Cellulite Treatment - The Cellulite Solution

Now that you read our home page and understand that the dimpling on the surface of the skin is merely a symptom of the underlying causes, you can see how banishing lumps and bumps requires deeper-acting treatments in addition to topical treatment.

Our topical treatment can help you achieve this:

Regenerate skin & strengthen its mechanical properties, improving tightness, firmness, suppleness & elasticity

Prevent cellulite formation by inhibiting fat storage

Take away excess fat deposits in hips, thighs & buttocks

While our topical cellulite cream can be very beneficial, it does not yield its full effects if used alone.

To really turn back the clock and reverse the damage, you must reach farther than just skin deep.

That is where internal remedies and technology make all of the difference. We recommend going beyond simple topical remedies and utilizing science and nature's entire arsenal to combat cellulite and stretch marks.

A diet rich in foods that provide the essential elements is needed to repair damage.

There are nine different avenues by which cellulite and stretch marks can be effectively repaired.

Here we highlight each of these methods and then describe which of various cellulite remedies are employing them. Some attack cellulite through more than one of these channels, some through none. Remember, these methods work in conjunction with each other. The more of them that you employ, the more success you will have in reducing, preventing, and even eliminating your cellulite.

Eight Ways of Treating Cellulite

1. Strengthen blood vessels/increase blood flow
2. Encourage the production of water holding molecules in the skin matrix
3. Stimulate the production of collagen and elastin
4. Attract water to the cells
5. Repair cell membranes
6. Prevent free-radical damage
7. Reduce inflammation
8. Promote skin turnover by enzyme or physical exfoliation

Any ingredient that does not accomplish one of the nine goals cannot help your cellulite in any real way.

A Guide to Treatments That Work

Let's take a look at the nine ways of actually preventing and repairing cellulite. It is important to remember that each method works better in conjunction with the others than as a stand-alone treatment.

Strengthen Blood Vessels/ Increase Blood Flow

The first stage of cellulite and stretch marks is invisible to the naked eye. It is the breakdown of blood vessels. Blood vessels are the paths by which all of the nutrients essential for strength and health reach the dermis and the surface skin. While the right nutrients are incredibly important, they do no good unless they can get through to the areas that need them. Without a steady conduit for antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, water, collagen and elastin builders, etc., the skin has no way to attain reinforcements. It eventually loses the battle to cellulite and stretch marks.

Utilizing ingredients that promote strong blood vessels is the first step toward smooth skin. Strong, active blood vessels can be attained through certain internal nutrients, ingredients in topical creams, as well as mechanically through methods such as skin brushing.

Encourage the Production of Connective Tissue

The second approach to cellulite treatment is to stimulate the production of skin matrix molecules (GAGs - Glyocsaminoglycans) and connective tissues (collagen, elastin, fibrilin).

Providing your body with an ample supply of the essential nutrients that create and restore this skin matrix gives you the ability to form firm, defensive connective tissue. Having a strong dermis is essential in preventing and repairing cellulite and stretch marks. Weakened or corrupted connective tissue in your skin, more specifically damaged dermis, allows the fat cells that form cellulite to float to the surface and become bumps and dimples.

There is another very important reason to have strong, healthy connective tissue. The primary water reservoir for your entire body, and especially your skin, is the dermis. Whenever an organ in your body needs hydration, it can extract it from your dermis, which houses extra water. A strong dermis, with ample GAGs, can help keep all of your cells, from your liver to your skin, supplied with their ideal component of water, thereby functioning at their optimal level.

Three internal ingredients are necessary to form GAGs in your body. The first and most important is glucosamine, which is the primary building block of GAGs. It is B vitamins and trace minerals that your body employs to metabolize glucosamine into GAGs. Make sure your body has an ample supply of these nutrients in order to fortify your dermis.

