Stop spending your hard earned dollars on miracle creams and treatments. Here’s why they don’t work. . .
By Peter G. Roy, DC, CFT
March 10, 2015
Also known as orange peel syndrome, cellulite primarily affects women in their late teens and older. Theories abound as to why this occurs, and there are most likely numerous factors that can lead to this bane of bikini-clad beachcombers everywhere. But the truth is, there are two conditions which combine to form the most commonly accepted cause. . .aging combined with excess body fat.
Cellulite is more likely to occur in women who are overweight and out-of-shape. In younger women, the condition is not as apparent because of the strength and pliability of the connective tissue fibers that support and partition the fat cells. As age weakens these fibers, thins the skin and the fat cells grow, the honeycomb pattern of these fat deposits begin to show through and create that unwelcome “dimpled” appearance.
Other factors thought to contribute to cellulite are:
Hormone imbalance – estrogen, insulin, thyroid hormones, noradrenalin and prolactin are all possible contributors to the formation of cellulite.
Genetics – genes associated with gender, race, metabolic rate, fat deposition and circulatory characteristics may all affect cellulite development.
Diet – poor dietary habits increase the likelihood of cellulite.
Lifestyle – people who smoke and/or don’t exercise regularly have a higher incidence.
Though there is little in the way of any definitive evidence regarding cause, there is no scarcity of treatments and cures that, despite a lack of evidence supporting their promises, sell like hotcakes, all the same. In other words, there are a lot of people out there getting ripped off. Here’s a nickel tour of ways to waste your money on fighting cellulite:
Fat dissolving topical creams
Pneumatic massages
Radiofrequency therapy
Electrical stimulation
And pharmacological agents:
Methylxanthines
Pentoxifyline
Beta-agonists & Adrenaline
Alpha-antagonists
And then there is liposuction. A particularly blunt and medieval form of treatment, in my view, and not proven to have any better long-term value that any other approach. It’s too bad that so many people will brave the many side effects and risk factors that of these “cures” when an effective treatment for most cases of cellulite already exists.
Prevention
Sorry folks, it’s not a pill, cream, or procedure – nothing as easy as that. The best and only reliable way to treat cellulite is to avoid it in the first place. You do that with exercise and good nutrition. A diet of fresh, whole foods cooked at home that is low in refined carbohydrates and grains and high in healthy fats and protein combined with 3-5 hours per week of vigorous exercise will minimize or prevent the deposition of excess body fat in all those problems areas. The increased strength and tone of thigh and gluteal muscles will also add more support to the skin above it and improve the appearance by smoothing out those bumps.
It’s Never Too Late
Even if you are significantly overweight and have a lot of cellulite on your bum and thighs, following the above lifestyle suggestions will make a big difference – over time. Make sure your exercise regimen includes the type of high-intensity interval resistance training (HIIRT) that we use at Nyack Boot Camp. It targets the whole body and will encourage your body to eventually begin pulling fat from those cells in your thighs and posterior. Build muscle to restore the structure and ramp up your metabolism to melt the fat away. As those the fat cells shrink, the skin will look smoother.
Remember, there is no exercise that can target fat-loss in any specific area of the body. And age is a factor, so the older you get the more likely you are to develop some cellulite. Your best bet is to avoid smoking, eat healthy and give your body the kind of exercise that burns fat and creates long, lean shapely muscle.