Before we get into the best methods of treating cellulite, be honest with us here:
Is cellulite making you feel unattractive?
Seriously.
Do you look at your body and feel your self-esteem plummeting because you don’t like what you see? Do you look at your hips or thighs and just wish you had smooth skin or think, “I can be better than this?”
We’re going to help you.
There’s something to be said about body image and accepting yourself for who you are. We’re in full support of people feeling confident about their bodies and being proud of what they see.
But of course we’re about helping people improve.
We make these guides and How-To’s for the people who aren’t satisfied with the way they look. For people who want to look better and aren’t willing to settle for less than their full potential.
If you’re reading our site we assume you’re one of these people who are dissatisfied with something. Whether it be cellulite, something about your body or anything else bothering you with your physical appearance.
The thing is, as long as it’s something you can change, it’s worth putting in the effort — in OUR opinion.
Ask yourself “Am I at my best? Can I improve?” If you have cellulite that you’re just dying to rid off your skin then the answer is yes. You CAN improve and you WILL look better for it.
Our goal, as always, has been to help people look the best they can be.
And we’re going to do just that.
What Exactly Is Cellulite Anyways?
Cellulite is a combination of things — mostly fat cells, but also fluid and other waste products trapped in pockets of connective tissue underneath your skin. When these pockets of tissue (mostly made of collagen — more on this later) break down, lumps of fat break through and become visible through the top layer of your skin as your tissue fibers lose elasticity.
Cellulite looks like a lumpy, dimpled sea of skin that is an absolute PAIN to remove. Not in the “Ouch that hurts!” type of pain but the “why don’t you just go away and leave me alone” type.
Luckily there are a TON of treatments out there which we’ll discuss below. And no you won’t have to get any surgical work done. There are plenty of other less expensive options available.
What Causes Cellulite?
This could be for a number of reasons. Cellulite doesn’t have one cause or thing you can point your finger at and blame,. That said, there are some things you should look out for that either trigger the formation of cellulite or increase your chances of developing it.
Diet
Are you eating an unhealthy diet? Eating junk food that fattens you up instead of healthy greens that keep you slim and other foods that are good for your skin is hurting your appearance and contributing to cellulite.
Even though cellulite is also common in slimmer women, losing a few pounds if you’re overweight will help burn off some of that fat stored underneath your skin and diminish it’s appearance. You should also keep your sodium intake low because salt helps retain excess fluids within your body which keeps it “plump”.
Genetics
Your genes are a huge predictor of whether you have or will have cellulite. Are you a women? You most definitely are because cellulite is practically non existent in males.
But don’t feel too bad about this. Upwards of 80% maybe even as high as 90% of all women have cellulite and that percentage increases for older women.
This is because the structure of connective tissue in women is different than in men and is much more likely to break down. Thank our genes for that one.
Other factors like a slower metabolism, your natural body type, and thyroid issues can also be responsible for your cellulite. Again, not much you can do about these so don’t feel bad about them.
Hormones
Hormones have a genetic component but we listed them separately because you can control them to an extant. It’s believed that estrogen is at least partly responsible for cellulite being so common in women.
Estrogen promotes the buildup of fat around your thighs and butt which surprise… are the most common areas for cellulite. Other hormones released during pregnancy and menopause also contribute to the buildup of fat and loosen the skin’s elasticity.
Lifestyle
Smoking, alcohol, living a sedentary lifestyle, sitting at a desk for hours on end — all of these things can worsen the appearance of existing cellulite.
Remember our golden rule: Health = Attractiveness. What is healthy for you will make you look better and what is not will make you look worse!
The Best Cellulite Treatments
Weight Loss & Exercise
Consistent exercise is the absolute BEST way of targeting cellulite because it’ll help you burn off the fat poking through your skin, improve your metabolism which will help keep you slim, and improve circulation within your body.
Why is circulation important? Cellulite commonly forms in areas that don’t receive much blood flow. Too much sitting around and not enough exercise will only make this worse and speed up the process.
You don’t need to become an athlete just do anything to get your blood moving. Whether you like running, resistance training, playing sports, cycling, yoga, just get up and move!
