More than half of women are struggling with cellulitis as is shown by the recent survey. Many of us loose good mood because of the “orange peel”. It makes us look more and more for new ways to get rid of it, especially now, in anticipation of the beach season. What tools can help us?
Before you sign up for the procedure in the beauty clinic or buy a batch of special creams, it would be useful to try to determine the stage of the cellulitis development on your own.
To do this, pinch the skin between your thumb and forefinger:
- Appearance of bumps talks about the initial (first) stage of cellulitis. In this case, the changes are visible only when you press on the skin.
- If you feel tight small nodules, see noticeable swelling and feel loss of sensitivity of the skin – then you have the second stage.
- Numerous small and medium-sized nodules are visible without pressing on the skin. Sometimes this area of skin looses sensitivity to pain, which indicates the third stage.
- There are numerous nodules of varying size. Skin is rough, there are hardened areas, while compression causes pain. These are signs of the fourth stage of cellulitis.
At home, you can successfully fight with the first and second stages of the “orange peel”, while in other cases surgical methods are used. Fortunately, such cases are rare. Most women have the first or second stage of cellulitis development and it is quite real to deal with it on your own!
So, if you are set to be transformed as soon as possible and start the summer fully prepared, try using some of these techniques.
Correct diet
Nutritionists do not give a clear answer to the question “Can a poor diet cause cellulitis?” However, reducing the amount of fatty fried foods, smoked, canned products and semi-finished products you eat, of course, gives marked improvement in skin condition.
Vegetables, fiber, lean meat and fish should make up you diet. By the way, you should not exclude potatoes from the menu: it contains substances that improve the density and elasticity of the connective tissues.
But all the experts unanimously say that you should drink as much as you can: 2 liters of water a day, juices and teas are mandatory. But you will have to forget about alcohol.
Anti-stress
It is known that stresses negatively affect the adrenal glands, which regulate water balance in the body. Experts note that water imbalance in the body is one of the causes of cellulitis. We can not, unfortunately, avoid stress. We can only mitigate its negative effects.
To do so:
- Openly express your emotions, negative and positive alike. If this is inappropriate, do some sports which help to relieve muscle tension.
- Learn to relax. Five minutes of relaxation a day could significantly ease the condition.
Anticellulite massage
It can be hardware or manual. If you have no time to go to the procedures, you can try to master the art of massage yourself. The most important thing is to do it regularly and be persistent.
To enhance the effect you can combine it with aromatherapy. Ayurveda recommends essential oils of lemon, geranium, cedar, cypress, fennel, juniper.
Add these oils to any vegetable oil (better if it is jojoba or grape seed oil) calculating 25 drops of essential oils mixture to 60-70 ml of vegetable oil.
The resulting mixture should be used daily as a massage oil. Do not use mineral oils as the base: they are derived from petroleum and clog pores! Essential oil of cedar opens the pores better than others.
Massage plus gel
Manufacturers of cosmetics claim to have found ways to save us from the “orange peel” using creams and gels. Best results are achieved with products containing forskolin lipokofein, ginkgo extract, menthol and essential oils.
These substances penetrate the skin and break down fat. However over time professionals and consumers have come to the conclusion that these products can not solve the problem on their own: it requires a comprehensive approach!
The use of massage improves the results, so some manufacturers offer cosmetic products with additional massage nozzles. For example, “Garnier” has proposed a series of gels, which are equipped with massage nozzles.
Wraps
This is one of the most comfortable ways to care for your skin: a pleasant procedure and a real relaxation. Wraps can be made both in the beauty clinic and at home, although they certainly will be different. In the beauty clinic you will likely be offered wraps in combination with the “deep heat”: hot wraps dilate blood vessels, stimulate blood circulation and stimulate the process of breaking down fat cells.
It is impossible to get the “deep heat” at home, but you might still get the desired effect if you use:
- Mud of the Dead Sea. It acts wonderfully to activate the metabolism and accelerates metabolism between your body cells.
- Alginates. Its components are derived from brown algae. They adjust the flow of oxygen to the skin, improve blood circulation.
- Chocolate. It contains large amounts of caffeine, which activates the metabolism and microcirculation in the cells. Chocolate wraps can be done at home. As an alternative you can use cocoa powder without sugar or flavors.
Cover 200 g of cocoa powder with hot water (about half a liter), stir and leave to cool to 35-40 degrees, then apply to the target areas of the skin. Wrap it up with the anti-cellulite (a conventional polyethylene will do) film and lay down for 15-20 minutes, enjoying the warmth and aroma of chocolate. Then wash everything off with warm water.
Remember, that:
- It is most effective to make wraps every other day for 2 weeks.
- Before getting hot wraps at the beauty clinic, you should consult with a physician: they are contraindicated in hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, tumors and other diseases. Do not put yourself at risk!
Contrasting shower
Experts call the contrasting shower a good exercise for the blood vessels and muscles. This is perhaps the cheapest and most enjoyable way to prevent and treat cellulitis. Efficiency of this method is explained by the fact that the jet of water exerts an osmotic pressure on the body which together with the water temperature changes has a beneficial effect on the skin, improving microcirculation and activating the metabolism.
Besides that, the shower perfectly relieves nervous tension and improves mood! To enhance the effect you should apply an anti-cellulite cream after a shower.
If home treatments seem too much trouble to you or you prefer to entrust your body to professionals in beauty salons you are likely to be offered procedures described below.
Mesotherapy and ozone therapy
Mesotherapy is the injection of therapeutic cocktails in the desired area to a depth of 3-4 mm. Cocktail is absorbed into the skin and affects the fat metabolism: it breaks down cellulitis capsules and improves skin condition.
Ozone therapy means injection of the oxygen-ozone mixture under your skin , which improves microcirculation and activates “burning” of fat.
Myostimulation and phonophoresis
The first method is often called a gymnastics for the lazy people: a traction of deep muscles is stimulated by the use of electrodes placed on certain of active motor points.
Phonophoresis, in turn, produces a deep massage by the micro ultrasound and destroys the fibrous skeleton surrounding cellulitis cells. It is recommended to do both procedures in combination with other methods.
Unfortunately, even if you have gotten rid of the “orange peel” once it does not protect you from its reappearance. So whatever is the outcome of your fight against cellulitis remember the preventive measures, which include:
- physical activity;
- regular massage;
- control over the amount of fluid you drink.