There are three types of lasers used for cellulite and skin tightening: hot lasers, i.e. high energy lasers; cold lasers, i.e. low energy lasers and also known as low level laser therapy / LLLT; surgical/invasive lasers. Here we present an analysis of all three types of lasers used for cellulite removal and their effectiveness.
How long will results last after a course of skin tightening / cellulite treatments? What about maintenance treatments?
How long does RF skin tightening last?
Deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency is by far the best and safest cellulite reduction and skin tightening technology and typically can offer great results in 6-12 sessions. But do these results last for ever or would maintenance treatments be needed? This is one of the most common questions at the clinic so I will present the answers here in detail…
Probiotics and cellulite
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria and yeast that are friendly to body tissues and assist our bodies in many ways, including resistance to harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microbes; facilitation of gut function; metabolism of foods; immune system modulation; inflammation reduction and more. Examples include acidophilus, bifidobacteria, saccharomyces boulardii and more. Probiotics are found in…
Berries, resveratrol, pterostilbene and cellulite
Many nutrients are touted as “anti-cellulite” or “good for skin” or “circulation boosters”, but few actually deliver. One of those select nutrients is resveratrol, together with its more absorbable, more potent ‘cousin’, pterostilbene. In this article we summarise the benefits of those nutrients and the foods that contain them.
Gotu kola (centella asiatica), skin aging and cellulite: all 128 research papers in one place
All the research on the anti-cellulite / skin anti-ageing action of the four centella asiatica triterpenes, in one place. Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) is probably the most important anti-cellulite, anti-ageing and skin healing herb, as it exerts a multifaceted action against all seven aspects of cellulite. In the last few months we have made a huge effort and collated and summarised 100+ research papers on centella asiatica / gotu kola’s action relative to cellulite and skin health.
Madecassoside from gotu kola may help reduce visceral fat and cellulite
Centella asiatica (gotu kola) exerts multiple actions against cellulite and its concentrated extract, comprising asiatic acid, asiaticoside, madecassic acid, madecassoside, is the most important anti-cellulite herbal extract known. Previously asiatic acid was shown to specifically exert anti-obesity activity and now new research shows that madecassoside may also do the same…
Hypermobility, skin looseness and cellulite
Hypermobility is a broad term to describe loose connective tissue which is characterised by weaker/less collagen. This results not only in loose joints but also in loose, thin skin. So hypermobile / very flexible people tend to suffer from skin laxity from young age but especially so from their 40s and 50s, when collagen production decreases. Females suffer more from hypermobility, due to to the action of estrogen on connective tissue. Hypermobility in females increases just before their period and also in the latter…
Coffee scrub for cellulite: facts vs myth
One of the biggest beauty fads in the last few years is the scrubbing of ground coffee beans on your skin in the hope that it will smoothen up your cellulite and firm up your legs. Although it intuitively doesn’t make sense, this hasn’t stopped 3 million web pages, according to Google, to be created on the subject…
Why do older women have more cellulite?
Although cellulite can start at quite young age - almost as soon as the onset of puberty at around 13 - it is more prevalent at older ages, and its appearance also worsens with age. At our clinic we see more and more clients as age progresses up to the age of about 65 when interest in cellulite reduction declines, for different reasons, even though it becomes more progressed. There are two main reasons why cellulite becomes more common / more severe with age…
Why did I lose facial fat with HIFU / RF microneedling? They told me they would just target the SMAS to “lift” my face…
Everyone interested in facial anti-ageing these days is talking about the SMAS. Suddenly everyone is an (ignorant) “expert” in the SMAS, just like everyone interested in cellulite or massage suddenly became an (ignorant) “expert” in all things fascia a few years ago. But what is the SMAS, why is everyone talking about it and why is it not such a great idea to target it non-surgically?
