Lack of exercise contributes to the formation of cellulite.Exercise decreases many health risks and also helps fightcellulite. It improves muscle tone, circulation and overallwell-being, helping to break blocked tissue and purify the body.
Cellulite Treatments
There are three main treatments for cellulite; namely,endermologie, cosmetic surgery, and topical creams or lotions.
Endermologie
The Endermologie machine, developed in France over a decade ago,has been found to have an effect in fighting cellulite. It usesrollers and gentle suctioning to deeply massage the affectedareas, increasing circulation. Toxins and abnormal water buildupare expelled as connective fibres are stretched. Endermologiealso exfoliates the skin, leaving it soft and silky. Theincreased circulation may give you a natural energy boost. Manysessions are normally needed. This can add up to several hundreddollars.
Cosmetic Surgery
Treatments like liposuction (surgery to remove fat) andmesotherapy (injection of drugs into cellulite) are eitherexpensive or may produce only temporary improvement. Manydoctors advise against liposuction to reduce cellulite becauseit is designed to remove deep fat instead of cellulite, which isclose to the skin. This is performed by a plastic surgeon andcan be expensive compared to other methods. Consult with yourdoctor if you want to explore this further.
Cellulite Creams or Lotions
This is the safest and most popular way to reduce the problem.Because cellulite is actually little pockets of fat under yourskin, your blood circulation does not easily reach these areas.Specially formulated creams can help.
Some of the ingredients used in these products include :
Algae extract - which can help break down fat and increase yourmetabolism.
Green tea extracts - will back up the algae extract and increasethe rate at which your fat is broken down to form smooth tissue.
Retinol A - a compound that is a derivative of Vitamin A andtargets your skin and connective tissues directly to conditionand strengthen. Retinol A has a rejuvenating effect on yourskin, and will decrease your cellulite while preventing it frombecoming worse over time. It can improve your skin's texture, soyour skin will become smoother and firmer and this helps yourcellulite vanish even faster.
Creams or lotions are the most economical of the threetreatments, however like the others, it may take a couple ofmonths to see measurable results.
About the author:Ken Black - Skin CareProduct Reviews
