17 Different Cellulite Treatments You Can Use Today
It seems like there’s as many cellulite treatments available nowadays as there are stars in the sky.
And those treatments span the range from simple, lifestyle changes you can do at home– all the way up to heavy-duty medical procedures and surgery.
To help clear up some of the confusion, we’ve put together a brief list of all the different ways you can go about reducing and minimizing the look of cellulite.
We say ‘minimize’ because there really isn’t a permanent cure out there for cellulite right now (despite what some marketers want you to think).
Even though there isn’t a “cure” for cellulite, we do believe there are some things that can be really helpful in treating it.
We’re going to start this list with the simplest and least invasive treatments and work our way up to the most invasive and involved.
Let’s get to it!
At-Home Cellulite Treatments
1. Exfoliation
Whether you use an exfoliator, or the dry skin brushing technique, regular exfoliation is one of the easiest and best things you can do to reduce the look of cellulite. Bringing newer, fresher skin cells to the surface, and sloughing away dead skin cells, can have a big impact on cellulite.
2. Cellulite Creams and Retinol
Although cellulite creams are not a magical overnight cure, they do have significant value in nourishing and smoothing the skin. They also can gently increase circulation, which has major benefits in treating cellulite. Before we move on, we also wanted to mention that retinol, a Vitamin A derivative, has been clinically shown to reduce the appearance of cellulite when used for 6 months.
3. Supplements
Since we know that cellulite is caused by dermal fat cells getting larger and the connective tissue found under skin getting weaker, it’s important your body has the building blocks it needs to keep these things at bay. Without certain nutrients like glucosamine, your body won’t be able to produce collagen and elastin, which are needed to keep your connective tissue strong. If you don’t get these nutrients and vitamins from your food, it’s vital you take a supplement.
Lifestyle Changes That Help Treat Cellulite
4. Diet
Have you ever heard the expression, “You are what you eat?” Well that applies doubly for cellulite. Eating a diet high in protein, low in processed foods and carbs with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables will do a lot of god things for your skin. You’ll get the nutrients you need to strengthen your cells and collagen production. Also stay away from sugar.
5. Exercise
Staying in shape and contouring your body with exercise is one of the best things you can do to keep cellulite under control. And when we say exercise, we mean both cardio and strength training. These increase circulation and build muscle- both beneficial to minimizing the look of cellulite.
6. Lose Weight
This one goes hand-in-hand with the last two cellulite treatments- diet and exercise. It’s a well-known fact that just about anyone can get cellulite– whether you’re skinny or overweight. But unfortunately, being overweight makes cellulite look worse. So if you can lose weight by eating right and exercising, you’ll do quite a bit to help reduce your cellulite.
7. Drink Enough Water
This seems simple, but it can help with cellulite by keeping your cells hydrated. When cells are hydrated, they function properly to make sure nutrients are used effectively. When nutrients are used effectively, things like collagen and elastin are strengthened and supported. Strong collagen and elastin can reduce the look of cellulite. So drink enough water each day!
8. Sleep
If you don’t get enough sleep each night, a whole host of problems with your body will start to occur. These problems will eventually work their way to your cells and skin. That may eventually lead to a breakdown in connective tissue and/or larger dermal fat cells. Two things you do not want o occur if you’re trying to treat cellulite.
9. Stretching
I’m sure you’ve heard ad nauseam how good stretching is for you. Just open any magazine or read any lifestyle website and you’ll see what we’re talking about. This is another thing that alone, probably won’t do a whole lot for your cellulite, but when combined with some of the other things you see here, can be beneficial.
10. Reduce Stress
Undue stress triggers cortisol and free radicals, two things that aren’t good for your body and skin. Try meditation, deep breathing, yoga– whatever causes you to relax.
11. Ditch the Restrictive Underwear
Wearing underwear with a tight, elastic band across the top isn’t good for circulation, especially below the waste wear virtually all cellulite forms. Since we know circulation plays a big role in cellulite development, you should probably avoid overly-restrictive underwear. For women, that means thongs and “boy shorts” are probably best.
Cellulite Treatments You Can Get In A Spa or Clinic
11. Massage
Massage has been shown to stimulate the lymphatic system, which is beneficial in quite a few ways. Again, it helps with circulation and blood flow (as well as toxin removal).
12. Mesotherapy
This is a controversial technique whereby nutrients, vitamins and medicines are injected directly into the middle layer of skin by a naturopath or doctor. It supposedly helps with weight loss and cellulite but the reviews on it are decidedly mixed.
13. Body Wraps
These involve wrapping your body in a sheet or blanket with different ingredients such as herbs. They can help strip out water which may have a very temporary effect on the look of your cellulite. But once you drink some water, that effect will disappear.
14. Lasers
The FDA has approved a few different laser treatments for the treatment of cellulite. The popular ones are Cellulaze and VeraSmooth. They work by cutting the connective tissue found beneath the skin and melting fat deposits. It can take anywhere from 6 months to a year to see results and costs $5,000-$15,000 per area treated. Also, the long-term effects of such a treatment are unknown.
Medical Cellulite Treatments
15. Skin Fillers
Skin fillers like Restylane and Radiesse can help smooth the bumpiness of cellulite. The problem is these tend to be temporary and costs thousands of dollars per area treated. It’s also hard to treat a large area with these skin fillers (which is why they’re mainly used on the face, not for cellulite).
16. Liposuction
This is a procedure whereby fat cells are sucked through a vacuum and out of your body. Liposuction works alright for body contouring but isn’t recommended for cellulite. In fact, the American Academy of Dermatologists has declared that liposuction can actually make cellulite worse.
17. Drugs
As of now, there aren’t any drugs/injections like Botox that you can get for cellulite. However, there is a drug called collagenase clostridium histolyticum that’s currently being tested precisely for this purpose. If it passes its trials and gets FDA approval, we’ll let you know!
Conclusion
Ok that about sums up just about every cellulite treatment that we’ve seen over the years.
Some of these work great, some not so much (and some just flat-out shouldn’t be used at all).
In our experience, the best way to treat cellulite is with a balanced approach that combines things you can use at home with minor lifestyle treatments.
This approach doesn’t cost a ton of money, but it does require commitment and time.
So start out by changing your diet, exercising, drinking enough water and getting enough sleep.
Then get rid of your restrictive underwear and any stress that you can.
Finally exfoliate every day, use supplements and nourish your skin with a good cellulite cream.
If you do these things, your cellulite will appear minimized, if not significantly reduced.
The good news is, if you follow this healthy, balanced approach, you’ll also get a lot of other benefits that have nothing to do with cellulite!
Time to get to work!
