Before you find begin looking into treating cellulite, you first need to understand what cellulite is.

Cellulite is the fat pushed towards the connective tissues under your skin. It makes your skin look lumpy and dimpled. It usually occurs on your buttocks and thighs, but is some cases, on other parts of your body too.

In this guide, our endermologie® experts will answer some common questions people have about cellulite, while also analyzing types of cellulite and their treatment options.

Common Questions

Why Is Cellulite a Major Problem for Women?

Ever wondered why most women suffer from cellulite more than men do? It is because women’s fatty cells and connective tissues are arranged vertically, and the fat cells push through the connective tissues. On the other hand, men’s fatty cells and connective tissues are in a criss-cross pattern, so they don’t get cellulite that often. Approximately 90% of women suffer from cellulite all over the world.

Skin Structure

The connective tissues in the thighs give them a smooth appearance. You can expect cellulite to appear when bulges of fat are wrapped under the skin, and the fat cells intrude the connective tissue layer. A woman’s skin is thinner than a man’s.

The distinctive structure of a woman’s dermis is the main reason that makes her more prone to developing cellulite.

Fat Distribution

Naturally, a woman’s body is softer and rounder. Because of its softness, a woman’s body is more prone to getting fat quicker. The modern lifestyle is inactive. Additionally, fatty foods make women fat. The unused fat in the body continues to accumulate and eventually pushes through the connective tissues to cause cellulite.

How Does Cellulite Affect Teenagers?

Cellulite has always been a major concern for women. However, the modern inactive and sedentary lifestyles with technology confining the kids to the couch, we see cellulite becoming common in teenagers as well.

The modern diet includes a lot of sugar, fats, and empty calories. The inclusion of these elements in everyday food plays a very important role in obesity and cellulite in teenagers.

The intense change of hormones also has a role in kids getting cellulite.

You should teach your kids that adopting a healthy lifestyle is always a better option. It is always better to take precautions rather than taking medications. If your child is active and still has cellulite, you do not have to worry about him/her. It might be genetic.

How Are 10% of Women Safe from Cellulite?

Everybody has a unique body, and some women have good skin. These ladies may have a thicker skin. The collagen in their skin is distributed perfectly, so you can say that they have hit the genetic lottery.

It is also very probable that the perfect looking legs you see on social media have grade one cellulite, which is not very visible. However, when these women get to their old age, they may also suffer from cellulite.

Women with ample collagen production in their bodies can be safe from collagen even during their later years. They do not get cellulite even after menopause, and they stay dimple-free all their life.

At What Age Does Cellulite Start to Appear?

Many girls typically notice cellulite development following puberty. It affects up to 98 percent of females who are post-pubertal. Many younger girls may notice those tell-tale lumps and dimples on the skin surface, regardless of their weight or physical condition. Several factors play a role in which younger women develop cellulite.

In addition to genetics and gender, a young woman may develop cellulite for additional reasons, including diet and lifestyle. Despite claims, fad diets that can lead to quick weight loss can also lead to weight gain – important factors that may lead to cellulite development during teenage years.

The level of estrogen in the body plays a major role in the development of cellulite, because female bodies typically contain more fat than males. Another cause is that the connective bands between muscles and skin differ between males and females. Male bodies contain more and thicker connective tissue bands forming a more traverse pattern. On the other hand, female bodies feature a vertical pattern of connective tissues.

Is it Possible to be Genetically Predisposed to Cellulite?

Genes passed down through generations can predispose women in particular to cellulite production. While certain factors, including race, metabolism, gender, the overall distribution of fat in the body and even the circulatory system can play a role in cellulite development, heredity is widely believed to also play a part. While seen in women from all ethnic backgrounds, researchers have concluded that it’s more prevalent in white European ethnicities.

Cellulite is the result of fat storage in the adipocytes (fat cells) and of water retention in the body. As the adipocytes grow, the connective tissue that contains them (septa) pulls on the skin surface and deforms it. At the same time, circulation is blocked and toxins accumulate. That is when cellulite appears, creating the inevitable orange peel aspect.

The medical and scientific communities consider cellulite to be the most investigated non-diseases, due to the overall aversion to the appearance of the condition by most women, especially in severe cases.

Types of Cellulite

People call cellulite the ’orange peel skin’ or ‘cottage cheese skin’ because of the look of it. For most women, it is just bad looking skin, but in worst-case scenarios, cellulite starts causing pain in some women. Cellulite has three degrees:

First Degree: Soft Cellulite

It refers to the sagginess of the skin around arms, buttocks, thighs, and hips. The sagginess is because of the fat that has accumulated on these body parts. The soft cellulite is also known as flaccid cellulite.

The flaccid cellulite is mostly a result of an abnormal fat accumulation in the area. Soft cellulite is more visible when lying down rather than when you are standing. This type of cellulite is not painful when touched, and it feels gelatinous and surging.

