After the general and long confinement, due to Covid 19, some people completely lost their daily routine, others however, managed to set goals and take advantage of the restriction in inspiring ways!
One significant goal, especially for women, is weight loss after the holidays (Christmas, Easter, summer, etc.) … this year it seems like women will focus on weight loss after the pandemic !!
Difficult? Not really…if cellulite didn’t make it as challenging…a challenge that mainly women (95%) have to face.
The reasons vary, let’s see and try to explain how.
Why mainly women?
Because, one of the main reasons is the way the female skin is structured…in women the adipocytes are found in the subcutaneous layer separated in vertical and parallel compartments while in men this structure is diagonal in X’s
The following figure shows the differences in the deeper tissues and how excess fat can be more visible in the female body …
The uneven battle begins with the beginning of menstruation, usually between 12 and 14yrs, as the body starts taking a more ‘feminine’ shape due to the explosion of hormones, as they begin to take over some serious business. It’s about that time where all young women start to have cellulite.
All women have an amount of the, so called, normal cellulite which only becomes a problem with excess weight resulting to more fat in the body.
Some of the factors that contribute to that are:
- Female hormones, adolescence, pregnancy, menopause, hormonal disorders, hormonal therapy
- Hereditary factors. If the women in the family have severe cellulite, you are more likely to have a more severe predisposition. Also, heredity gives us the body type which also plays a decisive role in the fat deposition area.
- Racial predisposition
- Bad eating habits (sugar, salt, carbohydrates, alcohol, fat, etc.)
- Sedentary life
- Stress
- Metabolism
- Poor lymphatic function
If we add to the above, the structural causes and the fact that female skin is 25% thinner than that of men, we can understand why the excess weight and volume increase of the fat cells *in the body, result to the appearance of cellulite.
* the number of fat cells we have in our body stop increasing in adolescence. They remain stable all through our adult life varying only in volume.
Is cellulite is the same as fat ?
Yes, but with some differences! It sounds strange but if we analyze it things will become more understandable.
1st acknowledgement: Many women have found themselves in the “unfair” position of losing excess weight by doing a strict diet and counting calories, finding in the end that despite the weight loss the appearance of cellulite did not change much …
2nd acknowledgment: There are many women with the adequate weight who, too, suffer from the appearance of cellulite and ‘orange peel skin’…
So let’s see what happens.
Cellulite begins to appear, as mentioned above, during adolescence and is essentially fat cells that fill and experience a change caused by hormones … so far so good … as the years go by and depending on the factors mentioned above, the initial fat cells go to the next stage which makes them ‘aged’ and form the fibrous cellulite which is essentially the one that resists nutrition and exercise.
It is painful when pinched and prevents the good circulation of the lymph which causes a vicious cycle … the more insufficient lymphatic circulation is, the more toxins and fluid retention we have in the body … and as known, cellulite becomes more intense under this condition!
Let’s see in detail the 3 types of cellulite and how they can be treated.
Type 1: Adipose cellulite
It appears with weight gain which is relatively recent … it is visible with the pinching of the skin without feeling hard or painful .
Type 2: Aqueous cellulite
In addition to weight gain, it also occurs in combination with venous and lymphatic insufficiency, giving a heavy feeling in the lower extremities.
There is a build-up of old fat that causes the skin to have an ‘unsmooth’ appearance and is visible without pinching.
Type 3: Fibrous
It is a persistent cellulite that has been around for a long time without being treated … it is hard, ‘condensed’, painful and visible giving the skin an ‘orange-peel like’ appearance.
*All of the above conditions can be found on overweight or normal weight women.
The first type is probably the only one that will respond, partly to a nutritional approach combined with physical exercise…
The second and third types will need a more scientific approach as they will require the intervention of a professional aesthetician with knowledge of lymphatic massage *in order to achieve the maximum results with the help of massage…
The manual massage consists of a variety of ‘effleurage’,’petrissage’ and lymphatic drainage moves, that, combined with detox drinks (herbs) will help to the maximum (when done correctly) the detoxification and lymphatic decongestion of the body …
Visit your aesthetician to seek responsible advice on the treatment that will fill your needs. It will surely require from your part perseverance and effort but the results will definitely compensate you !!
* Lymphatic massage focuses on the smooth functioning of the lymphatic system, stimulating the movement of lymphatic fluid. These are light draining moves referring to specific centers and parts of the body that promote the natural drainage of the lymph.
FLORENCE GILIBERTI
TEI Health section -Aesthetics & Cosmetology
Certified Nursing Assistant IEK AKMH
BTAA Bowen Technique Academy Australia Certified
CBI Canine Bowen Institute Certified
