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We can divide the different compression garments on the market in two categories: uniform pressure (simple compression) garments and graduated pressure garments. Below we are analysing the two types of compression garments and their effectiveness in reducing cellulite and water retention and their effect on firmness…
A lot of our clients ask us: What causes water/fluid retention on thighs, buttocks, lower legs or even the stomach? Can/does water retention cause cellulite? Does water retention make cellulite worse? Water retention (also referred to as fluid retention, puffiness, swelling, oedema etc.) affects a large number of women and, to a lesser extent, men. Water retention occurs when the veins and lymph vessels can not remove water from the tissues efficiently. Water retention can manifest occasionally (e.g. in the summer heat and/or if standing for long periods of time) or it may be chronic. Symptoms can range from mild (e.g. cellulite or puffiness typically appearing on the calves, thighs, hips, arms and face) to severe (medical water retention / lymphedema). Water retention can have many causes, both genetic and lifestyle-based. Check our comprehensive guide on the causes of fluid retention…
Advanced blue, infrared and red light therapy treatments in London for back and shoulder acne, at LipoTherapeia, in the heart of London. Two decades of experience, honest advice, personalised treatment, caring service. Book now!
Cellulite can only be eliminated when it is at Stage 1 (visible only when pinched) or at most a very recent Stage 2 (visible when standing). By the time cellulite establishes itself to Stage 2 for a few years, it is not possible to completely eliminate it. Some women develop cellulite in the teens, most in their 20s, 30s and 40s and almost none develops cellulite in their 50s or 60s in the Western world…
“Radiofrequency” is an all encompassing term for treatment with different types of high frequency electrical currents. Different machines utilise different frequencies, from an extra low of 300kHz to an extra high of 5GHz. The types of physical phenomena at play on those different machines are quite different…
Brazilian butt lift surgery (BBL) enlarges and lifts the buttocks by adding volume, through the addition of fat. However, BBL does not improve cellulite neither it changes the quality of the skin in the slightest and for this reason many people choose RF treatment, for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, or cavitation treatment, for cellulite reduction. However, many people are afraid that either of those technologies may reduce the amount of fat added via the BBL procedure…
Most women today do not consume enough protein, because they were brainwashed for decades by “nutrition experts” and female magazine advice that “too much protein is bad for you” or that “humans need very little protein to build muscle and skin”. However, this could not be more wrong…
The body, including the skin, needs regular strong-but-safe stimulation to change. Plus it needs time between sessions of stimulation to recover and built stronger issue. This is how building muscle at the gym works and this is how skin tightening / cellulite reduction treatments work: by providing regular, as strong-but-safe stimulation to tissues: muscles or skin, respectively. However, the body has its own limits, which precludes too intensive stimulation: If you suddenly use 150kg weights for your squats you will not build a more toned butt faster, you will end up in hospital with a knee injury. Likewise, if you use an aesthetic treatment which is three times stronger than…
Massage for cellulite: does it work? There are many different types of cellulite massage (e.g. manual lymphatic drainage massage, deep tissue, body brushing, fascia massage, home cellulite massagers, cupping, vacuum massage , vibration etc). But do cellulite massages work? And of those that actually work which are the most efficient?
A lot of LED mask companies suggest that you use a (usually very expensive) serum before having a red/infrared light therapy session with their mask. However, skin has to be as clean as possible before LED treatment, especially with an LED mask, which by definition - and for safety purposes - is of low-power. This is because the skin surface has to display the smallest reflection possible, in order to…
First off let’s clarify that no cream/gel/serum can actually ever burn any fat. This is biologically impossible. Fat is oxidised (what people call “burned”) in muscles and organs after being released by fat cells. No fat oxidation occurs in white adipose fat tissue (what people call “fat”). So in essence a “fat burning” cream that works (most don’t), is a cream that helps stimulate lipolysis (= fat release from fat cells) in specific areas where stubborn fat has accumulated…
In a previous article we analysed everything to do with fibrosis after liposuction/cellulite surgery (normal liposuction, vaser, laser lipo, body tight, abdominoplasty/tummy tuck, thigh lift, cellfina, subcision, cellulaze), including what causes it. On this article we focus on the specifics of how to perform a safe and effective anti-fibrosis massage fibrosis after lipo/cellulite surgery.
All you ever wanted to know about caffeine, weight loss, fat reduction and cellulite. If caffeine is lipolytic, why doesn't coffee help me lose weight? How do caffeine creams help with local fat loss and cellulite? Why does caffeine cause cellulite? Get the facts, not the hype with our detailed guide based on science.
Advanced blue, infrared and red light therapy treatments in London for anti-ageing, skin rejuvenation, acne, wound healing, skin firming, back pain, sports injuries, stress relief and deep relaxation at LipoTherapeia, in the heart of London. Two decades of experience, honest advice, personalised treatment, caring service. Book now!
Glycation is one of the main aspects and causes of cellulite and skin ageing. Glycation is caused when sugars bond with collagens (there are 28 types of collagen in the human body). The end results of sugar-collagen bonding are called advanced glycation-end products (AGEs).
