Smooth talking

Cellulite is notoriously tough to treat, but a spate of devices has come to market in the past decade to provide options for those who want rid. Kezia Parkins asks the experts which technologies are best for long-term results

Cellulite affects the bums and thighs of between 80% and 90% of all women who have gone through puberty, while only around 10% of men have it. “Unfortunately, cellulite, unlike ‘regular’ fat, is not correlated with how much you eat and how much exercise you do,” explains Maria Naskos, national educator for Dibi Milano. “Cellulite can appear even if you are lean and is actually more connected to the endocrine system, a complex network of glands and organs which uses hormones to control and coordinate the body’s metabolism.”

While the condition is so common it’s considered “normal”, and does not cause any major physical health issues, it plays on the minds of many women because of the dippling and rippling it causes to the skin – a far cry from the ultra-smooth and toned ideal pushed upon us by society. “If you’re looking at a 300lb man walking down the beach, nothing jiggles, while a 200lb woman could be jiggling everywhere,” says Repêchage founder and chief executive Lydia Sarfati. “It’s really unfair.”

What is cellulite?

The term “cellulite” was first printed in an English-language periodical in France in 1968 – it was Vogue. “Mainstream media has ‘christened’ cellulite as being unattractive, which only adds to the stigma and self-consciousness associated with having it,” says Naskos.

“Cellulite, in its simplest term, is trapped fat,” she continues. “It develops because of increased fat, which stretches the connective tissue cords below the surface of the skin that surround the fat, entrapping them.” These tough cords pull down around the fat and create unevenness and dimpling. Although common and harmless, this action separates fat into different areas in the shape of honeycomb, which causes lumpy, dimpled flesh on the thighs, hips, buttocks and abdomen.

“Not only may its host find this undesirable, it also leaves the fat in a position where it cannot be used for energy and nutrient consumption as needed and instead gets stored as cellulite.”

Sarfati adds, “It also comes down to the fact that the adipose tissue in females has a different structure than that of men. In women, it is more spiral but in men it’s more in a diamond shape.”

When a man puts on weight, his fat cells will enlarge, but because of the crosshatched structure of the fat cell chambers, the fat is contained and will distribute evenly. Meanwhile, when a woman puts on weight, the enlarged fat cells, contained in more column-like chambers, push upwards, leading to the “orange peel” effect of cellulite.

How to treat cellulite

Cellulite is notoriously hard to banish [even surgical interventions like liposuction have proven to be ineffective at getting rid of it] meaning the market is overloaded with tinctures and tricks that promise to get rid of the uneven skin that the condition causes.

The fact that it can affect the fit and healthy shows that a good diet and exercise alone may not be too effective, although less body fat and more muscle tone can certainly help.

While eradicating cellulite completely is practically impossible, improving its appearance is not. There are a number of avenues to smoother skin that have shown much promise, and as Naskos says: “To treat it effectively, it needs to be understood from a scientific point of view and tackled from multiple angles for a comprehensive approach.”

Non-invasive aesthetic devices are an increasingly popular way to tackle the appearance of cellulite. “Aesthetic treatment technology has evolved so much that I believe liposuction will not be needed in future,” says renowned body doctor Dr Galyna Selezneva. “Non-surgical approaches have taken the world by storm and the results they can create are phenomenal.”

Mechanical massage

Mechanical lipo-massage or endomassage techniques, such as LPG’s Endermologie, use motorised rollers to grip and knead the skin and tissue for a deep massage that helps to stimulate the circulation and reduce the adipose tissue.

The activity targets the connective tissues of the body and face, including skin, muscle, blood and lymphatic circulation, working to reactivate dormant cellular activity below the skin’s surface and improve the appearance of cellulite and skin tone.

Compressive micro-vibration

When clients come in with concerns about their cellulite, Dr Selezneva’s first line of defence is often to stimulate the lymphatic system. “Often, when clients request cellulite treatments, what you may see is simple fluid retention,” she says.

When such cases occur, she advises that rather than devising a complicated cellulite treatment, therapists should focus on activation of lymphatic drainage. This can also be done to enhance the results of many other treatments such as fat freezing or injectables.

Dr Selezneva often uses Endospheres as standalone cellulite or drainage treatment, or in combination to enhance the results of other treatments such as fat freezing or injectables.

The technology uses a compressive micro-vibration system and a roller, which helps move stagnant lymphatic fluid around the body to improve circulation, break down fibrous septae, relieve inflammation and tone the muscles, all of which can work to improve the appearance of cellulite.

LED

Red LED light was first used by NASA to grow plants in outer space. NASA later identified another need that could be addressed with the use of LEDs: astronaut health. A major concern for astronauts is maintaining healthy growth of cells, including preventing bone and muscle loss and boosting the body’s ability to heal wounds – all adversely affected by prolonged anti-gravity.

As Sarfati explains, the technology went on to be used by US Navy Seals to speed up wound healing before it hit the aesthetics market. “Because cellulite skin doesn’t look taught, it is often associated with ageing,” she says. While young people suffer with cellulite too, ageing skin and loss of elasticity and collagen is certainly a factor.

“Red light lessens the appearance of wrinkles and builds collagen,” adds Sarfati. “So when Repêchage started to employ this, we saw a great improvement in the density of the skin, which means the LED was contributing to the building of the collagen matrix in the dermis.”

She adds, “If the client’s dermis is firm, tight and strong, you are not going to see the spiral fatty composition of the adipose tissue below, so we need to firm up the collagen and the dermal layer. That’s why LED with radiofrequency and EMS work so well, in conjunction with a cellulite product or a serum.”

Radiofrequency

Cellulite is stubborn and likes to hide and trap itself in areas of the body, making it tricky to treat and dislodge from those areas. “An increase in the metabolic activity of the fat cell will ultimately reduce cellulite structures, reducing oedema [swelling] and water retention by creating oxygenation and increased blood flow via lymphatic drainage within the fat cells,” says Naskos.

“This will promote lipolysis, which is ultimately the hydrolysis of triglycerides. By breaking down the triglycerides, we can improve the function of the adipocyte to use fat for energy rather than to store it as cellulite. Also, cellulite is best treated by reducing inflammation signals and by promoting collagen and elastin production to strengthen the skin’s elasticity.” To cover all these bases, APG Tech’s Shape Define device incorporates controlled heat from a technology such as radiofrequency combined with endomassage and lymphatic drainage.

“Radiofrequency releases heat, essentially melting the fat, smoothing the tissues and stimulating the formation and growth of new collagen and elastin,” says Naskos. “This results in a lifting and toning effect, which is obtained thanks to the contraction of collagen at different depths in the cutis.”

EMS

Bigger, toned muscles mean less laxity of the skin. Electrical muscle stimulation [EMS] involves a machine that transmits electrical impulses through electrodes to key muscle groups. The tech activates the muscles and generates faster blood flow to those targeted areas.

"To treat cellulite EFFECTIVELY, it needs to be understood from a SCIENTIFIC POINT OF VIEW and tackled from MULTIPLE ANGLES for a COMPREHENSIVE approach"

These devices that can be worn on various areas of the body can be used in conjunction with exercise. In recent years, EMS fitness studios have begun to pop up, offering high-intensity training with the addition of EMS to boost toning power and muscle growth, which in turn will help improve the appearance of cellulite.

Better in combination

As all of the technologies mentioned above are non-invasive, many can be used in combination with each other, lifestyle changes and in conjunction with more invasive treatments.

When it comes to non-invasive devices for cellulite, Naskos says that patience is needed: “You can’t just do a few treatments and expect it to disappear because it may have taken 20 to 30 years to accumulate.”