Literally every first woman now knows that cellulite is a cosmetic defect that must be dealt with. And the salons offer a lot of procedures to get rid of the “orange peel” and “breeches”. But how to independently figure out which procedures and drugs you need is quite difficult.
It happened about eight years ago, when I was in my first year. It was wonderful autumn days, and I decided to walk to the pharmacy. There was a queue at the pharmacy, and I entertained myself by looking at the windows. And suddenly, behind the glass, on the shelf of the most banal “manual” section, I saw a tube of cream for … buttocks! So, in any case, the inscription on the price tag read, the tube itself was written in Polish. Imagine what my shock was if in a series of autumn days this one was remembered! Ask, don’t ask the pharmacist? First about analgin, and then so casually: “Show, please, a cream for …” No, just not that – girlish modesty outweighed, and I went home without knowing what kind of perversion it was – buttock cream. By the way, the survey of girlfriends on the phone also did not give any results. And only much later I learned about cellulite. However, this circumstance does not bother me at all, since ten years ago it was necessary to spend a lot of time and effort to find a person who understands the meaning of this word. Today the situation has changed radically – everyone knows about this misfortune, and almost from kindergarten. It can even be argued that cellulite has become a kind of hero of our time, or rather an antihero. Because even those who don’t really know what it looks like know it’s bad.
Cellulite and Peace of Mind
Before I say what cellulite is, I want to say what it is not. Firstly, it is not synonymous with the word “fullness”; secondly, it is a pretext for the poisoning of existence, both one’s own and those of loved ones; and, thirdly, cellulite is not a disease (except in very advanced cases, when the areas affected by cellulite begin to ache).
So what is cellulite? There are many definitions, but we decided not to “load” you with details. So, cellulite is a way of storing fat, typical mainly for women (recently it has begun to occur in men as well).
What is the cause of cellulite?
Poor ecology, unhealthy diet, constant stress – everything that does not contribute to beauty or health. But among the many reasons, there are basic ones that necessarily lead to the appearance of cellulite. This is a hereditary predisposition (cellulite is transmitted through the female line – from mother to daughter), hormonal imbalance, decreased thyroid function, dysfunction of the pancreas, one of the variants of which is diabetes, and physical inactivity. It is clear that the first three reasons are eliminated only with the help of an endocrinologist (and not in a beauty parlor, and even more so not independently), but the consequences of physical inactivity can be successfully eliminated by a cosmetologist. But, before running to the salon, you need to figure out what is happening in the body, at what stage of development is cellulite and whether it exists at all.
Stage one, edema
There are four stages of cellulite. In the first and second stages, it is almost impossible to see it. A woman usually thinks that she is a little fat or rather swollen. At the same time, the skin remains even and smooth. Not finding the “orange peel”, she calmly alters skirts and “arranges” jackets, while the body is already starting the process of fluid retention, which will soon lead to a very real, visible cellulite. Here’s how it happens: after processing nutrients, fat cells form slags, which they throw into the intercellular fluid. There, toxins gradually accumulate, and when there are too many of them, they squeeze the lymphatic vessels. This means that 60-70 percent of the fluid that the lymphatic vessel is responsible for pumping out is retained in the body – hence the feeling of puffiness or swelling. But 30-40 percent of the fluid is still excreted from the body through the veins. Therefore, at the first stage, getting rid of cellulite is very simple. You just need to actively remove fluid from the body: firstly, go in for sports, secondly, go to the sauna and expel all excess fluid and toxins from the body (preferably take a massage brush with you) and, thirdly, undergo a course of lymphatic drainage. Please note: lymphatic drainage and regular massage are different things. Therefore, if the muscles stretch during lymphatic drainage, there will be no anti-cellulite effect from this procedure, since all lymphatic vessels will be squeezed from such an effect,
and the main task at this stage is to make them pump out fluid. Properly done manual lymphatic drainage is like gently patting and stroking the skin. You can do hardware lymphatic drainage: electric or vacuum. With electric lymphatic drainage, self-adhesive sensors are placed on problem areas, which shake the skin and create a rattling effect; vacuum lymphatic drainage works on the principle of cupping massage. Another way to get rid of cellulite at the initial stage is pressotherapy. During this procedure, special boots are put on, into which air is injected. This creates a pressure difference that expels excess fluid from the body. And, of course, you need to use anti-cellulite creams. At the initial stage of cellulite, they help great, but they should be applied with light massaging movements, making light lymphatic drainage.
Stage two, more severe edema
At the second stage of cellulite development, the venous system can no longer cope with the amount of fluid that needs to be removed from the body. In this regard, the pressure inside the tissues increases. The fluid builds up and compresses the veins, thereby blocking the last opportunity for outflow. Fat deposits become dense due to the fact that the swelling has increased and the tissue is tensed.
