CELLULITE !!!! Get out of my way !!!

Cellulite….this skin dimpling that bothers all the women in the world! It’s really annoying to have it and sometimes we can do nothing about it! Hold on…stay positive! And let’s both think of the many ways we can have to get rid of it or at least to reduce it as much possible. Don’t get discouraged, it’s always better to reduce cellulite even if you’ve heard there’s no total treatment!

90% of women have cellulite ranging in degrees while only 2% of men have it! The cause of this difference is attributed to female hormones! The bothering wrinkles in the thighs, buttocks, legs, arms and belly are the result of:

· Heredity: if there are cases of cellulite in your family then this might be a likely cause

· Hormonal changes: when the levels of estrogen are too high, they lead to disorder in the metabolism that can cause cellulite or make it worse if you already have it.

· Blood circulation problem:  if your blood doesn’t circulate well in your body, the removal of toxins will also be affected and this keeps the liquid between the cells more viscous

· Other causes are: Being sedentary, overweight, bad eating habits, stress, consuming lots of alcohol and smoking

How to prevent it?

Let’s face it, cellulite has no cure if you have it but you can take measures to prevent it or to reduce it as much as possible.

Prevention starts at a very young age and the way here is to stick to your ideal weight, eat healthy, balanced food and ban fatty and sugary foods and drinks out of your life and exercise daily (gym, walking, swimming, skiing, dancing, playing tennis etc....)

How to reduce it as much as possible? (Or maybe even treat it if it’s new to your body)

Because cellulites are fat cells trapped with water and toxins and impede blood circulation, the following recommendations will help:

• If you smoke stop smoking because it interferes with your blood circulation
• If you are overweight: lose the extra weight to get rid of the fat and if needed seek the help of a dietitian
• Exercise: To lose weight and to replace cellulite fatty cells with muscle (so walk a lot, swim etc... and do strength muscle exercise). Perform specific exercises for buttocks and thighs.
• Drink lots of water and herbal teas like artichokes, thyme, cherry tail, orthosiphon, mint, & tilleuil to get rid of the toxins and water retention that worsen cellulites.
• Do massages frequently (2 times a week). The flow of the massage is always from your knees to your belly to improve the lymphatic circulation and stimulate the local blood circulation and use cellulite cream in the massage
• Use creams for cellulite every day after your shower massaging into the skin for 10 minutes.
• Reduce the intake of fatty foods like fatty meat, yellow cheese, ham, hot dogs, bacon, cakes, cookies, butter, cream, doughnuts, sweets, soft drinks, coffee, & alcohol consumption; and of course salt to reduce the water retention

Take these recommendations seriously and follow them all together strictly to see real results!

Samia Khoury Dietitian