Does alcohol cause cellulite?

Alcohol and cellulite

• How alcohol causes cellulite

• Which is the worst type of alcohol for cellulite and weight gain? Are cocktails that bad?

• Beer and cellulite

• Is beer estrogenic?

• Binge drinking / excessive alcohol consumption is bad for health and bad for cellulite too

• Champagne lifestyle and cellulite

• Have a cellulite treatment in London with the cellulite specialists

How alcohol causes cellulite

“Does alcohol cause cellulite?”

This is a common question and I am sure everyone asking it already knows the answer.

Alcohol intake is indeed a major cause of cellulite.

Specifically, alcohol:

• Provides the body with excess and empty calories

• Increases appetite for other fattening foods, especially after a night out

• Tires the liver, thereby impairing detoxification

• Reduces energy levels

• Disrupts sleep

• Is addictive

• In the long run causes water retention and poor circulation - after an initial diuretic and blood vessel-dilating effect

• Increases cortisol which in turn stimulates both lipogenesis (fat accumulation and fat cell enlargement) and adipogenesis (new fat cells, especially on the visceral/abdominal adipose depots)

The end result of all the above is an expansion on the hypodermal adipocytes on the thighs, arms, calves and stomach (hypodermal fat is what we call cellulite).

Which is the worst type of alcohol for cellulite and weight gain? Are cocktails that bad?

Alcohol carries its own calories (4 cals/gram) but when contained in calorific drinks, the extra calories add up quite a lot.

Examples of the worst drinks for weight gain and cellulite include:

• Most cocktails (extra sugar calories)

• Beer and cider (extra calories from starch and sugars)

• Dessert wines (extra sugar calories)

• Sweet sparkling wines, such as prosecco (extra sugar calories; prosecco can contain anything from 0-7% sugars)

• Fortified wines, such as port (extra sugar calories)

Beer and cellulite

Beer has a high glycaemic index of 89, which means that it raises blood sugar (glucose) levels very quickly.

A quick rise in blood glucose means a higher risk of fat accumulation, if the person is sedentary when consuming the high GI food or drink.

Furthermore, beer has an average sugar content (mainly maltose) of 3.5%, which is quite similar to its average alcohol content of 4.5%.

Given that alcohol and carbs contain the same amount of calories (4 cals/gram), this means that for every 100 alcohol calories in beer are also 78 sugar calories.

Is beer estrogenic?

It is still unclear whether estrogenic compounds in beer can increase estrogen load in the body, which could be a separate cellulite risk factor.

Beer does contain phytoestrogens, which could have a pro-estrogenic or an anti-estrogenic effects. But research is conflicting.

The sure thing is that as beer boosts fat accumulation, estrogen increases.

This is because fat cells do secrete estrogen.

Binge drinking / excessive alcohol consumption is bad for health and bad for cellulite too

Even without the sugars, excessive alcohol consumption can really contribute to cellulite.

As an anecdote, I remember a client almost two decades ago, who I used to see for massage and who was very fit and slim. During some turbulent personal circumstances at home she developed a champagne habit, drinking more than one bottle a day.

I stopped seeing her for a period of time, but when I saw her again a few months later, I could not believe my eyes. She was a bit heavier, but really loaded with a lot of cellulite, even on the arms, which is very telling for such a young, fit person.

Luckily, she put her life back in order and a few months later both her cellulite and little extra weight that she gained reduced. But the cellulite itself never disappeared completely (established cellulite cannot be eliminated - but it can be reduced quite a lot).

Champagne lifestyle and cellulite

This specific person turned to alcohol due to personal difficulties. Not smart, but understandable.

However, some people undermine their health, and the appearance of their legs, by indulging in a never ending hedonistic spree, fuelled by champagne and luxury meals.

The problem with that lifestyle is that biology does not care where the calories originate from - expensive champagne or cheap wine.

Both the cheap and expensive form of alcohol undermine health and appearance and going to an expensive bar/restaurant will not magically make unhealthy foods healthy or expensive alcohol good for you.

Have a cellulite treatment in London with the cellulite specialists

At LipoTherapeia we have specialised 100% in skin tightening and cellulite reduction for more than two decades and 20,000+ sessions.

This is all we study and practise every day and have researched and tried hands-on all the important skin tightening equipment and their manufacturers.

As strong, deep acting radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the technologies of choice for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, we have invested in the best RF/ultrasound technologies in the world.

Furthermore, over the last two decades we have developed advanced treatment protocols in order to make the most of our technologies, for maximum results, naturally and safely.

Our radiofrequency/ultrasound treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, microneedling-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.

And our focus is on honest, realistic, science-based treatment, combined with caring, professional service with a smile.

We will be pleased to see you, assess you, listen to your story, discuss your case and offer you the best possible treatment.

There are five ways to start treatment with us:

• Book a FREE 15’ zoom consultation (UK only)

• Book a 30’ in-clinic assessment and consultation

• Book a 45’ in-clinic assessment and consultation plus skin ultrasound scan, to visualise skin laxity, cellulite, subcutaneous fat and potential fibrosis

• Book an introductory treatment, which automatically includes free 30’ assessment and consultation

• Book a course of 3x, 6x or 12x sessions, with the first session automatically including free 30’ assessment and consultation