“TL;DR: Cellulite arises from weakened connective tissue in the hypodermis, often due to hormonal cycles or inactivity, leading to skin laxity. Low collagen levels cause loose skin, while excess fat and water retention exacerbate cellulite’s appearance. Skin laxity, water retention, and cellulite frequently coexist. Cellulite is classified as ‘soft’ when skin looseness is significant, or ‘hard’ when minimal. As cellulite worsens, larger collagen bands become fibrotic, shortening and thickening, while smaller strands weaken, creating a mattress-like skin texture. This mix of laxity and fibrosis complicates treatment. Effective solutions include deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency for skin tightening and fat reduction, especially with ultrasound cavitation. Concentrated cellulite creams with active ingredients like hydroxyproline peptide can help, but diluted versions are ineffective. Exercise and healthy nutrition are crucial for maintaining skin firmness and managing cellulite.”
Skin laxity vs cellulite: the differences
Weak connective tissue, skin looseness and cellulite
Cellulite classification according to skin looseness or firmness: soft cellulite vs hard cellulite
Skin looseness and fibrosis at the same time
How do you reverse skin looseness and cellulite at the same time?
Is it cellulite or loose skin that I have?
Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment with London’s 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
Weak connective tissue, skin looseness and cellulite
One of the reasons that cellulite develops is the breakdown of connective tissue in the hypodermis, either due to the action of the female hormonal cycle, due to inactivity - or both.
Weak connective tissue, i.e. tissue with low collagen levels, manifests as skin looseness
Weak hypodermal connective tissue which is additionally combined with increased fat accumulation, leads to the cellulite appearance
Furthermore, weak connective tissue also encourages water retention, another feature of cellulite
All in all, skin laxity, water retention and cellulite quite often come together, in different ratios.
Cellulite classification according to skin looseness or firmness: soft cellulite vs hard cellulite
If skin looseness is significant, then people refer to the cellulite appearance as ‘soft cellulite’
If skin looseness is mild (or even non-existent in some cases), then people refer to the cellulite appearance as ‘hard cellulite’
Skin looseness and fibrosis at the same time
In all cases, as cellulite progresses, the larger collagen bands (a.k.a. retinaculae cutis or erroneously called ‘septae’) tend to get injured and fibrotic, i.e. they shorten and thicken
At the same time the smaller collagen strands get thinner, weaker and broken
The result is a strong mattress structure on the skin, i.e. cellulite
So, in cellulite we have coexistence of both skin laxity (weak connective tissue overall) and fibrosis (hardened connective tissue at spots), occurring right next to each other, almost at the same place. This is one of the contradictions of cellulite and makes cellulite treatment very, very tricky and difficult.
How do you reverse skin looseness and cellulite at the same time?
The only safe and effective way to improve skin tightness fast is with deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency treatment. This has the additional effect of hypodermal fat reduction, especially when combined with high-power ultrasound cavitation. Anything else, e.g. acoustic wave therapy, HIFU, mesotherapy or RF microneedling is either unsafe and/or ineffective.
Concentrated cellulite creams with skin tightening active molecules, such as hydroxyproline peptide and centella asiatica triterpenes, can also help. Diluted cellulite creams (the vast majority of such creams on the market) have no chance in hell of working.
Exercise and healthy nutrition are very important to maintain both skin firmness and cellulite
Is it cellulite or loose skin?
It is very simple to know: if there are visible bumps when you contract your muscles, when you pinch the skin or even just when standing, then you have cellulite.
If there are no bumps visible then you do not have cellulite.
If skin is loose, crepey or hanging then you have skin looseness.
It is possible to have cellulite only or skin laxity only or a combination of both (the msot common scenario).
The best solution for loose skin is deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency
The best solution for cellulite is deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency AND deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation
Ideally, both should be followed by high-power LED red/infrared light therapy right after treatment for maximum results
If you have both and skin looseness is more important to you than cellulite then you can just do deep, strong RF. If cellulite is more important then you should have the combination of both deep, strong RF and deep, strong cavitation.
Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts
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 RF and cavitation treatment protocols in order to make the most of our technologies, for maximum results, naturally and safely.
And for even better, faster results, we now combine our RF/ultrasound treatments with high-power red/infrared light LED treatment.
Our radiofrequency/ultrasound/LED treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.
(No unsafe and ineffective RF microneedling or HIFU and no safe but ineffective acoustic wave therapy, superficial RF (bipolar/tripolar/multipolar etc), low power RF/cavitation, electrical muscle stimulation, lymphatic massage, cupping, dry brushing and no ridiculous bum bum creams.)
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 your cellulite, skin laxity or fibrosis, listen to your story, discuss your case and offer you the best possible treatment.
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.
Our LED phototherapy sessions are comfortable, deeply relaxing and super-safe and are great to enhance our radiofrequency/ultrasound treatments for skin tightening / cellulite reduction.
On our booking page you can book stand-alone phototherapy sessions or combine them with our other treatments, as an add-on.
Learn more or check prices and book an expert LED phototherapy treatment at our London clinic.
The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening
Do you want to deeply understand radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, LED phototherapy, cellulite and skin tightening?
Attend a half-day, 1-day, 2-day or 3-day one-to-one masterclass and confidently offer your clients the safest, strongest and most effective treatment possible.
Service available via Zoom or at our central London practice.
Learn more or check prices and book training at our London clinic or via Zoom.