The best solution to reduce the appearance of soft cellulite is to adopt a precise healthy diet and workout routine. A good lifestyle will be the first step to help reduce the appearance of your cellulite.

Second Degree: Hard Cellulite

The hard and compact cellulite is a more severe stage of cellulite. Even the toned and fit women might suffer from hard cellulite. The hard cellulite might be slightly painful when touched. You can identify hard cellulite by the deep depressions and blemishes on your thighs. It gives off a look of an ‘orange-peel.’

When your cellulite starts to ache or harden, you should consider treating it because it may become more painful. The sooner you start treating it, the better the things will be for you. For this type of cellulite, you need to go for proper treatment, which will be discussed later.

Third Degree: Edematous Cellulite

It is the most severe form of cellulite. The main reason for this type of cellulite may be poor circulation of blood. The edematous cellulite is very painful if you sit in one position for longer durations. This type of cellulite is usually apparent on thighs and knees, and also on the lower legs. It may alter the shape of the legs. It makes the legs swell, and it can be excruciatingly painful. The edematous cellulite is also very rare. It mostly occurs in women in their middle ages.

Treating edematous cellulite can be very tricky. Most doctors recommend that to treat this type of cellulite, they have to increase the blood flow and reduce fluid retention in the affected area. To treat the severe edematous cellulite, the patient could go for lymphatic drainage.

Treating Cellulite and Removal

Since treating cellulite has become a common cause for concern, people have attempted to create numerous solutions for it. Some are more effective than others, and some don’t work at all.

We’ll start by explaining the endermologie® process before breaking down other methods and what to avoid:

How endermologie® Techniques Work

For those that have never heard of endermologie® before, it’s a mechanical massage that first originated in France, which works to remove cellulite from the body. Unlike other cellulite removal procedures, this one is both non-invasive and non-surgical. Within the endermologie® mchine, there’s a vacuum which suctions, disables and ultimately lifts the soft tissue in the body. From there, the dual rollers in the machine start massaging the connective issues and fat pockets, so that the appearance of cellulite is improved.

Since the endermologie® will be constantly massaging your skin, this loosens up the cellulite that’s packed tightly underneath. This process also helps gets the circulation in your body flowing. Of course, this machine is FDA approved, so it’s safe for you to use. Typically, you will need to get about 14 to 28 initial treatments anywhere from 1 to 2 times a week to see results. However, after that, you will need to get treated on a monthly basis for maintenance. Each endermologie® treatment will generally take 30 minutes.

The first signs of results usually happen after 6 treatments on the body. Usually you will start to see an obvious reduction of cellulite as the treatments increase. A lot of patients are curious if endermologie® treatments are painful and they are quite the contrary. Actually, most people have stated that receiving endermologie® feels similar to getting an extremely deep massage, so it is very relaxing. Plus, if you go through the endermologie® treatments and find them to be too intense for your liking, you can always adjust the rolling action to meet your personal comfort level.

After getting an endermologie® treatment, you will likely feel full of energy and way more relaxed. There may be some temporary bruise marks that occur, since you are receiving a deep tissue massage, but overall nothing too noticeable.

What Are Cut and Fill Treatments? Are They Worth It?

While liposuction may be useful in remodeling contours, it does little to improve appearance when treating cellulite. Because using general liposuction techniques are useless or harmful as cellulite treatments, some in the medical and beauty communities are now trying to tackle cellulite dimple by dimple – often referred to as “cut and fill” treatments.

Cutting the Bands

The fibrous strands of connective tissue which create compartments for fat cells are partially responsible for the dimpled look of cellulite. One of the surgical methods used to reduce cellulite is to cut the bands that surround the fat cells.

During the procedure, called subcision cellulite surgery, a liposuction cannula inserted through a small incision is used to break the bands and remaining dimpling in the treated area is filled with tissue grafts harvested from the patient’s own body. Once cut, the bands cannot be repaired, so the results – which can be unpredictable – are permanent.

As a surgical procedure, all normal surgical risks apply. When performed improperly, it causes bleeding, bruising, pain and scarring that may result in firmness that lasts for months. Some may need a second surgery to achieve the desired results.

Filling the Dimples

During this procedure, either the patient’s own fat or a synthetic dermal filler is used to fill remaining cellulite indentations. Deeper cellulite dimples will not usually disappear without filler to keep that particular section of skin raised.

As with band cutting, there is no guarantee of a smooth, predictable result. Some injections will survive, while others may not, calling for another procedure. Additionally, there is a chance of lumpiness developing in the case of over-filling or a significant loss of weight. The results of this procedure is temporary and it is commonly recommended that laser treatments be performed as part of the treatment plan.

A series of surgical treatments may leave one area cellulite-free, treating just one area is akin to putting on a plastic bandage – it’s not a cure. On the other hand, taking cellulite treatments into one’s own hands costs far less and can be twice as rewarding.

Can Seaweed Help to Reduce the Appearance of Cellulite?

