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Cellulitis and orange-peel skin
________________________
__________ INTRODUCTION __________

Whether they are slim or have a full figure, whether they are young or in the prime of life, only few women escape these disasters. Cellulitis gets to you ... but is not ineluctable.


  Cellulitis influences the adipose tissue of our organism, in other words the fat cells, which grow excessively: they become bigger and group into fatty flabs which make our skin look like an orange-peel. Sometimes this can even really hurt.





__________ CAUSES __________

The causes are very diverse: genetic predestination, bad blood-circulation, bad lymphatic circulation, diet, stress, lack of physical exercise, hormonal disorder, ...

  
This hypertrophy is due to the disrupted balance between the accumulation and the discharge in the fat cells. Because this problem can occur very locally, even very slim women can have zones with cellulitis.
The processes of accumulating and releasing fat is mainly influenced by hormons and the blood-circulation, but lots of other factors, such as the mental state and the metabolism, can play a role as well.
In cases of really bad cellulitis, physicians can help you discover its causes and determine the remedies. The combination of different remedies is often very effective.
All these factors can make the fat cells in certain parts of the body grow excessively, especially in the lower part of the female body.  



 

 

 

__________ PREVENTION __________

How to avoid

  Diet

We must distinguish between cellulitis and obesity. It is indeed possible to suffer from cellulitis without being overweight. But on the other hand excess weight, too much fat and too much sugar do promote cellulitis. Although it is by no means necessary to live like a monk, you will benefit from a diet which is rich in whole cereals (which improve the bowel transit), fresh vegetables and fruit, fish, grilled meat, light dairy and slow sugars (pasta and rice). Lots of good and healthy food. The only things required are perseverance and a minimum of discipline.
Physical exercise

Sport may not do wonders, but regular physical exercise is an excellent way to combat cellulitis; because it benefits the blood-circulation and the cells' oxygen saturation. An excellent maintenance program consists of a half hour brisk walk every day, 45 minutes swimming or aquagym twice per week and 15 minutes of belly-buttocks exercise every day.  

Do you think this is too much ? That's a pity, but replace at least three times per week your lunch with a brisk, quick walk. When you are doing nothing physical at all, for instance on the bus, in front of the television or in the car, use this opportunity to tighten your buttocks. It is this kind of small, daily exercise which will eventually result in muscles as strong as iron.
Creams

Although these creams cannot make long-lasting cellulitis disappear, they can visibly improve your skin's appearance, on the condition that you use them at least twice per day during at least four weeks.These products, often caffeine-based, are quite effective, but cannot work wonders.   We can recommend you the following products: Lipofactor spécial capitons, Glucoblock by Vichy, Roc retinol anti-cellulitis, Body Lift 10 by Liérac, Extrême Minceur by Elancyl (in mini-doses), and also - for their "wellness" formula - Corps Minceur by Caudalie with grape-stone extract, and the slimming gel Aroma Fit by Lancôme with extracts of citrus fruits.

Massages

No, they don't make you loose weight ... unless you are giving them.
They can however be effective in that they reduce congestions and oedemae, on the condition that they are given on a regular basis and for a long enough period (2 or 3 times per week during 3 months, with a regular follow-up afterwards).

   A well performed lymph-drainage benefits the lymphatic circulation and can give excellent results in cases of so called infiltrated cellulitis (with accumulation of liquid).
When the cellulitis is hardened (fibrous tissue), you can try the so called endermologic techniques, such as the Cellu M6, a small, special massage appliance which is used by some physiotherapists to stimulate the blood circulation and the lymphatic circulation.
 





__________ THE MEDICAL TREATMENT OF CELLULITIS __________


The sport?

