Cellulite fixes and treatments

OHMYGOSSIP — Cellulite: Most women have it on their thighs, bottoms, or bellies. It’s normal, but if yours bothers you, you can take steps to make it less noticeable.

Exercise Smart
Exercise is one of the best cellulite treatments. It doesn’t make it disappear, but having strong muscles under lumpy areas can make your skin look more even. Try a three-part plan: a healthy diet, brisk exercise, and muscle toning.

Eat More Raw Foods
Eat more fiber — in whole grains, fruit, and vegetables — instead of “empty”-calorie foods. The simple or “refined” carbs found in many breads, candy and soft drinks add calories. This leads to fat, especially in cellulite-prone areas.

Skinny or plump, you can have cellulite, but extra weight can make it more visible. If you’re overweight, shedding pounds may help. It’s best to lose weight slowly. Yo-yo dieting can make cellulite look worse. If you’ve lost a lot of weight, you may see cellulite in areas where your skin is loose. Ask your doctor about treatments.

Quit Smoking
Lighting up affects the blood supply to your skin, making it thinner and more likely to sag. This makes the cellulite on your arms, thighs, and bottom more visible. Talk to your doctor about the stop-smoking method that’s best for you.

Massage the Dimpled Zone
Take a few extra minutes every day to firmly massage trouble spots.Try it in the shower or when you smooth on lotion. Massage improves blood flow and gets rid of excess fluid, which may make dimples less noticeable for a while.

Take Products on a Test Run
Creams with plant extracts might make your skin look better for a while. For example, products with caffeine, can help quickly tighten the skin for a little while. But would something else work just as well? Run your own test. And before you slather yourself with a new product, try a small dab for a day so you know how your skin reacts to it.

Add Retinol Cream to Your Routine
When you’re scanning ads for “firming” creams, let the word “retinol” be your guide. It doesn’t “cure” cellulite — nothing does — but it can improve your skin’s look and texture. You need to use it for at least 6 months, and a product with 0.3% retinol is best. It thickens your skin’s outer layer to help cover the bumpy areas

Smooth on a “Bottle Tan”
If you have fair skin, a self-tanner may help. Dimpled areas are less noticeable on darker skin. Start with a gentle body scrub, then apply a self-tanning lotion to the cellulite areas only. Then spritz your entire body with a tanning spray. Pass on a real tan. It’ll damage your skin and make cellulite look worse.

Step Out in Support Stockings
Modern support hose don’t look like those thick, saggy things your granny wore. If you wear them often, your cellulite should look smoother. The catch is, that may take a year or two! Compression stockings help prevent cellulite from storing fluid. Your doctor or pharmacist can help you choose the right grade.

Indulge in a Body Wrap
You can get a body spa wrap to tighten and smooth your skin for a while. The effects last about a day, and costs vary. A body shaper or an Ace bandage wrapped around your cellulite zones might give you spa results for less cash.

Massage and Suction Team Up
“Lipomassage” uses a rolling suction device to gather your skin and massage it. The pricey treatment, approved by the FDA can take several treatments to get results. The benefits are likely to go away unless you have it done over and over.

Lasers and RF Bring the Heat
Lasers or radiofrequency (RF) heat your skin from the outside, massage and suction. They can give your bumps a smoother look — in some cases, for 6 months or more. They don’t hurt much, but can be expensive, and you may need several visits.

Cellulaze Shows Promise
This surgery zaps cellulite at the source. A laser is slipped under the skin to shrink fat cells, cut the tough bands that cause dimpling, and stimulate thicker skin. The FDA approved Cellulaze in 2012 based on a small study that lasted 3 months. The company says results may last a year or longer, but the long-term effects of Cellulaze are unknown. Make sure you go to a board-certified plastic surgeon for this procedure.

Cellulaze may not work well if you’re very heavy or have severe cellulite. Ask your doctor for guidance.

Source: WebMD