LED light therapy (phototherapy / photobiomodulation) is used to treat a variety of aesthetic and health concerns, most commonly skin ageing, skin wounds/burning, diabetic wounds, psoriasis, hyperpigmentation, acne, seasonal affective disorder, sports injuries and back pain, among others - and to enhance the effectiveness of other treatments, such as radiofrequency or ultrasound. Red and infrared light wavelengths are used for all the above concerns, except from blue wavelength, which is used for acne and psoriasis. LED devices come in the shape of masks, panels and dome/canopy style...
Why do skinny, young women (even models) get cellulite and skin looseness?
Cellulite/skin laxity are known to typically affect women after the age of 30 and become more pronounced by the age of 40 and 50. They also usually affect non-slim women, from curvy to overweight. In fact a research paper analysed here has explained how getting older and/or putting on weight in women but not in men leads to the development of cellulite - and loose skin. However, we also see young or skinny women who also suffer from cellulite / skin looseness. How is this possible?
Skin tightening exercises: do they work?
Exercise and everyday physical activity are essential for skin firmness, together with a healthy nutrition, rich in protein and polyphenols. Exercise and physical activity offers our fibroblasts (collagen- and elastin-producing cells) the necessary mechanical stimulation they need to keep producing collagen and elastin. Collagen gives skin firmness, while elastin offers elasticity, leading to firm, elastic, healthy, good looking skin.
Where does fat go after cavitation or radio frequency treatment?
This is a common question at the clinic: “If fat is removed from a stubborn fat area / cellulite tissue with radiofrequency and/or ultrasound cavitation, where does the fat go?” Due to massive internet misinformation, many people think that a treatment, ANY treatment, can eliminate fat there and then. However, as we know from physics matter cannot be eliminated like that - except with a nuclear reaction, which is not a good idea…
"If you do any other exercise than Pilates you will inflame your body". Seriously?
A client asked me a few days ago if this “advice”, given to her by a complementary health practitioner, is true: “You should not do any other exercise than Pilates, otherwise you will inflame your body”. This, of course, is an absolutely preposterous statement which goes against all common sense. You can only imagine the millions of inflamed athletes - or just billions of inflamed active common people - since the dawn of humanity all the way until the 1920s, when Joseph Pilates developed a method of exercise that would not inflame the human body…
Can I reduce lipedema with RF, cavitation or RF microneedling?
This is a very valid question asked by so many people in the lipedema community. However, the fact of the matter is that there is no good non-surgical treatment - be it radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, acoustic wave therapy, RF microneedling, HIFU, massage, red/infrared light therapy or pressotherapy. None of those non-surgical techniques or any other reduces lipedema and currently the only good solution for lipedema is surgery. Sure, exercise and healthy nutrition…
Cost is not an issue, so can I get rid of my cellulite / tighten my skin in one session?
It may not be a common question but it is a common thought: “I can throw (tens of) thousands of pounds in an one-off (even very painful) cellulite / skin tightening treatment. Can I get results in one session and then get on with my billionaire / centi-millionaire / deca-millionaire life?” Well, the honest answer to this very question is: Nah, life doesn’t work like that. Your body needs regular and repeated stimulation (treatments) as well as time to change. Throwing tens of thousands at the problem cannot violate the laws of physics and biology to provide instant results…
What is radio frequency bum lift and how long does it last?
There are two types of butt lifting procedures: surgical (BBL/brazilian butt lift) and non-surgical. From the myriad non-surgical bum lifting procedures the only one that really works, and is SAFE, is deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency. Deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency works my stimulating collagen and elastin synthesis as well as collagen contraction on both the dermis and hypodermis, where all the important collagen structures are found (the ones that give shape to your skin). The end result is skin tightening that lifts the skin and helps it defy gravity, i.e. bum lifting…
Is it fat or cellulite that I have on my thighs?