In order to make a correct diagnosis, you just need to touch the problem areas: if the thighs or legs have become denser, it means that cellulite has entered the second stage and now the treatment needs to be activated, bringing the number of lymphatic drainage sessions up to 3-4 times a week. In addition, it is necessary to increase physical activity and the number of trips to the sauna. And don’t stop using anti-cellulite creams.
Stage three, micronadular
If the first two stages of cellulite are not noticed, continue to play around with “buns” and sit for hours at the TV, then the disease very quickly develops into the third stage, when the liquid already begins to squeeze the arteries that are responsible for the supply of oxygen to the tissue. As soon as oxygen stops flowing, connective tissue begins to develop in the form of a mesh, similar to a honeycomb. The connective tissue resembles the white veins that every housewife sees in a piece of meat. Something similar is formed in a woman’s body, but so far, at the third stage, this connective tissue covers only one or two cells.
At first glance, the skin looks normal, but if you put it in a fold, it is easy to see the notorious “orange peel”. To correctly diagnose this stage of cellulite development, a so-called heat test can be performed. To do this, fold your arms crosswise and check the skin temperature with the back of your palms (an assistant is needed for this test). In places of severely neglected cellulite, the temperature is always slightly lower. Another diagnostic method is a pinch symptom. To do this, you need to gently, slowly, but firmly grip the skin with two fingers, hold it a little and release it sharply. If no painful sensations arise, then the pinch symptom is negative, that is, the nerve endings are preserved and all is not yet lost. At the third stage, cellulite is difficult to treat due to the formation of the same connective tissue, which is attached to the muscle on one side and to the skin on the other. Therefore, when the skin moves in soft places not affected by connective tissue, it easily moves, but where there is a scar – no, hence the “orange peel”.
Losing weight at this stage of cellulite is also very difficult, since even with the most optimal diet, everything will lose weight, except for the body parts blocked by cellulite. Lymphatic drainage is practically useless at this stage. Therefore, salons offering treatment of the third stage of cellulite with lymphatic drainage raise doubts about their competence. Such cellulite needs to be “broken”. More recently, one of the most popular methods of “breaking” was power massage. But with such a massage, capillary veins, arteries and nerve endings are torn together with fat and connective tissue. This is a very painful procedure and not very effective. Today there are more “civilized” methods. Therefore, it is better not to risk your health, but to do electrolipolysis, lipolipolysis or cellulolipolysis. These are different names for the same procedure using electrodes (stick-on or needles) through which an alternating current is passed and which causes ions to move through the cell. As a result of these movements, the cell opens and releases toxins, the fat melts and becomes fluid. A suspension is obtained from broken cells, liquid fats, water and ions. Therefore, if after the procedure you do not do lymphatic drainage and remove this suspension from the body, then the next day the fat cells will completely recover.
Now the ultrasound method of getting rid of cellulite is becoming popular. Ultrasound gently crushes all fibrous tissue without affecting the cell. That is, all the “veins” are broken, the “orange peel” disappears, but the volume of the thighs does not decrease. True, it is better to use imported devices, since ultrasound on a domestic-made device can penetrate to a depth of 12 centimeters. This means that if cellulite in the abdomen is broken, all pelvic organs are exposed to ultrasound, which is undesirable.
Stage four, macronadular
When another, larger mesh of connective tissue appears around the small sinewy mesh, such cellulite is clearly visible. On cellulite areas, the skin is cold and bluish. The pinch symptom is positive. This means that the nerve endings are affected and such cellulite causes pain. This is already a pathology, in contrast to the first three stages, which, strictly speaking, are not pathology. Lymphatic drainage, diets, and even more so a sauna and creams will not help here. In this case, lipoaspiration (liposuction) is needed – an operation to remove fat. Some time ago, during liposuction, they used a simple needle that was hollow inside. This needle-tube was inserted into an incision in the skin and a “vacuum cleaner” was turned on to suck out the fat. At the same time, of course, blood vessels and nerve endings were torn, and after the operation, huge bruises did not heal for a long time; the sensitivity in this area decreased, the so-called “jellyfish head” was formed, that is, fat remained at the edges of the treated area. Now there are new devices for lipoaspiration, with two needles. One needle conducts a current that melts the fat, the second sucks it off. Sometimes fat is crushed with ultrasound. Such operations do not require general anesthesia, only local anesthesia. After this procedure, fat will never appear on the “cleansed” place. However, remember that cellulite is a way of life, and if you do not change it, after a while the need for surgery will again arise, only the fat will need to be pumped out from another part of the body.
Instead of a conclusion
The cellulite problem is a lifestyle problem. And an indicator of your attitude to life and to yourself.