Compression leggings, stockings and tights: a double edged sword

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• Leggings and stockings that hide cellulite - and cause skin looseness

• The effect of cellulite leggings, stockings and other compression garments on skin tightness / firmness

• Compression leggings vs vibration platform training

• The effect of compression garments on fat tissue

• Fat versus firmness?

• How didn’t I hear of this before?

• Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the cellulite experts

• Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia

• The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening

Leggings and stockings that hide cellulite - and cause skin looseness

In a separate article we analysed the two types of so-called anti-cellulite leggings (constant compression and graduated compression) and saw that they don’t “work” for most types of cellulite.

But how do cellulite hiding stockings/leggings affect skin firmness?

Here we analyse the effects of compression leggings and other garments on skin firmness.

The effect of cellulite leggings, stockings and other compression garments on skin tightness / firmness

How can compression leggings/stockings affect skin firmness/tightness?

• Constant movement and vibration throughout the day provide mechanical stimulation to cell mechanosensitive receptors via a process called mechanotransduction. This results in collagen and elastin synthesis stimulation in your skin’s collagen cells (fibroblasts) and even in fat cells (adipocytes)

• By wearing tight compression stockings, leggings and tights, you shield your tissues (fat, cellulite, skin, fascia, other connective tissue) from that all-important vibration / mechanical stimulation, to quite a large extent

• With continuous use of compression garments your skin, fat tissue and superficial fascia will have less collagen and this will result in looser skin / connective tissue

• This effect is even more pronounced with the super-tight, so-called “slimming tights”

Compression leggings vs vibration platform training

In effect, wearing compression tights is the opposite of doing vibration plate training:

• Vibration plate training boosts collagen production via intense vibration

• While compression tights inhibit collagen production via lack of vibration

The effect of compression garments on fat tissue

Compression leggings have two different effects on fat accumulation in adipose tissue

• (+) The reduced mechanical deformation / stretching that occurs due to the compression leggings will lead to more fat accumulation. This is in addition to reduced collagen production mentioned above (fat cells tend to accumulate fat faster if they do not receive any mechanical stimulation). This end result can be more cellulite.

• (-) On the other hand, compression will lead to reduced fat accumulation

From these two opposite effects the second one is stronger, i.e. new fat accumulation will probably be inhibited more than stimulated (existing fat, however, will remain largely unaffected).

This is the basis of the use of slimming leggings - that’s how slimming leggings work.

The price you pay for the slimming effect is that your skin becomes flabbier.

This is not just theory. The vast majority of women who continuously wear compression leggings and other garments, report skin looseness after a few months.

On the other hand, occasional use of compression garments, for an instant cellulite hiding effect, is absolutely fine. Just don’t turn occasional into permanent.

Fat versus firmness?

All in all, although compression leggings would seem to have a favourable effect on fat accumulation prevention, and thereby on new cellulite prevention, they also have a very negative effect on skin firmness.

And given that usually cellulite and skin looseness go together, there is no point wearing compression stockings ALL THE TIME to either hide cellulite or to slightly reduce cellulite fat accumulation, as at the same time you will considerably reduce skin firmness.

There is a better way, and this is regular exercise and healthy nutrition, which also happens to be an established way to stimulate firmness and reduce fat. We know it’s boring advice but it’s the best advice.

And for faster results there is high-power, deep tissue radiofrequency and high-power ultrasound, which provide fast, impressive cellulite reduction and skin firming results, especially in relation to compression leggings and stockings.

How didn’t I hear of this before?

Unfortunately few people in the beauty industry - and even in aesthetic medicine - have ever heard or have any awareness of the effects of mechanotransduction in the connective and adipose tissues.

So you will rarely hear about this from the so called “experts” in the aesthetic / beauty industry - and almost never from consumer websites / magazines.

But you can definitely see with your eyes and feel with your hands the negative effect of compression on skin firmness after just a few weeks of compression garment use: skin simply becomes softer, squishier and looser.

Of course, as mentioned above, the occasional wearing of a tight corset or compression tights to hide the extra fat/cellulite for one day is absolutely fine. Just don't make it a day-in, day-out, year-in year-out habit…

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Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia

At LipoTherapeia we are passionate about phototherapy (also known as photobiomodulation/PBM, red light therapy, infrared light therapy, blue light therapy, LED light therapy etc) and we use the most powerful equipment available today (up to 200mW/cm2), for best results and treatment of large body areas.

We use specialised therapy protocols for skin rejuvenation / anti-ageing, pigmentation / post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), moderate/severe acne, skin redness, sensitive/inflamed/irritated skin, wound healing, sports injuries / musculoskeletal pain and overall wellness / well-being.

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