Skin looseness in slim women
Skin looseness in slim women occurs mainly due to two factors. Genetics: Tall, slim people in general tend to have more loose connective tissue. This means better flexibility but also more skin looseness. In the younger years this connective tissue looseness goes unnoticed. But as we get older, and collagen levels start to decline, skin laxity becomes more obvious. Strict dieting or…
The best time to have a course of cellulite treatments is now
Most people think that they have to wait to have a course of cellulite treatments until: “I first need to lose all my weight”; “2-3 weeks before the holidays, as, if I have my treatments too early, results will disappear by holiday time. However, as we will see below, both of these approaches are wrong…
Tried RF microneedling for cellulite? Didn’t work? Perhaps you should try a safer, less hyped-up, more effective treatment.
The last few years there is the generalised perception by the public that if a procedure is very painful, very medicalised, very unsafe, very hyped up, very “instant”, very expensive or all the above, the rewards of taking the risk with such a procedure will be higher and cellulite or skin looseness will apparently disappear “forever” (there is no forever in this universe, let alone the human body). RF microneedling fits all the above requirements and people flock to have it for both body and face. Hence all the RF microneedling horror stories in the media lately, including one of the latest RF microneedling disaster stories here…
Cellulite all over the body: how is this possible?
This is a common question: “I thought that cellulite only affects the thighs and bum, how come I have it on my arms, stomach and back?” Indeed, cellulite primarily appears on back of thighs, front of thighs and buttocks. But it is sometimes is is also visible on the arms, calves, stomach, flanks, sides of back and even on the breasts. Why is this the case?
RF microneedling for fibrosis after vaser liposuction?
When you suffer from post-lipo fibrosis you want to have a treatment that actually breaks down fibrotic collagen (i.e. progressively stronger massage and/or ultrasound) rather than one that creates more fibrotic collagen. On the other hand, RF microneedling is also based on burning the skin at 60-90ºC (depending on the machine used) and creating not that well “controlled” fibrotic collagen/“neocollagenesis” on the hypodermis and dermis. There is a reason that microneedling is called ‘collagen induction therapy’ and RF microneedling goes one step further in producing fibrotic collagen by combining needling with extreme RF heat…
Obesity is now a major driver of cellulite worldwide
At the time of first writing this article (February 2024) it was revealed that obesity worldwide has surpassed the 1 billion mark. In the last three decades obesity has increased 4x among children and 2x among adults. Furthermore, more than 2.5 billion adults are overweight, worldwide. On this blog we have maintained that cellulite is a Western civilisation aesthetic condition that is not found in developing countries, where people consume more natural foods and where physical activity comprises a large part of people's days.
Ultra-processed foods and cellulite
At the time of first writing this article (February 2024) a lot has been written about how ultra-processed foods can cause heart disease, cancer and undermine health overall. But what about cellulite? We have made it clear on this blog that there is a big overlap between Western civilisation diseases (diabetes, heart disease, cancer etc) and cellulite. Sure, cellulite does not kill but the same things that cause these diseases to a large extent also cause cellulite. There is no complete overlap but there is a quite extensive one. Ultra-processed foods (UPF), i.e. the exact opposite for fresh, clean foods, rob food from all its nutrients to leave almost empty calories and various chemicals…
I’m currently losing weight, how often should I have skin tightening treatment to avoid skin looseness?
Weight gain leads to excess skin to accommodate the extra fat volume. As a result, when weight is lost skin looks loose. The best way to prevent skin laxity after weight loss is to have a skin tightening treatment whilst you lose weight. Of course, if you have already lost the weight and have skin laxity, you can always have a course of treatments then, but it is always best to arrive at your ideal weight with the least possible skin laxity. The most effective SAFE skin tightening technology is deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency…
What is worse for cellulite, fat or sugar?
This is a common question, both for cellulite prevention and overall health as well and the answer could not be other than a straightforward, sugar is worse than fat for cellulite. Firstly, there are good fats, i.e. omega-3 fatty acids (flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, oily fish etc), which are protective. Furthermore, neutral fats (e.g. extra virgin olive oil, nuts, avocado) are fine as long as they are not over-consumed…
