Cellulite Prevention and Reduction
With so many products promising to dissolve those lumps, it's hard to tell a miracle cure from an impotent lotion.
(Nutricise) — If you've got cellulite, you know it. The first time you noticed it, you just might have thought it had planned a sneak attack on your backside, thighs or hips. Many people don't realize they've got new, unwanted dimples in their skin until they're trying on those new shorts for spring or drying off after a few laps in the pool. Since your once-smooth skin seems to have mutinied overnight, you might be wondering what you could've done to prevent it, or what you can do to get rid of it.
The good news is that cellulite is not only a common annoyance, it's quite a normal one for the thin and overweight alike. The bad news is it's 80 percent genetic, according to Robert Ersek, M.D., professor of post graduate education in aesthetic plastic surgery at the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and teaching professor at Southwest Texas University. Even more disappointing is that, while some treatments may reduce some of the dimpling of your skin, there's no foolproof cure. That said, here's a rundown on the most popular treatments.
Exercise
While a healthy pattern of eating and exercise are the best ways to take care of your body, even that can't prevent cellulite, according to Leo McCafferty, M.D., clinical professor of plastic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. And while vigorous exercise can help reduce your overall body fat, it's still not a guarantee you'll see that dimpling smooth itself out completely, McCafferty says.
Liposuction
Liposuction is usually an outpatient surgical procedure that essentially ****s fat out from beneath your skin. It will not help the appearance of cellulite, McCafferty says. Ersek, however, disagrees. He says liposuction, in some cases, can reduce some of the bulging caused by fat, though it can't make the skin perfectly smooth.
Endermology
Endermology is a treatment that uses a machine with a strong vacuum between two rollers. By applying the machine to areas with cellulite, the skin is strongly compressed and decompressed sequentially, according to Ersek. He says the premise behind this process is that, by stretching out the connective strings that hold the muscles to the skin, the fat will be allowed to lie more flat against the muscle.
Wearing tight clothes
McCafferty guesses that people who claim to have had luck diminishing the look of cellulite after wearing specially made tights or girdles might be experiencing a slight swelling that temporarily masks or evens out the look of the skin.
Creams, lotions and potions
The overriding consensus is that topical treatment for cellulite will not reduce the dimpling, though they may do a good job of conditioning the skin. 'If you think you're going to dissolve fat, you'd have to dissolve the skin first,' Ersek says.
Though it depends on whom you talk to, today there is no scientifically proven cure, according to McCafferty. 'People should be very cautious about spending a lot of money on something that to date doesn't have any scientific proof. If they're going to invest money in something, they ought to do their homework,' he says.
If you're concerned about your cellulite, start with your family doctor. From there you can find out more from a referred plastic surgeon. McCafferty recommends that you don't rely only on the advice of friends or the staff of a beauty salon or spa.
