Therapy also means that the procedures take time and must be done on a regular base. Some therapies can take months before seeing results. And in many cases the result is only temporary. The positive side of therapies is that they also work on the appearance of the skin that appears tighter, smoother and healthier.

Cellulite is fat cells and subcutaneous connective tissue found under the skin generally on the thigh and buttocks area, especially in women. It affects women as well as men although in much lower proportion, due to the difference in skin tissue structure between men and women.

Thin woman cellulite

Women and men have strands of connective tissue that separate fat cells into compartments and connect fat tissue to skin. In women, these fibers form a honeycomb-like pattern, so any increase of fat in a given area tends to bulge. You don’t see cellulite in men because their fibers run in a horizontal, criss-cross pattern that prevents bulging or dimpling.

So why does cellulite seem to appear out of nowhere and get worse as we get older? There are two reasons. First, skin tissue changes as we age. Those strands of connective tissue thicken with age, and our skin gets thinner and the combined effect is more pronounced cellulite. Second, and not less important, the average woman loses 2Kgs of muscle and replaces it with about 6Kgs of fat every decade of her adult life. Because fat is exceptionally soft, it doesn’t keep our skin tight like muscle does. It also takes up more space, so it bulges out.

You can not get rid of cellulite like normal fat. Diet and exercise will help, but not solve the problem. Cellulite is also linked to pregnancy, puberty, menopause, even stress. Seeing cellulite never goes away, it will always look worse with time.

Now let’s see 5 mythos regarding cellulite:

Will drinking 2 liters of water a day reduce cellulite?

NO. Drinking lots of water is very good for you, but it will not do anything for your cellulite.  The manufactures of cream for massages add ingredients that eliminate excess water in the body. Drinking a lot of water will help flush the toxins from your body.

Is there a diet for eliminating cellulite?

NO. There are no foods that will eliminate or reduce cellulite. It is advisable for many other health reasons to avoid alcohol, refined foods (white flour and bread) and saturated fats.  Like any good diet, you must eat lean meat, fresh vegetables, low fat dairy produces and fish and of course don’t smoke.

Cellulite is for fat people only!

NO.  Even thin people that exercises have cellulite. Cellulite is in the hypodermis (in the skin layer) so it does not get burned up like body fat does with exercise or diet.

Do only old women have cellulite?

NO. Even girls as young as 14 can have cellulite. Cellulite is hereditarily, so if it’s in the family it’s very likely that even young girls will have it. In older people the skin is not as elastic and is thinner, so the appearance of cellulite is more evident.

Are there no Cellulite treatments that work!

NO. There is no miracle treatment for cellulite, but there are treatments that can reduce its appearance:
Endermologie is a mechanical deep massage therapy done with vacuum suction so that the dermis and hypodermis are kneaded into a rolling device while negative pressure holds the skin in the rollers. 14-28 treatments are needed 2 times a week. This treatment will not solve the cause of cellulite and excessive massage can break tiny capillaries!

Mesotherapy is a treatment that requires injecting a combination of medications or vitamins into the mesoderm (the middle area of the skin), directly affecting the fat cells.  The number of treatments varies from 4 to 14 (according to the medication) and can leave soreness, bruising, and pain during and after the injections.

Massage can be used for reducing cellulite. This stimulates microcirculation and allows drainage of fluids. These massages are done with many products and ingredients. Creams, essential oils and serums are used to help the treatment and leave the skin soft and smooth.  Body wraps are also used as part therapy to fight cellulite. Many treatments are required for results.

TriLipo technology uses a combination of focused TriLipo RF energy and TriLipo  Dynamic Muscle Activation (DMA) which are delivered into the skin in a unique simultaneous application.
The triple action of TriLipo technology consists of RF deep volumetric heating combined with internal muscle contraction and external mechanical force which together yield maximum fat removal and lymphatic drainage as well as skin tightening. Four treatments once a week are required for long lasting results. It is clinically proven to be safe and effective cellulite reducing with no side effects.

Cellulite reduction therapy is a process. No cures, not even surgery, are permanent since the processes which create cellulite – heredity, skin structure, stress, and hormones – are still in effect.

RF is also used as a treatment for uncontrolled bowel movements, uncontrolled passage of urine or esophageal reflux syndrome. In these cases the treatment includes microscopic RF targeting of the collagen in the organ wall. The creation of such focal, microscopic treatment within the cavity wall, results in reduced dynamic tissue compliance, and improvement in the pathologic conditions.

RF energy is also deployed in orthopedics for gentle ablation of tendons and ligaments, it is also used to coagulate and decompress disc material, healing tears or fissures. Pain management is also a vast branch of medicine that deploys RF. The default treatment of pain is usually by prescribed pain killers; these can be problematic as they are addictive and do have side effects. RF is used for pain management via a few different methods. The first method is by identifying the problematic muscle and healing it by heating the muscle by targeting it with RF. Other methods involve targeting the nerve tissue directly: a process called Radio Frequency Lesioning (RFL).  In this process continuous radiofrequency current is transmitted to a small volume of nerve tissue hence inducing heat generation, this causes disruption of pain signals from that specific area. This procedure has a selective effect on specific nerve fibers, reducing pain in target areas, but without affecting other sensory capabilities of the specific nerve.

Radio Frequency has been established in aesthetic medicine as a means to induce skin tightening and reduction of wrinkles, improvement of cellulite and body contouring. RF current is transmitted into the skin and heat is generated due to the resistance of the skin to the RF current. The heat induces shrinkage of existing collagen and stimulation of the fibroblast to generate new collagen. In addition, heat generated in the hypodermis adipose tissue (fat layer in the hypodermis) causes  release of liquid fat from the fat cells, thus inducing shrinkage of the fat cells in the adipose tissue which leads to circumference reduction and  improvement in  the appearance of cellulite.

Thermage were the first to introduce the first generation of mono polar RF for the purpose of body contouring and skin tightening in 1997. In mono polar RF one electrode is used to transmit the RF energy to the skin and a return pad is placed on the body to close the circuit. Mono polar RF devices use very high power (250-300W) as the treatment is not focused and the electrical current aimed at the dermis will actually dissipate throughout the body. The treatment is painful due to the high power it requires and a topical anesthesia is needed to tolerate the treatment.

Bi polar RF technology is the second generation of RF aesthetic devices; it uses 2 electrodes to transmit the RF current and does not require a return pad. The penetration depth is about half the distance between the 2 electrodes.  Most Mono and Bi polar devices require surface cooling in order to protect the epidermis during treatment.

TriPollar technology is the 3^rd generation of RF aesthetic devices. It uses 3 electrodes to transmit the RF current into the dermal and fat layers while protecting the outer most skin layer. The energy field created using this method is very condense and requires substantially less energy to achieve the desired heating of the treated area, hence enabling a safe pleasant treatment with the positive immediate and long term results of RF aesthetic treatments.