While various claims or reviews praise the value of taking seaweed baths as a way of treating cellulite, scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of this treatment does not exist.

One theory about seaweed’s usefulness in treating cellulite is that, when added to a bath, it supposedly absorbs fat from beneath the surface of the skin, thus reducing cellulite. Unfortunately, seaweed only absorbs whatever is on or immediately beneath the skin surface. It does not “hunt” out fat trapped in the connective tissues beneath the skin, which is cellulite. What seaweed usually absorbs first is sebum, the oils naturally found on the skin’s surface that help keep it supple and smooth.

A seaweed bath will stimulate blood flow and help the body shed excess fluids. This can temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite, but no matter how much you ingest or bathe in seaweed, the cellulite will remain. In fact, once the body cools down following a hot seaweed bath, the skin tends to return to its normal, pre-bath appearance – cellulite and all.

Other Options for Treating Cellulite

Some cosmetic treatments can reduce the appearance of cellulite successfully, but many lack official-backing and are even unhelpful in some cases.

Options to watch out for include:

Laser Treatment: It improves the look of cellulite on the skin. It uses a laser that is fired into the skin, breaking the connective tissues. It thickens your skin, which helps in reducing the appearance of cellulite.

Cellfina: The cellfina procedure is minimally invasive. It is a mechanical procedure that starts with numbing the targeted area. The surgeon inserts plastic blades into the skin near the cellulite. The blades are super tiny, and they vibrate rapidly. They open the bands under your skin that are causing the dimples. The procedure continues until the impression of cellulite minimizes.

The Carboxytherapy: In this procedure, carbon dioxide is injected under the skin. The drawback of the procedure is that it can cause bruises. However, it can help make cellulite less visible.

Subcision: The dermatologist will put a needle under the skin, which would break the connective tissues. The procedure will lead to results that may last for two years or more.

Acoustic Wave Therapy: This procedure involves a handheld device for treating cellulite with sound waves. The therapy includes several sessions, which can be a bit tiring for people who are looking for a quick solution.

Vacuum-assisted Precise Tissue Release: In this procedure, the dermatologist will cut the band using a device that has tiny blades. The dermis tissues under the connective bands move upwards and fill the gaps in the skin. The appearance of cellulite disappears almost entirely, and the results may last for three years.

Radiotherapy: Radiotherapy is a short-term therapy that includes heating the skin for cellulite removal.

Laser-assisted Liposuction: This procedure has not shown any effective results. In fact, It can worsen the appearance of cellulite in some cases. The procedure is done by removing small amounts of fat from the dermis of the skin.

Ultrasonic Liposuction: This procedure also includes destroying fat from the area, but just like the previous method, it does not provide any significant results for cellulite removal. The cryoliposis is also not recommended for the lack of positive results. The procedure involves mesotherapy and the freezing of the fat, which means mixing substances under the epidermis.

Lonithermie Cellulite Reduction Treatment: This method has not proven effective either. It includes covering all your affected areas with a special clay or mud and then wrapping it in plastic. It also involves the use of electric current. It is a purely cosmetic procedure.

Medications and Ointments: The medications for cellulite removal are merely to work on the fatty tissues, which may reduce the appearance of cellulite.

• Caffeine: Caffeine might help in reducing the appearance of cellulite because it helps in dehydrating your cells, which further helps reduce the impression of cellulite. You can find a variety of caffeine-infused medications online for cellulite removal. But do not forget to conduct a patch test before trying these medications.
• Retinol: Retinol is a well-known and effective way to get rid of your cellulite. The retinol thickens your skin, which helps in reducing the appearance of cellulite. To see effective results, you need to use retinol for six months continuously. But before you use retinol daily, conduct a patch test. It does not work for everyone. Some people experienced heart-racing after its use. There are many retinol treatments available online.

Some people propose to use medication that improves your cell metabolism and circulation. They might help you in minimizing the look of cellulite.

Alternate Solutions: You can make a ground coffee scrub and use it every time you shower. It may help reduce cellulite gradually. You can also buy some caffeinated products from online stores.

Some people wear a compressed garment to reduce the look of cellulite. The compressed garments help in compressing the arteries. As a result, they see an increase in blood and lymph flow. The constant compression from the garment leads to reducing the look of cellulite. The compression garments can be bought from online stores and your nearest shops.

Try endermologie®!

There are women in the world who like to show off their cellulite. At the same time, some women want their bodies to look like a Greek Goddess. Social media and the beauty industry plays a very important role in our lives. Those showing some unachievable body goals contribute to making the society more complicated.

As a result, you might push yourself to do things you don’t want to do naturally. You could end up opting for aggressive and invasive methods to remove cellulite when so many safe methods are available to achieve the same or better results, like endermologie®. It does not matter how much your situation worries you. You should still pick only a safe method to reduce the appearance of cellulite.

Ready to start treating cellulite and reduce its appearance with a non-invasive and effective process? Start using endermologie® treatments today!