16 Cellulite Myths Exposed, Part I: "Cellulite is just fat," Lymphatic Drainage, Body Brushing, Men and Cellulite
Cellulite expert Georgios Tzenichristos presents five common cellulite myths and attempts to set the record straight about the nature of cellulite, and also about lymphatic massage, body brushing, cellulite massage and cellulite creams as methods of cellulite reduction.
(Vocus/PRWEB) January 19, 2011
There are several different factors that conspire to cause the “orange peel skin” look found in 90% women after the age of 30, and because of this multiplicity of causative factors cellulite is very difficult to treat. The countless myths and misconceptions that make the situation worse as they mislead and confuse the public, making cellulite even more difficult to treat.
In this article, cellulite expert Georgios Tzenichristos presents four common cellulite myths and attempts to set the record straight Another 12 myths will be exposed in the second, third and fourth part of this series.
Cellulite Myth #1: Cellulite does not exist ("cellulite is just fat, all you need to do is lose weight")
Many people dismiss cellulite as common fat, same as any other type of fat in the body. However, cellulite is quiet different to normal fat. The normal fat found in overweight men and women is found underneath the skin and does not appear as lumps and bumps in a mattress-like pocket arrangement. In contrast, cellulite is compartmentalised fat found inside the skin, not underneath it, with these fat compartments protruding over the surface of the skin, quite unlike normal fat.
Cellulite is an aesthetic syndrome with multiple causes that comprises superficial fat accumulation, connective tissue deformity, scar tissue, water retention, inflammation and toxin accumulation, all within the structure of the skin of the female thighs and buttocks (and sometimes stomach, arms and calves too). It does exist and is quite different from normal fat, as MRI and ultrasound scans can attest.
Losing weight will indeed reduce cellulite as it does reduce normal fat. However, due to the connective tissue deformity that accompanies cellulite and the propensity of the cellulite fat cells to resist fat loss during weight loss, diet and exercise are not enough for cellulite reduction. In most cases, a vigorous cellulite treatment and a concentrated, comprehensive anti-cellulite cream are needed for best results, in conjunction with healthy nutrition and exercise.
Cellulite Myth #2: Cellulite is just excess water and can be “removed” by manual lymphatic drainage massage, or by skin brushing
As mentioned above, cellulite is more than just fat, or water retention, or connective tissue deformity, or toxin accumulation, or inflammation. It is all the above. Therefore, simplistic approaches such as manual lymphatic drainage massage (MLD massage) can only confer a very temporary (1-2 days), very mild relief - not lasting results.
The old fashioned lymph massage developed in the 1930s does not do anything to treat the causes of water retention, neither it does anything to reduce local fat accumulation, break down scar tissue, iron out connective tissue discrepancies and reduce inflammation. All that light lymphatic massage does is drain excess water and toxins from the cellulite tissues in a very temporary and very limited manner. Because of all these limitations, manual lymphatic massage cannot be characterised as an effective or efficient means of cellulite reduction.
Cellulite Myth #3: Body brushing (skin brushing) "fights" cellulite
The notion that cellulite is just poor lymph drainage/toxin accumulation led some people to believe that skin brushing can effectively “remove” cellulite. This could not be further from the truth. Skin/body brushing is not even an effective lymphatic drainage method. “All that body brushing does is exfoliate the skin, and that's all”, cellulite guru Georgios Tzenichristos advises. “You can not apply a proper, strong, cellulite-specific massage by utilising a body brush without making the skin bleed. This is because skin brushing works by literally scraping off the epidermis, i. e. the top layer of the skin, while for cellulite reduction you need to manipulate the subdermis, i. e. the bottom layer of the skin”, Georgios adds. Clearly body brushing is a waste of time, when it comes to cellulite reduction, with the only useful application of the technique being that of exfoliating the skin before applying a good anti-cellulite cream.
Cellulite Myth #4: Men don’t get cellulite
“Who said that men don’t get cellulite? Of course they do! Everybody can get cellulite, provided their body stays inactive enough and it is loaded with enough excess estrogen, fat and sugar”, claims Georgios who has researched cellulite physiology for over a decade, adding that “The pre-cellulite fat pocket infrastructure exists in all human beings’ thighs and hips. All it takes is estrogen and excess calories to inflate and proliferate those fat cells, and some sedentary lifestyle to stimulate skin looseness and water retention - and hey presto, cellulite is born”!
Georgios is passionate when he talks about the intricacies of cellulite physiology and is keen to explain that “Some old men whose estrogen levels and food/beer intake are high and their activity levels are low, do develop cellulite. Furthermore, male to female transexuals also develop cellulite, when they consume excess calories and stay inactive, in much the same way women develop cellulite for exactly the same reasons”.
Cellulite is just the unfortunate outcome of twisting nature’s best intentions with our unnatural, unhealthy lifestyle. Nature originally intended the mattress-like fat structure in the female thighs and hips to be a beautifying feature for women, and that strategy worked well for hundreds of thousands of years. Unfortunately, things like cupcakes, cocktails, smoking and the "pill" can expand a beautiful structure out of all proportion, creating what women (and some men) call “cellulite”...
Georgios has been treating, researching and writing about cellulite for the last 10 years. At the LipoTherapeia clinic Georgios provides his customers with intensive cellulite-specific massage, pressotherapy, radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation and concentrated anti-cellulite creams.
For more information please visit http://www. lipotherapeia. com or call +44 20 7047 1982.
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