Dry body brushing has long been hailed as a great way to get rid of cellulite – you know the ripples of ugly fat that collect on your thighs and bottom and sometimes your stomach and give your skin a lumpy or dimpled rather than smooth appearance – the so called “orange peel effect”.
But there are a lot of myths surrounding what causes cellulite and cellulite removal.
Most of them are put about by manufacturers aiming to sell high end cellulite creams or by spas and beauty salons aiming to sell you instant inch loss programs using the latest cure all techniques.
But in EVERY case the results of expensive treatments are temporary and it would involve you spending a small fortune every year if you wanted to keep the cellulite at bay.
What About Dry Body Brushing?
If you could get rid of cellulite with a simple process like body brushing, involving nothing more than the purchase of a natural bristle brush, we’d all be happy.
Dry brushing skin has some great benefits but you can’t say that it removes cellulite other than having the same temporary effect as the high end creams and massages. What it does is cause more blood to flow into the tissues around the cellulite and this has a smoothing effect particularly if you have a normally sluggish circulation.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but at least I tell you the truth. And it does mean that you can get the same effect as the expensive creams and processes with a cheap method you can do yourself at home, plus you get all the benefits to your skin and system that body brushing gives you. Even the best body brush will cost no more than $10 and will last forever.
Cellulite is NOT Caused By Toxins
The myth surrounding body brushing as a cure for cellulite has grown up because it was first thought that the evil substance was the result of trapping waste products and toxins in the fat just below the skin. There’s no doubt that brushing your skin in long sweeps using a dry brush technique improves lymphatic drainage which is one of the main systems that helps the body get rid of waste.
 Why don’t men get cellulite?It’s all to do with the structure of the connective tissue which links the underlying muscle with the layer of skin. In men this connective tissue forms a kind of network which traps the fat and keeps it in check, while the connective tissue in women forms into columns allowing the fat the bulge upwards. Also in women the skin tends to be finer which allows the fat bulges to show through, In men, the skin is thicker and tougher and this disguises any lumps which might otherwise show. |
However it transpires that cellulite is not a receptacle for toxins. It is no more than ordinary fat trapped in fibrous tissue just below the skin. It’s the pattern of the fibrous tissue and the amount of fat present which determines whether your thighs will be smooth or lumpy.
Something between 80% and 90% of women have cellulite to some degree and it is more common (and gets worse) as we grow older as the fibers in the skin are less elastic.
Though it looks worse if you are overweight – there’s more fat to bulge through the fibers in the skin structure – you would have to be seriously malnourished to lose all the fat on your thighs and bottom and so lose all the cellulite.
Even celebrities suffer along with the rest of us. The paparazzi make a good living out of snapping our favorites on the beach with their lumpy thighs and bottoms on display without the benefit of air brushing.
What About Liposuction?
You would think that getting rid of fatty deposits from thighs, buttocks and stocks via liposuction would help with cellulite but apparently that’s not the case. It can leave you with more lumpy looking skin than before leaving deeper “dimples” where fat has been removed.
So, What CAN You Do to Get Rid of Cellulite?
If these measures don’t get rid of cellulite completely at least they are going to have a marked effect on how you look and will considerably reduce the lumps.
No Need for a Tough Anti-Cellulite Regime
The good news is that you don’t have to follow any of those appallingly strict anti-cellulite diets, designed to rid your whole system of toxins. I always thought I’d rather have cellulite than live like a monk. Because the toxins are nothing to do with the problem you can forget that. Yippee!
The bad news is that if you are overweight a weight loss diet would help. Just don’t use one that makes you lose weight too fast as that will affect the elasticity of your skin and can make cellulite worse as well as breaking down muscle tissue and other protein structures which hold everything together. Lose no more than 1 to 2lbs a week (other than the first week or two when a lot of any weight loss is water).
Exercise Your Muscles
I find that when I stick to my yoga routine, it has had a huge effect in reducing the cellulite on my thighs (not to mention the tone of my thigh muscles and look of my legs and the rest of me). I suppose the whole skin structure and underlying muscular structure improves. Not really sure why it helps with cellulite but I like it 🙂
Get Your Blood Pumping
Anything which gets you moving and your blood moving around your body helps skin and muscle tone. Make sure you get 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity at least every other day. This has far more benefits of course than just helping to keep cellulite in check.
Moisturize
This is one of the benefits of the high end anti-cellulite creams. They plump up the skin cells making your skin appear smoother. But you can get that effect with a cheaper body lotion…..
Fake Tan
There’s no doubt about it, the paler your skin, the more the cellulite shows. A real tan has a damaging effect on the skin structure, aging it faster than ever and making it easier for cellulite to appear so that’s not the answer, but a fake tan can work wonders.
Endermologie
Try a course of endermologie sessions if you can afford them. This process has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of cellulite. It involves deep massage with both rollers and suction with the aim of redistributing the fat below the skin. Reckon on paying around a hundred dollars per session and having a series of 6 to 10 sessions. It may not be long lasting but it can help at least in the short term and will have a lasting effect if you continue with maintenance sessions forever.
Dry Body Brushing
Finally we get back to this. As dry brushing skin has so many benefits you may as well do it and get the temporary effects that the rush of blood to your skin gives in reducing the appearance of cellulite. Buy a brush and get body brushing.
