Cellulite is caused by the fat tissue near the surface of the skin expanding. It causes a rippling effect over the skin and can easily ruin your bathing suit look. The issue is typically restricted to women, because women’s muscles connect to the surface of the skin using fat tissue in a slightly different way than men’s. That said, both sexes can be affected by cellulite.
Getting rid of cellulite with non-surgical procedures involves changing the body not just around the areas that have cellulite, but from the inside out. Each person’s body distributes extra fat in different ways. Some people get belly fat, while others get cellulite.
You can’t change the way your body distributes fat. You also can’t target a specific area of your body to lose fat in. The only natural way to get rid of cellulite is to reduce fat and fat retention in your body overall, which will result in a decrease and recession of cellulite.
The Low Hanging Fruit: Sodium
Sodium, most commonly (but not exclusively) used in table salt, is a major contributor is cellulite. Cutting down on the amount of sodium you take in could be all it takes to get rid of a mild case of cellulite.
The amount of sodium you take into your body plays a large role in the regulation of how much water your body retains. If your body needs to retain more water, it does so in the lipid or fat cells. In other words, the more sodium you take in, the “bigger” your fat cells will be.
Since cellulite is caused by the bulging of fat cells, this is something you want to avoid. If you’re taking in a lot of sodium, that alone could be the sole cause of excess fat.
Cut sodium out of your diet by cooking at home more often. Almost every meal you eat out will have exorbitant amounts of sodium. Cook your own meals and bring your own lunch to work if possible.
Using Exercise to Get Rid of Cellulite
Exercise is the fast track to getting rid of cellulite. Instead of just waiting for the fat to fall off through dietary changes, exercise allows you to actively burn off the excess fat.
The key to using exercise to get rid of cellulite is to do it throughout the entire body. You cannot target specific areas of the body to lose fat in. If you want to burn fat in one specific area, you have to burn fat throughout the entire body.
The best way to do this is through consistent cardiovascular exercise. Doctors recommend 30 minutes to cardio activity, four days a week. If you keep this up for a few months, your cellulite will easily fall off on its own.
Can Spa and Cream Treatments Help?
The short answer is “yes.” However, spa and cream treatments don’t address the underlying root causes that created the cellulite in the first place. You can use them to reduce cellulite in the short term, but it’ll always come back until you make lasting lifestyle changes.
Spa treatments like massage, skin brushing, mineral bathing and so on can help sooth the muscles near the fat, ease the clumping of fat issues and help fat spread more evenly. In other words, it can make the cellulite appear to be gone.
In reality, you’ll only shift the cellulite temporarily. These treatments work for some people, but not for others. If you just want to look good for a few months while you’re on the beach in summer, then these methods might be all you need. Otherwise, it’s best to look into more permanent solutions.
Cellulite creams also work in a similar manner. These creams work by dehydrating the skin, often with caffeine. Once the skin is dehydrated, it’ll stretch more tautly over the fat and muscles, masking the effects of the cellulite.
However, once again, this doesn’t address the underlying issues. Also, applying chemicals on your skin on a regular basis can have unintended side effects.
Can Surgery Help?
If the cellulite is bad enough to warrant surgery, it can indeed be an effective option.
Traditional liposuction has proven ineffective against cellulite. While you can get rid of the fat in the short run, cellulite will just form again.
Instead, a new surgical procedure which combines laser technology and liposuction technology seems to be most effective in combating cellulite. Talk to your dermatologist to see what new developments are arising in this area, as new discoveries are being made every year.
Getting rid of cellulite is best done from the inside out, through dietary and exercise changes. If you want to get rid of cellulite quickly, you can use superficial means to do so, but those are best followed up by lifestyle changes.
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