Cellulite massages have been used to effectively prevent and sometimes reduce cellulite for decades, in spite of the wide variability in quality and lack of formal education about cellulite

Massage has been used for the prevention and reduction of cellulite for decades - with mixed results. The efficiency of massage as an anti-cellulite treatment depends on two factors: the quality of the massage and the lifestyle of the person that receives the massage. Combined with a good diet and exercise regime, a good cellulite massage can provide amazing results. Without diet and exercise the results can range from good to average, depending on the severity of cellulite. Needless to say that a poorly thought-out and executed cellulite massage will offer minimal benefits.

Massage has not gained widespread recognition as a serious treatment against cellulite for the same reasons that therapeutic massage has not been taken seriously by the majority of the population as a treatment against back pain and sports injuries, with clients preferring to see physiotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractors instead. And this reason has to do with the wide variety in the levels of education and expertise of massage therapists. Combined with the widespread ignorance of both public and healthcare practitioners of what cellulite is (some doctors even refuse it’s existence, contrary to what their eyes can tell them...), and how exactly to treat it, this led to the public being suspicious about massage as a cellulite reduction or prevention method.

How can massage possibly reduce cellulite?

To better understand how can a massage be effective against cellulite,we have to consider what cellulite is and what must we do to reduce it, or at least prevent it. we describe the anatomy and physiology of cellulite in minute detail elsewhere on this website, so here it will suffice to say that cellulite is a combination of subcutaneous fat accumulation (subcutaneous meaning “under the surface of the skin”), accompanied by water retention, inflammation, scar tissue and skin loosening. All these aspects of cellulite are inter-related and one aspect reinforces the other, creating a vicious circle.

A well-designed massage that takes into account the unique anatomy and physiology of cellulite can actually break this vicious circle by improving all aspects of cellulite. Lymph drainage massage is the first application that comes to mind due to it’s wide acceptance by the public after a decade of intense publicity. Lymph massage passively drains the lymph towards the upper body, unclogging the tissues of the extremities (arms, legs) of excess water, waste products and toxins. In addition, certain types of massages techniques can also offer something more than a passive drainage, stimulating the lymph and blood vessels to become more efficient in draining the fluid themselves. In addition, the same techniques can actually strengthen and tone the blood vessels, especially if combined with a good nourishing anti-cellulite cream that provides blood vessel-strengthening nutrients.

Scar tissue breakdown is another thing that strong, vigorous massage is typically applied for. Cellulite scar tissue is different from deep tissue scar tissue (muscle, tendon or fascia scar tissue), and it requires special techniques. However, if these special techniques are properly applied they are very efficient in preventing and even reducing cellulite scar tissue.

Cellulite is also characterized by low grade, chronic inflammation that slowly leads to tissue degeneration, more fluid retention and eventually scar tissue. Massage has been traditionally used for centuries as a method of clearing this type of stagnating, never-healing inflammation by various cultures around the world. The same techniques can be adapted for use in cellulite and our experience has shown us that they effectively clear all inflammation in less then 10-12 sessions.

A well-designed cellulite massage can control cellulite fat cell growth and proliferation

Massage is not very effective in treating deep fat (also called storage fat), as it can not penetrate deep enough to affect those tissues effectively. It is fantastically placed however as a method of affecting the very superficial cellulite fat. One might wonder again, “how can massage affect fat? Fat has to do with calories and fat cells, how can massage break down fat cells?“. The fact is that we always knew that massage works for cellulite fat but we didn’t really know the mechanism. Thankfully, adipose tissue science has progressed exponentially the last decade and now we have the answer on how can this be possible and what we can do to create special massage techniques to more specifically affect cellulite fat.

The revolutionary piece of knowledge came from research into the function of connective tissue stem cells (also known mesenchymal stem cells). Basically, adipocytes (fat cells) are nothing more than a specialized form of connective tissue. And contrary to what has been assumed for decades, new adipocytes are continuously born out of the connective tissue with some others dying off. These new adipocytes are derived from stem cells and the things that trigger the maturation of stem cells into fat cells are lack of mechanical stimulation (i.e. inactivity), the stress and female hormones cortisol and estrogen, and excessive calories.