Many people confuse tightness and elasticity and use these terms interchangeably to describe youthful, healthy skin. But are these two terms one and the same? Young skin is the ideal type of skin, as it is both elastic and firm/tight. With age, both skin elasticity and tightness/firmness deteriorate, leading to thin, saggy, wrinkled, crepey and overall aged skin. In this article we explain what the terms ‘skin firmness / skin tightness’ and ‘skin elasticity’ mean exactly, and how to boost both of them for younger looking, healthier more beautiful skin…
Sugar consumption is one of the most important causes of cellulite - as well as diabetes and obesity - today. Therefore reducing or eliminating sugar in all its forms (including honey, agave and other erroneously though to be “good sugars”) and everything made with it (cakes, ice-cream, cookies etc) is the number one priority for cellulite prevention and reduction (as well as weight maintenance). But what about sweeteners, artificial or natural? Do they affect weight/fat levels and - consequently - cellulite?
Radiofrequency and ultrasound cavitation treatments, when provided with good equipment and by a well-trained, experienced and knowledgable therapist, remain THE best technologies for skin tightening and cellulite (far better and safer than HIFU and RF microneedling). However, most such machines available on the market are of low to very low power and are suited more to face treatments or to tiny body areas, than larger body areas…
The beauty industry is full of myths and inaccuracies and the field of cellulite reduction even more so. But this must be the stupidest thing I have heard: “This treatment moves the cellulite to the surface” from where it is (apparently) easier to remove. This gem has been uttered by a member of the “clinical training” team of a (pretty good) machine manufacturer. Now let’s make it clear once and for all: cellulite is a tissue. It cannot move deep into the body, it cannot move to the surface and in general it cannot not go anywhere. Cellulite doesn’t travel…
Breast firmness and perkiness depends mainly on two things: breast skin and Cooper’s ligaments. Together these two connective tissues help to maintain the shape and structural integrity of your breasts. Skin supports and keeps breast lifted from the outside, while Cooper’s ligaments (also known as the suspensory ligaments of Cooper or the fibrocollagenous septa of the breast) keep breast lifted from the inside. Younger breasts also have a higher proportion of breast tissue, as opposed to fat, and that also helps add to breast firmness by maintaining ‘turgidity’…
Cellulite and stretch marks: differences and similarities. As many women instinctively know, cellulite and stretch marks are intimately connected. There are similarities, described below, and there are differences, the main one being that cellulite also involves adipose tissue, which complicates things further…
Thousands of pages can be filled with information about the theory and practice of skin tightening but it all boils down to six crucial points: plenty of protein; impactful physical activity; polyphenols, carotenoids and vitamin C; deep-acting, high-power radio frequency; no crash dieting / yoyo dieting; no sugar, smoking or fried food. Now let’s examine these six points in more detail…
A slimming massage can mean two things. Losing “inches” by boosting circulation / lymphatic drainage and consequently reducing water retention; and losing actual fat. The former approach works, albeit temporarily. You receive a few lymphatic drainage or other type of massage and if your excess “inches” where due to water retention you lose some of the excess water and you think that you “slimmed down”. Slimming, of course, refers to fat loss and in this case no fat loss has occurred, just a temporary “water loss”…
As is common with many foods novel to Europe and the US, it was cleverly marketed as "superfood" by the media, in their quest for sensationalistic titles and internet traffic. One clever marketing idea is that quinoa is “protein”, meaning that quinoa is a food rich in protein. Is this correct? Let’s have a look at the facts…
Deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the strongest SAFE technologies for cellulite reduction and skin tightening. As both technologies produce heat (more with RF, less with ultrasound), and as both technologies are used with varyign levels of training and equipment quality, some people worry that their thread / spider veins may worsen.
At LipoTherapeia we have provided about 13,000 radiofrequency and ultrasound cavitation treatments in the last 14 years (January 2025) and we have never, ever had a problem with causing the creation of new thread veins (also known as spider veins or telangiectasia) or making existing ones worse. In theory, spider veins may become worse with the application of extreme heat (spider veins…
With any effective body treatment, it is good to leave one, two or more days between sessions in order to allow for the skin to recover. So with a deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency treatment, you must leave at least 2-3 days between sessions. With ineffective, low power RF treatments, you can leave less time between sessions (as little…
Energy in every single cell of the human body is produced in specialised cell compartments called mitochondria. Mitochondria is where oxygen is utilised to produce ATP, the energy currency of the cell. If mitochondria malfunction then the whole cell malfunctions and underperforms. On the skin, this can lead to aesthetic problems (dull, irritated, inflamed or unhealthy skin). In other organs and tissues this can lead to a poorer state of health, lower energy levels, slower recovery from injuries etc…
Instant miracles and “amazing cellulite transformations” do not exist, no matter how expensive the treatment - don’t be naive
There is a lot of misinformation on cellulite, due to a mix of urban myth and marketing hype. And there are many things that you should not waste time doing when it comes to cellulite removal. In fact it is not a coincidence that we devote as many articles on what not works for cellulite on our “How to get rid of cellulite” guide, as we do on cellulite myths…
What really works and what is a gimmick | 2025 update
At LipoTherapeia we preach what we practise. Our 100% focus is how to offer you the safest and most effective treatment possible, without cut corners or compromises. I put myself in your shoes and personally preach on this website and practise at the clinic what I would do myself if I needed skin tightening and cellulite reduction. Here is some more context into the technologies and active ingredients we use…
At the clinic we quite often see female clients (usually young but quite often in their 40s and 60s too), who consume 15 or even 20 units of alcohol on a night out. I really do not know how they do it - that amount of alcohol would send me to the intensive care unit. The fact is they do it and, although some are slim or relatively slim, they all have one thing in…