Stimulate the Production of Collagen and Elastin

The third method of reversing and repairing cellulite is to ensure that your body has plenty of collagen and elastin to fortify your connective tissue and keep it strong. As you know, when the dermis is strong and structurally sound, fat cells are unable to break through it and show through the surface. In order to promote the production of collagen and elastin, you need to provide your body with the raw materials for their production. The building blocks for collagen and elastin are amino acids, the structural components of protein.

Attract Water to the Cells

The fourth important component to effective cellulite treatment is making sure that all of your cells are fully hydrated. When cells do not have enough water, they are severely weakened and are unable to stand up to the pressure of fat that is fighting its way to the surface of your skin. If you rehydrate and revitalize your cells, they can become strong and firm enough to push the cellulite-forming fat cells back where they belong, below the visible layers of your skin.

Healthy, hydrated cells make up skin that feels smooth and looks beautiful. Dehydrated cells have lost their barrier ability and can no longer keep toxins out and nutrients in. This is not true just of skin cells. This applies to cells all over your body. Proper water infusion helps you look beautiful and dimple-free. It also helps you to become healthier and less susceptible to disease.

Repair Cell Membrane

If you give your body's cells the materials they need to reinforce their walls, all of your cells will have their optimal amount of water and will function at their peak level. Flush with healthy cells, the skin will be strong and youthful, and better able to keep water and absorb nutrients from other sources.

Prevent Free-Radical Damage

Free-radical damage from sources such as sun exposure, smoking, and a poor diet do immeasurable damage to your tissues. Damaged skin is far more susceptible to cellulite and stretch marks than skin that has been protected from this harm. The only way to prevent and repair free-radical damage is with the use of antioxidants, both topically and internally.

Reduce Inflammation

Your body responds to damage by rushing defensive nutrients to the affected area. It does this by dilating the blood vessels and releasing specific chemicals. You notice that after an injury or infection your skin becomes warm and red. In fact, the redness that you experience from sunburn is actually the result of inflammation.

While this is beneficial in the short term, prolonged inflammation actually causes the free-radical damage and cell wall deterioration that it is attempting to prevent. That is why it is important to use soothing ingredients, both topically and internally, to calm inflammation before it begins doing more harm than good. Fortunately, anti-inflammatories are widely available in a variety of products.

Promote Exfoliation

By the time we reach adulthood, our rate of cell turnover has drastically diminished, and we are left with a surface of dead skin cells that look dull and no longer provide an adequate barrier against the elements and water loss. The way to combat this is through exfoliation, the removal of surface dead cells.

This can be done either chemically, using mild agents that dissolve the dead cells, or mechanically, using textured soaps or sponges and brushes that can wipe away the surface cells.

When you remove cells from your skin's surface, a message is sent telling your body to create replacements. These will be strong young cells that not only look and feel healthy but also are better equipped to stand up to the onslaught of cellulite.

It is important to remember that when you exfoliate, you are not so much removing cells as replacing them with stronger ones. By reducing these dead, ineffectual cells, you also increase the efficacy of topical treatments applied to the area.

Anti-Dimple Treatments

Many popular treatments are purported to reduce cellulite and stretch marks. These range in invasiveness from gentle body wraps and massages to expensive surgical procedures.

What has not been measured is the impact that some of these therapies may have on your overall well-being and psyche, which is also of vital importance. For example, although lymphatic drainage may not be the definitive panacea for cottage cheese thighs, it may very well make you feel relaxed, invigorated, sleek, and sexy.

I am a big believer in doing anything that feels good, gives you pleasure, and does you no harm. Being dimple-free and miserable is not a good trade-off. I want you to be smooth and happy with yourself too.

Body Spa Treatments

These are basically facials for your body. They can be wonderfully beneficial on many levels. It begins with exfoliation of the problem area to help prepare it for a deep high-concentration infusion of firming, free-radical-fighting vitamin C. The procedure ends with a massage to relax your body while stimulating blood flow and metabolism.

