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For those who are not already familiar with it, cellulite is the lumpy, cottage cheese-like flesh that often forms on the back of the thighs, back of the arms, buttocks and other areas of the body. It is thought to be caused by excess estrogen and/or poor lymphatic circulation. Buildup of waste products such as free radicals in the tissues has also been implicated.
How to identify cellulite: Grasp a large fold of skin and roll it between your fingers. Try a normal skin fold first for comparison. Then try a skin fold in a suspected cellulite area. The normal area will feel smooth, whereas the cellulitic area will feel kind of lumpy under the skin. Actually, cellulite may progress through about 6 stages as it gets worse. Here they are:
- Stage 1: Bruising in the area affected by cellulite is slow to heal.
- Stage 2:As well as easy bruising, there may be discolored areas and broken veins. The underlying skin may have a somewhat lumpy feel.
- Stage 3:An "orange-peel look may be visible even without pinching the skin between the fingers.
- Stage 4:Bruising and broken veins may appear spontaneuosly. The skin clearly has a rippled look.
- Stage 5:As above, but the skin may also get hot and cold areas.
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- Stage 6:Lumps of fat under the skin become embedded in the tissue fibers, resulting in a "honeycomb" appearance to the area affected by cellulite.
What to do: Because cellulite is partially caused by poor lymph circulation, increased activity such as walking, jogging or aerobic exercise may help - on the other hand, spot exercises are not believed to do much good. Again, because you want to help your circulation as well as wash out the toxins in your body, drink plenty of water. Since the liver is the main organ which deals with toxins in the body, avoiding alcohol is also a good idea.
There are many proprietary cellulite creams on the market, some of which are quite pricey - I cannot comment on them as I have not tried any of them. However, some of them contain caffeine - and I have heard that some people swear that rubbing coffee grounds on the cellulite areas does help. Another way to save money is to buy some vitamin E capsules, pierce them with a sewing needle and spread the vitamin E on the area.
When massaging the skin, move in a direction toward the heart, i.e. move upwards on the thighs, buttocks or hips.
Lastly, here is a herbal cellulite cream you can make at home:
Cellulite Herbal Wrap Mixture:
1 cup corn oil
1/2 cup gragefruit juice
2 tsp. dried thyme
Massage into problem areas. For greater effect, cover with plastic wrap to trap body heat,
or carefully use a heating pad over the area for about 5 minutes
Good Luck!
Cathy Weston, M.HSc
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Copyright © 2008 by Catherine Weston. All Rights Reserved. |
