Beauty and Health Tips

Known also as orange peel syndrome, cottage cheese skin, or the mattress phenomenon, and hail damage - you know what I’m talking about! That dreaded cellulite! Whatever the name, cellulite is actually collections of fat that pushes against the connective tissue beneath a person’s skin, which causes the surface of the skin to dimple and look lumpy.

You can check to see if you have cellulite by pinching the skin around your upper thigh. If it looks a bit lumpy, you probably have it. And if you do have cellulite, you’re definitely not alone. It is estimated that cellulite affects 90% of all women. While not life threatening, it’s considered unattractive, to the point that wearing a bathing suit or shorts becomes a real nightmare for some women.

To a large extent, genetics dictate whether you have a predisposition for the condition. If you do, there is no amount of money or procedures that can prevent it from happening to you. Some of the treatments we presented may help in reducing the problem but they certainly won’t eliminate it totally if you carry the gene.

It’s a random physical condition in women of all ages and body sizes.It is a myth that you won’t get cellulite if you stay slim. Even if you have just 15% body fat, you can still have cellulite, even if you must squeeze the skin to see it. There are a number of reasons thin women can still get cellulite which include poor blood circulation, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, poor lymph system drainage and yo-yo dieting.

And as the bikini season is approaching quickly, the question on many women’s minds is… 

How Do I Get Rid of Cellulite?

All you need to do is begin a search for information about cellulite and you will find yourself bombarded with commercial messages.

The most popular are various creams, balms and gels. They are said to help smooth, detoxify, and hydrate the “affected area”. While the efficacy of these products is often disputed, some women claim they do see improvement. If you want to try them for yourself, keep in mind that some of these creams and other topical products contain ingredients that can be potentially harmful. Many people may have hidden allergies that only surface when the individual comes in contact with a “new” trigger, so read the labels and do skin test on a small area first to be on the safe side.

Many spas and salons offer a treatment called body wrapping. Body wraps are said to remove inches from the waist, thighs, hips or other parts of the body, as well as eliminate, or at the least reduce, cellulite. Whether that last claim is true or not, I can tell you that visiting a spa or salon for body wrapping treatment may be a wonderfully rejuvenating experience, leaving you rested and refreshed. Who doesn’t like to be pampered in a relaxing environment regardless if it helps to get rid of cellulite or not.

The most radical treatment for cellulite is liposuction. Liposuction is an invasive procedure that involves surgery with a tool with a v-shaped blade that is inserted through small excisions in the skin to cut the fibrous bands of tissue that form the structure where the cellulite is formed.  If you are considering liposuction, keep in mind that it is a surgery and there may be serious complications. The cosmetic effect after liposuction may be good and many women report being satisfied, however, it is possible that it will be less dramatic than what you were expecting and may not be permanent. In summary, I think it’s a costly and traumatic procedure that has left many women with fewer inches but often with more lumps and bumps than before.

There are other methods as well - electric muscle stimulation, hydrotherapy, body brushing and massage with use of caffeine or juniper oil - but the bottom line is this: No cream, oil, electronic device, or surgery can completely eliminate cellulite. Some methods may in fact slow down the accumulation and lessen appearance of cellulite temporarily, but none have been proven to completely eliminate it.

So, is there any hope?

We all wish there was a “magic genie bottle” to help us get rid of that unsightly orange-peel skin, bt there really is no substitute for good, old-fashioned, healthy nutrition and exercise.

The following are tried and true methods that DO work if you stick with them. They may not be easy for you, but as a bonus you will get a healthy and beautiful body.

1. Make these super simple tweaks to your daily nutrition… Incorporate fresh and natural foods into your diet. Especially FRESH RAW FRUITS and VEGETABLES: at least 70% of your diet should be raw fruits and veggies!
2. Avoid high fat foods, reduce your sodium (salt) intake, eliminate your intake of artificial (chemical) sweeteners and food additives, hydrate (drink water or like fluids) consistently, every day. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Even better, drink plenty of freshly made fruit and vegetable JUICES.
3. Eliminate or limit the consumption of caffeine and alcohol.
4. If you haven’t already, then quit or cut down on smoking!
5. Avoid medications not necessary to health and well being.
6. And of course, get plenty of exercise! No, really, you must stop sitting on your a$$ all day long, … It’s a known fact that sitting on your butt all day makes it bigger, fatter and wider - creating more area, a larger canvas shall we say, for nasty cellulite to ’show up’. And, I’m willing to bet the more sitting you are doing the less exercise you are doing. Am I right or am I right?

Keep in mind that you can exercise until you pass out - but that doesn’t mean you’ll get rid of your depressing cellulite. Yes, exercises for cellulite are an effective way of getting rid of cellulite - BUT it must be the right type of exercise program - if it is not, you’ll just be wasting your time.

Following a regimen of good health, nutrition and exercise will help your body rid itself of toxins and promote a general state of health that is optimum for pursuing any program for dealing with cellulite. We can reasonably assume that many processes in the body, including fat breakdown and detoxification, could be slowed down or otherwise interfered with by food sensitivities, food allergies, improper digestion and absorption, or a poor diet. (If you have acne, healthy diet may also help you improve any skin problems that you may have, such as acne, and if you do - then read acne home remedies and acne removal skin care).

In my opinion, the best thing you can do for stubborn pockets of fat is to eat a diet free of possible allergens, processed and refined foods, sugar and other problem food products. You might also try removing some of the more “recent” arrivals on the nutritional evolution scene like wheat and dairy just to see what happens.

By all means do your own research to determine if any of the treatments or methods I’ve mentioned here might help you.

I recommend is that you have realistic expectations and think twice or three times before investing any significant cash for so-called treatments or cures. You are now armed with the most important tool you need on your journey to conquering cellulite. That tool is knowledge! Use it wisely!

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