Body Wraps

Body wraps basically work by inducing sweating. They have a temporary diuretic effect in that they cause water loss in the body. Unfortunately, fat cells and connective tissue are not affected by sweating. Wraps work on other levels too, however. The body is usually swathed for up to an hour in herb-and seaweed-soaked cloths to increase circulation and firm the body's contours. You can expect to be wrapped from chest to toe (arms are optional) while lying on a thermal blanket to keep you warm. A technician then unwraps you and, as a final step, massages your body to further enhance circulation, sending oxygen to blocked tissues. Body wraps are not recommended for anyone who is dehydrated, so be wary if you drink excessive amounts of alcohol or caffeine. Because body wraps increase internal temperature, they are also not recommended for anyone with high blood pressure, or for pregnant women.

Seaweed, clay, and herbal wraps are exfoliating and they can improve the skin's appearance and texture. Depending on the herbs used, herbal wraps can be stimulating or soothing. The other action of body wraps is the diuretic effect of inducing sweating and temporarily reducing wasted water. However, as soon as you drink a glass or two of fluid or eat a regular meal, the fluid returns.

Body wraps can provide some localized edema loss, good exfoliation, some pampering relaxation, and the possible introduction of minerals. In theory, trace minerals should be effective when applied topically, but we need more evidence to be certain.

Deep-Tissue Massage

Deep-tissue massage consists of slow strokes to create microtears in the superficial fascia. This makes tissue longer and smoother. The deep massage also loosens the connective tissue so that it moves more freely and no longer adheres to underlying structures. Deep massage followed by lymphatic drainage and appropriate stretching can also make the superficial fascia more flexible. The concurrent stimulation of the blood vessels can increase blood flow in the area, thereby increasing nutrition to the tissues.

Massage does not remove or decrease fat cells. It may improve the condition and appearance of the skin, reduce troublesome adhesions and scars, and increase the circulation of nutrients to tissues. When deep massage is too strong, it may also damage blood vessels, which defeats the benefits for cellulite reduction. Since areas with cellulite may already be sensitive, you can feel if too much pressure is applied. Deep massage provides relaxation and, if done properly, can stimulate the blood vessels and reduce stiffness.

A Sample Do-It-Yourself Massage

Begin by gently stroking with firm, moderate pressure, taking care not to press so hard that you break capillaries and bruise yourself. You can massage any time of the day, but it's best to wait at least two hours after eating. The most convenient time for most women is after a bath or shower-and preferably one that includes a brisk body rub with a loofah friction mitt. A bath is relaxing, and massage benefits you most when you are relaxed. Massaging areas of cellulite once or twice a day improves blood and lymph circulation and minimizes the appearance of the hard fatty lumps. Apply a moisturizing cream or oil to the area to be massaged, so that your hands can glide smoothly over the skin. Use your thumb and fingers to grip the skin and fatty layer beneath it. Then knead in small circular movements as though working with dough. Next, massage across the skin using the base of the palm of your hand, working in long, sweeping strokes toward the heart. Alternately, try a special handheld massager, which must be used with an oil or lotion to avoid excessive friction and broken capillaries.

Dermal Fillers

Fillers are an expensive and temporary method to improve the cosmetic appearance of dimpling. After a series of injections of human fat or another filling agent, the dimples may appear less obvious until the material eventually reabsorbs and the dimples return. This is a very costly and time-intensive procedure. To improve cellulite, any substance would have to be injected intradermally-into the skin and not below the skin-with a fine needle. For example, injectable hyaluronic acid gel may produce the effect of building GAGs. Injectable bovine (from cows) and human collagen may stimulate fibroblasts to strengthen the dermal layer. While these improve the appearance of uneven skin, the results wear off.

Electronic Anticellulite Devices

There are a few noninvasive, nonsurgical treatments for skin contour irregularities that are approved by the FDA for the "temporary reduction in the appearance of cellulite." One unit is a vacuum device that creates suction to temporarily immobilize and lift your fatty tissue, while dual rollers create deep, subdermal massage to the connective tissue. This stretches the connective tissue, increases blood and lymphatic flow, and exfoliates the skin.

