Let’s set the scene. I’ve just come home from work at the spa, and helped put our gorgeous munchkins to bed. Once they are fast asleep, Mrs P unleashes her secret weapon. She has bought some fabulous new bikinis and decides to model them for me. Lucky me! Or a not so subtle hint that we are yet to book our holidays for 2017. Still very much distracted by her killer legs, I can’t help but notice her total lack of any visible cellulite. Lucky her! She does follow quite a healthy diet and exercise plan, and does the right things to keep herself looking tip top. Or perhaps it’s the fear of me suggesting she needs to come to the spa for something other than a manicure.
Unfortunately unsightly cellulite affects the vast majority of women, but not to worry, help is at hand to smooth things over in time for the beach.
What you need to know…
Cellulite is the layer of fat under the skin that gives the dimpling effect ranging from a subtle orange peel effect to quite a thick and uneven lumpy texture. Sometimes the cellulite is only visible when legs are crossed. Many celebs have fallen foul of this by cheeky paparazzi cameras.
The usual causes are unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, dehydration, hormonal changes and slow metabolism.
What you can do…
In the long term, losing excess weight, improving diet and most importantly more exercise are going to slow down the development of cellulite or even improve it.
If you do not own a body brush, GET ONE. An extra few minutes in the shower brushing your legs in an upwards direction will both increase the circulation in the legs and exfoliate the skin, whilst smoothing away mild cellulite.
There are a multitude of creams and lotions available to treat cellulite but they can be quite hit and miss. Make sure you use one with anti-oxidants and caffeine which work well to firm and tone the skin. Products from Clarins, Shiseido and Etat Pur are quite popular in magazine tests and tick the right boxes in terms of ingredients. At best they will work, at worst, you will have beautifully moisturised legs.
Massages and body wraps can help temporarily by draining some excess fluid from the legs, but again these can be unpredictable with results.
What we find works very well is the 3D lipo cellulite treatment. 3D lipo is a system favoured by celebrities to get them swimsuit perfect. This treatment consists of vacuum suction, radio frequency and derma-rollers to iron away the cellulite. A course of treatments is ideal although you will see visible results from the very first session. The advantage is that there is no down time.
Mesotherapy has shown some very impressive results especially when the cellulite is heavy and more drastic measures are needed. This involves painlessly injecting small quantities of pharmaceuticals just under the surface of the skin to melt and dissolve the uneven fat. It is a very popular procedure on the continent. Picture the French Riviera and Mediterranean sun soaked islands. Again there is no down time but results aren’t instantly apparent.
Or there is always, good old fashioned, liposuction which is very effective but involves pain, bruising and hiding away those legs whilst recovering from the operation.
There you have it. No excuses, not show off your killer legs this summer. It certainly worked for Mrs P. We have now booked, not one, but three trips away for 2017. Secret weapons indeed.
Our Health Blogger, Bhavash Padhiar is the founder of Amara Spa, a day spa and leading skincare centre in Fulham, London.
Visit: amaraspa.co.uk
Follow: @AmaraSpa