Physical exercise on a regular basis may have only little effect in cases of long-established local cellulitis, but sports are a good prevention and at the same time constitute one of the treatments because physical exercise acts upon different factors of cellulitis.   Sports improve the arterial blood-circulation and the venous blood-circulation and increase the tissues' oxygen-saturation. Sports also promote lipolysis (starting from an average of 30 minutes of physical exercise) and maintain the muscular mass (the body burns its calories better when the muscular mass is bigger).
Creams

Their effect is usually either lipolytic (fat-splitting, i.e. they increase the fat cells' capacity to release fat) or they act locally upon the micro-circulation (the increased local blood-circulation benefits the discharge and the drainage of the tissues and combats oedemae). Both effects can also be combined.

  

Often creams are used that activate the micro-circulation and / or the venous flow back. Other creams have an anti- effect. These creams will therefore reduce the blood-circulation's worsening impact on cellulitis.

Caffeine seems to be the most commonly prescribed ingredient. Its properties are by now well known: caffeine reduces oedemae, regulates the vascular tension, increases lipolysis and also restricts the accumulation of fat.
One has to choose creams or gels which contain active ingredients which penetrate well into the skin. The treatment can be carried out at home, on a regular basis. Creams and gels can well complement the other techniques discussed here, or can follow up on them.  
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Do any anti-cellulitis exist ?

The problem of disrupted venous, capillary or lymphatic circulation must be tackled in all cases of cellulitis, since they tend to make cellulitis worse. Hormonal problems may occur as well, in which case they must be addressed.

  

We know that cellulitis has different causes. It is often related to problems of the blood-circulation, but it can also result from hormonal disorders, and even from problems of the static, such as flat-feet.

Your physician will first of all diagnose which are the factors that cause or worsen cellulitis in your particular case. Having done this, he can treat it using the different therapeutic means which are at his disposal, separately or combined.

These treatments are prescribed case-by-case. They will visibly improve the result of any local treatment.

 

  

Mesotherapy

This is one of the first medical treatments of cellulitis. It consists of micro-injections into the derm, using products that act upon the blood-circulation and that have a discharging effect.

   This treatment requires about ten sessions, at one week intervals. In order to keep the achieved result, one or two sessions per month are usually recommended.
This technique is mainly used to promote the local micro-circulation, which results in the body tissue to become more supple and better drained. It is therefore best recommended for the lower parts of the body when disorders of the blood-circulation exist.
Electro-fysiotherapeutical treatments

Different methods exist nowadays to treat cellulitis by means of electric current (electro-lipolysis) or ultrasonic waves. They use electrodes (plates or needles, depending on the case) which are placed on the zones that require treatment.

 

Some appliances used in electro-therapy also have a stimulating effect on the lower-lying muscles. This passive strengthening of the muscles can constitute a complement to the effect described before. Here too, 8 to 10 sessions are required to start with, followed by a monthly maintenance session.


The principles are usually the same: to improve the local micro-circulation in order to drain the cellulitic tissues (anti-oedematous effect) and to discharge.

  
It has been established that electric current results in increased lipolysis.
  

Vacuotherapy (endermology)

This is one of the most recent methods. It consists of a mechanical treatment which works through massage (palpate-roll type) and drainage of the tissues in order to make them more supple and to discharge them. The appliances used suck in the skin, as a suction-pump would do, while at the same time moving over the skin, thus massaging the zones affected with cellulitis.

  
Making the tissues more supple will gradually improve the 'mattress'-like appearance of the orange-peel skin. The massages stimulate the local micro-circulation. This method is also used in order to make the tissues firmer.

 
This treatment requires ten to fifteen sessions, at a rythm of one or two sessions per week.  





__________ STRATEGY __________


Which strategy to follow ?

Some people react better to certain treatments than other people.

  
These methods are soft, but they do require perseverance! Do not forget the maintenance sessions, which allow you to keep the achieved results and to avoid the problem become worse.
Does all this seem cumbersome to you ? Are you more the "get it over and done with" kind of person ? Then you had better opt for liposculpture. This treatment tackles the root-cause of the problem: the deeper-lying fat!

The physician will therefore first have to discover the different causes of your particular cellulilitis-problem, and then choose and test the treatment that seems to suit you best.

  
 


If you wish to have specific information relating to your case,
please come and see us.