These sessions take forty-five to ninety minutes and have been described as feeling like a rigorous massage. The typical treatment plans entail ten to twenty sessions, and once-a-month maintenance sessions, for an indefinite period of time. Once you stop having treatments, your skin texture and tone revert to their original state.

Treatments may leave you feeling invigorated, but long-term results have never been established either clinically or scientifically. These devices are also used as an adjunct to liposuction to smooth out potential imperfections that occur with large-volume fat reduction. They may cause bruising and damage to the dermis.

Iontophoresis

Iontophoresis devices are prescribed products that use electrical currents to feed mineral salts directly into your body. With the right nutrients, this method can potentially be used to treat cellulite. However, the only approved use for iontophoresis is for diagnosing cystic fibrosis.

Manual Lymphatic Drainage

The lymph system is the body's waste disposal system. It acts as a natural defense in the body by clearing away bacteria, cell debris, excess water, proteins, and wastes from the connective tissue and returning it to the bloodstream for ultimate removal by the kidneys. Many immune processes occur in the lymph nodes. If the pathways become congested, damaged, or severed, then fluids can build up in the connective tissue, leading to edema, swelling, and inflammation. If there are any abnormalities in the tissues (as the result, for example, of chronic inflammation, recent surgery, congestion), the lymphatic system transports the damaged cells, inflammatory substances, and wasted water away from the area. The quicker this happens, the faster the recovery. Manual lymphatic drainage, the technique of gentle lymph massage, enhances and stimulates the lymphatic system to remove wastes more rapidly from around the cells and in the tissues, sending it back into the lymphatic system for removal and ultimate cleansing.

Dr. Emil Vodder developed MLD in France in the 1930s. He came up with a massage technique to stimulate the pump of the lymphatic system with gentle stationary circles on lymph nodes. MLD affects the nervous system, smoothes muscles, and increases fluid movement in the connective tissue. It involves a slow, rhythmical touch applied by the therapist in the form of a light massage that can be very relaxing. It has a calming, stress-reducing effect that can also reduce pain.

For cellulite treatment, the therapist first assesses the condition of the skin: color, texture, temperature, moisture, and elasticity. The next step is to look at the contour of the hips and legs, and hunt for skin thickening, ridges, lumps, and visible scars that run across lymph vessels and may obstruct lymph drainage. He or she examines visible veins, looking for redness, swelling, heat, and pain. Lymphatic drainage is very useful before and after cosmetic surgery to decrease bruising, edema, and inflammation. The effects are only temporary, and it has not been shown to reduce dimpling in the long term, but it may provide relaxing benefits.

Mesotherapy

Mesotherapy is microinjections of conventional or homeopathic medication and/or vitamins into the middle of the dermis, in order to deliver healing or corrective treatment to a specific area of the body. Injections of various substances, from vitamins to drugs to anesthetics, are used for many ailments and conditions, including cellulite reduction. At present, there are no substantial clinical studies to prove that this technique is a cure for cellulite. Mesotherapy is administered directly to the desired area of the body. As many as one hundred to five hundred skin-deep injections are delivered into trouble spots such as the hips or thighs. For cellulite, the injections usually include tiny amounts of the diuretic aminophylline and the heart medication isoproterenol, which is said to melt fat, along with other homeopathic substances.

The problem with mesotherapy is that there is no standardization or specific formula. The ingredients change with each practitioner of the technique, and results may vary depending on what is injected and in what ratio. The number of treatments needed depends on several factors, such as the severity of the condition and the cause of the problem. Long-term, chronic cellulite and wrinkles may require at least fifteen sessions before you notice any result.

Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion is a popular alternative to chemical peeling that utilizes a blast of aluminum oxide or salt crystals to exfoliate skin superficially. Microdermabrasion uses tiny particles that pass through a vacuum tube to gently scrape away the aging skin and stimulate new cell growth. Because of the superficial nature of this technique, multiple treatments are usually required. The results are similar to a light peel. There has been a proliferation of handheld devices designed to be used at home as an alternative to salon or clinical microdermabrasion treatments. Although not as effective as professional treatments, these devices do exfoliate and can be used for the body as well as the face. As an adjunctive therapy, microdermabrasion may accelerate the use of certain topical treatments such as moisturizers, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatories.

Nonablative Lasers

By pointing these lasers at the affected area, the collagen and elastin bundles become heated and move closer to the surface. This has the effect of firming the skin's dermis and evening out some imperfections. These lasers may also increase the distance between the dermis and the fat that causes cellulite. The results of this treatment are temporary.

Peels

Peels utilize a strong concentration of a chemical exfoliating agent to resurface the skin. New cells made by the remaining dermis result in a newly healed surface, and voilà-healthier and more radiant skin is uncovered. Chemical peels are flexible and can be adapted to various levels depending on how deep a peel you want and how sensitive your skin is. Glycolic acid is commonly used and is generally safer than trichloracetic acid (TCA). TCA peels can penetrate deeper into the skin to destroy and remove the outer layers. They work by actually damaging your skin to the point that your body needs to build new collagen and elastin bundles. You might feel a burning or stinging sensation, and there will be moderate swelling of the treated areas for about a week and minimal scabbing. Further healing and toughening of the new skin take place for the next few weeks following a TCA peel. While this will work in thickening and firming the dermis, the effect is temporary, and there is a risk of scarring. This risk is minimized when glycolic acid is used instead of TCA.

Skin Brushing

Skin brushing is a simple technique that stimulates blood and lymph flow, removes dead skin cells, and encourages new cell growth. You need only a loofah or a body brush with natural rather than synthetic bristles and a long handle or strap so that you can reach your back and buttocks. To work your whole body, start at your feet and work your way up. Brushing the whole body in this way takes between three and five minutes, depending on how many strokes you give to each area. Pay particular attention to the cellulite-prone areas, using small circular movements. It is best done in the morning-the resulting acceleration of blood flow can be quite invigorating. The difference in your skin may be visible after just a few sessions-it becomes very soft and develops a rosy glow. Dry skin brushing must be done gently without harsh or rigorous rubbing that can damage the dermis. Overbrushing causes the skin to turn red and become irritated.
Treatments that stimulate the blood flow to the skin can have beneficial effects when combined with the other principles of internal and external skin care. Although there are no blood vessels in the epidermis, the dermis is rich with blood vessels, and the epidermis receives nutrients and oxygen supply from the dermis. The blood vessels in the dermis are continuations of larger vessels located deeper in the body that branch out into smaller vessels as they approach the surface of the skin. Brushing can help to stimulate these vessels.

Thalassotherapy

Thalassa is the Greek word for "sea." It is well-known that seawater is rich in minerals and nutrients, including iodine, copper, zinc, iron, strontium, and plankton. Thalassotherapy combines the application of seaweed and heated seawater to dilate the pores and blood vessels, making the skin more permeable and open to the absorption of sea minerals. This method has been used to treat arthritis and other medical conditions, as well as for slimming and cellulite reduction.

Cellulite Solution Smoothie

• 1st Cellulite Smoothie Ingredient: ½ cup pomegranate juice (unsweetened)
• 2nd Cellulite Smoothie Ingredient: ½ cup soy milk
• 3rd Cellulite Smoothie Ingredient: ½ cup blueberries (fresh or unsweetened frozen)
• 4th Cellulite Smoothie Ingredient: 1 tablespoon lecithin granules
• 5th Cellulite Smoothie Ingredient: 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 6th Cellulite Smoothie Ingredient: 2 tablespoons dried goji berries (if available)
• 7th Cellulite Smoothie Ingredient: 3 to 4 ice cubes or crushed ice (optional)
• 8th Cellulite Smoothie Ingredient: Splenda (sucralose) or Stevia extract (optional)