Digestive problems such as constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and leaky gut syndrome can make cellulite worse, due to the increased water retention and inflammation they cause (low grade inflammation and water retention are two important aspects of cellulite). Fibre, found in all vegetables and fruits, is beneficial for managing IBS, maintaining good digestion and keeping cholesterol and blood glucose level low, thereby contributing to good overall health...
Low-level light therapy (phototherapy) works with light - never with heat
"Ah yes, LED light therapy, good reminder to use again my RF wand I have at home…" This is how some people react when they hear about red light therapy / photobiomodulation, erroneously believing that light therapy works by heating up the skin. However, this could not be further from the truth. Low level light therapy (LLLT), with either...
Cellulite and the ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet is one of the most popular diets, used for weight loss and to help manage specific health conditions (diabetes, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and more). The ketogenic diet involves consuming a very small - to negligible - amount of carbohydrates, in order to lower glucose and insulin levels and lead to the production of ketones by the body. In the absence of glucose from carbohydrates the body produces ketones, which provide energy to the brain and other organs in glucose’s place...
Light therapy vs cavitation / RF for cellulite reduction and skin tightening
Light therapy, also known as phototherapy and photobiomodulation, is a great aesthetic and wellness therapeutic modality, helping with anything from wound healing, to acne, to mood enhancement to skin anti-ageing. High-power light therapy can also help with cellulite and skin laxity prevention and perhaps a little bit with reduction, but its effect comes nowhere near to that of deep-acting, high-power cavitation and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound radiofrequency, the strongest SAFE...
Do fat cells grow back after liposuction?
Liposuction is like an absolution of previous sins, it does not absolve you of any future sins (over-eating / exercising too little). With liposuction anything up to 80%-90% of the fat on a specific area is removed but some - even 10-20% remains. This is because it is impossible to scrape off every single bit of fat, as this would cause injury to the surrounding tissues and consequent fibrosis...
When ultrasound / radiofrequency doesn’t work: too much, too little, too deep, too superficial
However, not all cavitation and RF treatments are the same. In fact, as every clinic individual therapist practises those technologies differently, even with the exact same equipment - and as there is a huge variety of RF and ultrasound equipment on the market, ranging from very low spec to very high spec - we can say that there are as many RF/cavitation treatments on the market as there are clinics in the world - probably tens of thousands of them...
Cellulite and the menopause
Menopause seems to affect women in multiple ways, none of which is good for cellulite. Firstly, collagen synthesis reduces with menopause, meaning a gradual collapse of the connective tissue which allows the hypodermal adipose globules to become more pronounced. The same effect leads to blood and lymphatic vessels weakening, leading to poorer circulation. Secondly, metabolism also reduces, allowing increased fat accumulation in the hypodermal adipose globules. This also makes cellulite more visible...
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…
How to use Ultrasound Saturation Point (USP) for effective and safe cavitation treatments for cellulite
Deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the two most effective SAFE technologies for cellulite reduction and skin tightening (far more effective and safe than e.g. RF microneedling or HIFU). Depth of treatment depends on the type of ultrasound or RF equipment you use, the settings you apply and even the contact medium you apply on the skin. Power depends on the equipment you use and the settings you apply…
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…
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…
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…