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…
Can radiofrequency treatments cause spider veins?
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…
What cellulite treatment I would choose if I had cellulite (after specialising for 24 years in cellulite reduction)
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…
Cellulite and the drinking culture
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…
How does ultrasound cavitation reduce cellulite fat? [Research]
Ultrasound-induced cavitation is a phenomenon that occurs when high-intensity sound waves are used on certain tissues, such as human skin. When the intensity of the sound waves is strong enough, it can create small gas bubbles in the tissue. These bubbles can then quickly collapse, releasing energy in the form of heat and force. Research has shown that this process can reduce the amount of fat and shrink the size of fat cells in the skin.
Can chokeberry and tart cherry juice prevent or reduce cellulite?
The plant chemicals ‘polyphenols’ are important in maintaining skin and blood vessel integrity, as well as in inhibiting fat accumulation. As such, they are important anti-cellulite agents. Polyphenols are mainly found in red, yellow, purple, blue and black berries and other plants (e.g. blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, black rice, black beans, adzuki beans, purple potatoes, purple broccoli…
Skin too dry in winter? Creams don’t work? You need an oil, not a cream.
Many people suffer from dry skin in winter - and sometimes throughout the year too. The causes of dry skin can be internal and/or external, from hormonal issues, dietary patterns and even genetics to dry winter weather, hot showers and tight clothes, such as leggings, that absorb skin moisture. Most people who suffer from dry skin turn to body creams, either based on vegetable oils or mineral oils….
Yerba mate vs ozempic: the facts
The South American tea drink Yerba-Maté (Ilex paraguariensis) has been in the news again recently (April 2024) when tabloids hyped it up as “Football’s secret Ozempic", apparently because Lionel Messi drinks it, and David Beckham has tried it, so it must be a slimming superdrink - or words to that effect 😂
How to prevent cellulite and skin looseness
Cellulite and skin looseness are the result of age and/or an unhealthy cellulite. Both aesthetic concerns are interconnected and in most women they appear concurrently. Sometimes we see women (and some men) with a lot of cellulite and little skin looseness and vice versa, but usually there is a mix of both. And both of these issues appear gradually with age, which is absolutely normal. However, poor nutritional choices (too much sugar, carbs and fat and too little protein, vegetables, fruits and herbs), a sedentary lifestyle, as well as smoking and the contraceptive pill, greatly accelerate the appearance of cellulite and skin looseness…
Sushi, sashimi, tempura and cellulite
Sushi is generally considered a healthy food, but is it? Sushi is made up of sticky white rice, fish, vegetable and added sauces, at varying proportions, depending on the type of sushi. As an example, a california roll will contain 3% protein, 18.5% high-glycaemic load carbs (rice), 1% fat and 1% fibre. Hardly healthy. A prawn tempura roll contains 4% protein, 28% high-glycaemic load carbs, 6% fried fat…
Skin ligaments and cellulite
Cellulite appears due to the action of enlarged fat globules pushing skin upwards and shortened collagen fibre bundles pulling skin downwards. These collagen fibre bundles are not bothersome, unnecessary for the body tissues that need to be cut out so that fat can perpetually expand upwards without hindrance. These fibres are known to anatomists as retinaculae cutis*, i.e. skin ligaments, and they are there, as all ligaments, to keep two parts of connective tissue attached…
What are the best exercises to reduce visceral fat?
Before explaining the mechanics of visceral fat reduction, let's start with some definitions. Visceral adipose tissue, aka VAT or visceral fat, is the type of fat found deep in your belly and between your organs; subcutaneous adipose tissue, aka SAT or simply ‘fat’, is found just under your skin either on your belly or anywhere else on your body; and hypodermal adipose tissue, aka cellulite, is fat found within the deeper part of your skin itself on the thighs, bum and even stomach and arms. Now let's go back to visceral fat reduction…
Skin: if you don't use it, you lose it
We usually say that for muscle mass: “if you don’t use it, you lose it”. If we don’t walk, play sports or do weights, we will gradually lose our muscle. This is especially true when we recover from injury or a long-lasting health condition, where we find ourselves with much less muscle, especially on the legs. You may also be aware that if we do not do weights or at least walk, i.e. if we somehow do…
Why am I getting more cellulite as I get older?
Cellulite may start in the teenage years, as early as 14, but in most women it appears more and more often with progressing age. At the clinic we see some women starting to seek cellulite treatments at about 23, then the next stage is 28, and then more in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. Indeed cellulite worsens with age and there are a few reasons for that…
What home remedy can I use for cellulite?
Don’t bother much with topical remedies - as we will see below they don’t work nearly as well as a simplistic 2% caffeine cream.
In fact, a the best home remedies you can use for cellulite is clean are super-healthy foods, such as vegetables, salads, oily fish, vegetable juices, berry fruits, berry smoothies, lean protein (lean meat and poultry, fish/seafood and pulses), lots of herbs and spices and herbal teas. Green tea, gotu kola, pine bark, grape seed, bilberry, quercetin, hesperidin at other…
What vitamins help cellulite?
Healthy nutrition is essential for cellulite prevention and this applies equally to vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, carotenoids, fibre, omega-3 fatty acids and protein. These exact nutrients are the ones lacking in today’s Western diets and whose deficiency results in cellulite - usually in combination with an excess intake of sugar, unhealthy fats and carbs; a lack of exercise and physical activity; as well as smoking and the contraceptive pill. Regarding vitamins, they all have a role to play in cellulite prevention and they can somewhat contribute to its reduction, with perhaps vitamin C (ascorbic acid) being the most important, due to its antioxidant action and its important role on collagen…
Can HRT get rid of cellulite?
Given that female hormones (estrogen, progesterone) are an essential cause of cellulite, HRT cannot possibly reduce cellulite, let alone “get rid of” it. In some cases, the lack of estrogen and progesterone during menopause can lead to loose skin, which can aggravate the appearance of cellulite. With HRT this effect will diminish and skin laxity (and consequent cellulite) may improve somewhat but don’t expect a significant…
What happens 10 years after a BBL?
If successful, BBL surgery lifts and enlarges the buttocks to create a beautiful, round firm shape. However, the quality of the skin on the buttocks itself does not change at all with a BBL. The only reason there is firmness after a BBL is because the skin has become taut due to the outward pressure of the added fat and - in some cases - the removal of excess skin. So if skin was thin and weak before a BBL, after some time (3-4 years)…
What is blue LED for?
Blue light LED treatment is mainly used for acne reduction and psoriasis. Blue light acts on porphyrins inside bacteria (including the Cutibacterium acnes bacteria, which cause most forms of acne), to inactivate them. Blue light is ideally combined with red and infrared light, which are known to stimulate skin…
Estrogen and cellulite
This is a very common question at the clinic: “It’s so unfair, why do women need to get cellulite and men not”? Well, there is an answer to that and in short it’s called estrogen. Generally, everybody, man or woman, can get cellulite if both two following conditions are met: their body is loaded with enough of the hormone estrogen - natural or artificial; and they ingest more calories than they spend and/or they sit down too much/walk too little. Estrogen on its own does NOT cause cellulite, neither inactivity…