This is a very common question at the clinic, as most people are misinformed about what cellulite is. Cellulite is hypodermal adipose tissue, i.e. fat within the deepest skin layer (hypodermis). Fat is subcutaneous adipose tissue, i.e. fat under the deepest skin layer (hypodermis). But how can we differentiate between cellulite and fat in our own body It’s simple. At the clinic we offer the following simple way to help clients differentiate between fat and cellulite…
Cellulite after weight loss: why does it look worse?
When you put on weight adipocytes (fat cells) in your deeper, subcutaneous adipose tissue fill up with fat and that give you volume. Skin has to accommodate the excess volume by becoming longer. At the she time, adipocytes in your more superficial hypodermal adipose tissue also fill up with fat and we call that cellulite. When you lose weight you mainly lose fat from the subcutaneous adipose tissue and not so much from the hypodermal one…
Does alcohol cause cellulite?
Will RF or cavitation “melt” my BBL fat?
Brazilian butt lift surgery (BBL) enlarges and lifts the buttocks by adding volume, through the addition of fat. However, BBL does not improve cellulite neither it changes the quality of the skin in the slightest and for this reason many people choose RF treatment, for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, or cavitation treatment, for cellulite reduction. However, many people are afraid that either of those technologies may reduce the amount of fat added via the BBL procedure…
Hard cellulite vs soft cellulite: what are the differences?
Does cellulite go away when you lose weight?
Excess fat accumulation at the hypodermal level (fat in skin’s deeper layer) is the most important aspect of cellulite (with fibrosis, skin laxity and poor circulation being the other main aspects). When weight is lost, with diet and exercise, different types of body fat are reduced at different speeds…
How oxidative damage can cause cellulite
Oxidative damage is an important aspect of cellulite, with the other six being fibrosis, skin laxity, glycation, poor microcirculation, inflammation and superficial fat accumulation. Oxidative damage or free radical damage refers to cell damage by ‘reactive oxygen species’ (ROS) / free radicals, such as OO- (superoxide radical), -OH (hydroxyl radical) and H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide)…
Monopolar vs bipolar: the pros and cons of each type of radiofrequency
A very common question we are asked at the clinic is what is the difference between unipolar, monopolar, bipolar and multipolar (i.e. tripolar, tetrapolar, octipolar) radio frequency? Which one is best for skin tightening and cellulite? On this article we examine the merits of bipolar vs monopolar RF and…
Forskolin: the most important lipolytic active ingredient
Forskolin, is the extract of the South Asian plant coleus forskohlii / plectranthus barbatus. It has been extensively researched for decades for its lipolytic action and is routinely used in lab experiments when it is needed to stimulate lipolysis in fat cells. (Lipolysis refers to fat release from fat cells, leading to fat cell size reduction and, if sustained, eventual fat cell death.) However, due to its high cost (10x more than the highest quality caffeine) it is rarely used in anti-cellulite creams - although it is way more important than caffeine in this regard…
How does infrared / red light therapy work?
Energy in every single cell of the human body is produced in specialised cell compartments called mitochondria. Mitochondria is where oxygen is utilised to produce ATP, the energy currency of the cell. If mitochondria malfunction then the whole cell malfunctions and underperforms. On the skin, this can lead to aesthetic problems (dull, irritated, inflamed or unhealthy skin). In other organs and tissues this can lead to a poorer state of health, lower energy levels, slower recovery from injuries etc…
Carotenoids, skin and cellulite
Carotenoids, found in carrots, tomatoes, watermelons, seaweed (especially wakame), salmon and green leafy vegetables, among other foods, are important skin nutrients that help prevent UV damage, skin looseness and protect skin firmness and microcirculation. In this article we summarise the benefits of those nutrients and the foods that contain them.
The ideal cellulite reduction plan, without any cut corners or compromises, for maximum results
Here is the IDEAL cellulite removal plan, without any cut corners or compromises, i.e. where the usual time and money constraints are not issue. Most people only have two weeks left before their holidays to do something about cellulite, a limited budget (fair enough), limited time to receive treatments or to apply creams and no intention, energy or time to follow an exercise / healthy nutrition regime. But for those who have the time, money and energy, this is the best possible plan, without gimmicks or compromises.