Conversely, mechanical stimulation in the form of exercise or a good cellulite massage offers the stem cells the signals they need to mature into collagen-producing cells (fibroblasts) instead of fat cells, and therefore replace fat with firmness. In addition, certain nutrients found in herbs also assist in this process. In fact, a good cellulite treatment can be much more effective than exercise in this respect, as it provides concentrated, vigorous stimulation straight inside the cellulite tissues. Add to that a good cellulite cream with the aforementioned herbal extracts and you have a good strategy against cellulite.

This is why women who have regular cellulite massage treatments swear by it’s effectiveness. So, as far as cellulite is concerned, exercise is not necessary if a healthy diet is followed and regular cellulite massage treatments are received. However, since exercise is important for other health reasons, primarily cardiovascular and metabolic health, this option is not recommended except during periods when exercise is impossible due to poor health, injury or excessive workload. On the other hand, in the absence of exercise and/or celulite treatments, diet is not enough to prevent or reduce cellulite.

Cellulite creams as a method of controlling cellulite fat cell growth and proliferation

As we mentioned above, biochemical stimulation in the form of nutrients from a good anti-cellulite cream, as well as from diet, can also offer this kind of beneficial stimulation and further help the cause of cellulite prevention and reduction. Again, cellulite creams are excellently placed as a method of affecting the very superficial cellulite cells, making them much more effective than topical fat loss creams the have to penetrate deeper into the skin.

A good, multi-ingredient cream can also help in the fight against cellulite by improving lymph and blood vessel function, and by providing fibroblasts with all the key nutrients that they need in order to create more and better quality collagen and elastin, i.e. a firmer skin. And of course inflammation reduction is another area where a good cellulite cream that contains anti-inflammatory ingredients can prove useful too.

However, most women are skeptical about cellulite creams and this is due to two reasons: either the cream contains two few ingredients and in low concentration, or users do not bother with diet and exercise and expect cellulite to be reduced by the mere application of a cream. Choosing a better cellulite cream with a high cincentration of multiple ingredients and making some effort with calorie management will definitely make a difference...

Herbal ingredients from cellulite creams are often absorbed better than botanicals from food

In fact, as far as cellulite is concerned, a good cellulite cream can theoretically replace several nutrients that can be taken by food, as these nutrients can be provided topically not only in more concentrated amounts but also in more intact form because they are not broken down and metabolised by the liver.

For example, a lot of food nutrients which are in-vitro powerful antioxidants lose their antioxidant activity when broken down by the liver, and don’t function as antioxidants in the body any more. By providing these nutrients into the tissues through the skin we actually preserve the antioxidant activity of these nutrients and target those tissues specifically, thereby maximizing results.

Obviously, we do not recommend a nutrient-poor diet in any situation - a cream should always be used in addition to a good, healthful diet. we only made the above point about diet and creams in order to emphasize the benefits of using a good anti-celulite cream. In fact, no cellulite cream, massage or other treatment can undo the damage that excessive calories and junk food can cause to the body.

Combining cellulite massage with a good cellulite cream

As we saw massage is indeed a valid method of preventing and reducing cellulite. In fact if properly applied, it still remains the most valid cellulite control method today, regardless of the multitude of anti-cellulite equipment available today. In addition, creams can assist in the fight against cellulite via several different mechanisms of action, if only they contain enough ingredients and in sufficient concentration. Like cellulite massage, cellulite creams have a bad reputation due to the wide variability in quality, including type, number and concentration of active ingredients. For example, a cream that contains just L-Carnitine (as one of the most popular creams in the world contains) and nothing else, will not do much for cellulite - except than make women cynical about the effectiveness of cellulite creams...

Needless to say that the combination of a good cellulite massage that specifically targets the cellulite tissues with a multi-ingredient, natural, concentrated cream can do wonders for cellulite reduction and especially cellulite prevention. In fact, a good cellulite massage can act as a penetration enhancer, a sort of no-needle mesotherapy, further enhancing the effectiveness of the cellulite cream. This combination can be a powerful anti-cellulite treatment, much more than things like injection-based mesotherapy treatments without the exorbitant cost, pain and side-effects.

Whilst massage techniques can be differentiated only to some extent, the opportunities are endless when it comes to cellulite creams, with new natural, botanical ingredients being discovered daily that can aid in the fight against cellulite. We follow all related research into how herbal extracts, vitamins and other natural substances affect overweight, cellulite, water retention and skin firmness and apply all this research on our treatments and creams.