Intense physical activity 3-4 times per week and toning up by adding a little muscle to the areas with cellulite will add some firmness to your body and you’ll lose that cottage cheese look. Try exercises targeting the lower half of your body like squats, planks, lunges and their variations since you’re most likely to get cellulite in those areas.
But to see even better results, combine a quality workout routine with proper nutrition and you’ll be well on your way to getting your dream body and skin.
Don’t worry, getting your diet in check is simpler than you think. Its been unnecessarily complicated by companies promoting every new weight loss fad and supplement that comes around. The end result is nothing but pointless confusion for people.
We have a much larger post on eating healthy but here’s what you need to know for now:
Stop eating sugary foods of ANY kind except for fruits in limited amounts. Limit the amount of carbs you eat and AVOID grains of any kind. Eat vegetables, fish, and nuts along with the other foods we listed in our skin nutrition guide.
You can also occasionally eat red meat (grass fed preferably). This will help you lose weight fast and its completely safe. Crash diets that limit your calories to dangerous levels will NOT help and will do more harm than good when you shoot back up in weight. It’s really as simple as that.
Collagen
Have you seen our special report on collagen yet? If not check it out because collagen is absolutely ESSENTIAL for firm and elastic skin. Remember how we mentioned earlier that when your collagen fibers break down and fat pushes it’s way through you get cellulite? Guess what happens if you increase the amount of collagen in your skin? That’s right it helps it go away!
Collagen Complete: Advanced Collagen Formula by PhiNaturals
Dry Skin Brushing
Can you brush your cellulite away? You sure can! Dry skin brushing is on the menu at nearly every spa and salon and if you’ve ever wondered how it works it’s basically like this:
Brushing your skin with one of these scrubs stimulates blood flow to the area by improving circulation. As we mentioned before this is important because cellulite likes forming in areas that don’t get much blood flow in the first place.
The optimal time to use the brush is right before a shower or bath but you can do it at any time of the day and still see results. Getting some water on the area you brushed just feels more relaxing and helps wash away dead skin cells because these brushes also exfoliate your skin.
Coffee Scrub Dry Brushing
We’re also going to let you in on a little known secret:
Combine dry skin brushing with a coffee scrub and then you’ll really begin to see results quickly. This is a sneaky good method because coffee, as you already known, contains caffeine but did you know caffeine is a great fat burner?
Applying ground coffee to the affected area after you finish dry brushing will not only stimulate blood flow to the area but also use the caffeine to burn off the fat underneath and give your skin much needed antioxidants. A Win-Win situation! And even though this is only a short-term solution (there’s no hard evidence that this will eliminate cellulite in the long run) we’ll take the temporary boost in attractiveness if we can get it.
Natural Boar Bristle Dry Brush Set by SpaVerde
Self-Tanners
Bronzing your skin will help disguise cellulite which is great when you need something fast or you’re headed to the beach and don’t have time to wait.
You already know by know that we strongly discourage tanning beds and too much UV exposure in a misguided effort to get your skin darker and as a result, to look better. That said, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other solutions.
Using a quality spray on or self tanner will get you that bronze sun soaked look without any of the negatives. Pick something a shade or two darker than your natural skin color so you don’t get the comical oompa loompa effect going.
Liposuction
You may have heard liposuction or other surgical treatments can help treat cellulite (and they can in some cases) but we don’t recommend them as serious treatment options (and neither do other experts).
Liposuction can actually leave the areas with cellulite looking worse than before. This is because the procedure also takes out the underlying cushion of fat underneath making your skin more uneven and creating even more dimples than before.
And really, you shouldn’t even have to try something like liposuction with all of the better options above.
Quick Recap
- A healthy diet and a solid exercise routine create the base to getting your dream body (and skin!)
- Supplement with collagen to improve your skin’s elasticity and improve the appearance of dimples
- Combine dry skin brushing with a coffee scrub to get tremendous results quicker than you think
- Use a self-tanner to help conceal any cellulite.
Make cellulite a thing of the past so next time you show off your body, relaxing at the beach, you’re confident knowing you really do look the best you can possibly be.
Comments? Questions? Let us know @maxmylooks on Pinterest or Twitter!
