It’s not the case for everyone, but some of us have faced moments in our lives when we were ashamed and insecure about our bodies and had given up enjoying ourselves under the sun on the beach wearing swimwear or had canceled a weekend swimming meeting with our friends because of our insecurities. One of the things that causes these insecurities is cellulite. No matter how old you are and how much you weigh, anyone can have them and deal with them.
So what is cellulite?
Cellulite is the name of a group of fat that are restored in the body and would push against the connective tissue underneath the skin to make it look plump. They can make the surface of the skin appear either lumpy and puckered or dimpled. The usual areas to look for cellulite are often the thighs, stomach, and buttcheeks. One of the similar conditions to cellulite that might be confusing for people is lipedema. So what’s the difference between cellulite and lipedema and how can one tell them apart?
Much like cellulite, lipedema is caused by excessive fat retention in the tissues of the lower part of the body. This condition only affects the buttocks, thighs, and calves, and not so often the upper arms, but it has no effect on the hands and feet whatsoever. Lipedema also causes your skin to be sensitive, and you may get hurt easily, feel colder than most, and swell and bruise faster. Changes in the skin texture can occur too, and most people would describe skin affected by lipedema with words such as “cottage cheese,” “orange peel,” or “oatmeal.” The worse one’s case of lipedema gets, the harder it is for them to move, and their mobility will be immensely affected. Cellulite, on the other hand, counts as a cosmetic condition and doesn’t pose any serious threat to one’s life. Just as with lipedema, cellulite also affects the stomach. The thighs and buttocks have the same cottage cheese, oatmeal, and orange peel texture.
Talking about how common cellulite is and who’s going to be affected, statistics clearly state that even though both men and women are not spared from cellulite, women are at a higher risk compared to men considering various factors, especially the fact that the main hormones that differentiate the female sex, estrogen and progesterone, are made of fatty properties such as cholesterol, and can cause cases of obesity and cellulite. As to how common cellulite is, we can say it’s very common. Between 80% to 90% of women from the ages of nine to above (the ones who have experienced puberty) have once been affected by cellulite, whereas for men, only a little less than 10% of those who have gone through puberty are affected by cellulite.
What are cellulite risk factors and what should you be trying to improve?
Genetics, sex, age, the amount of fat stored in the body and how thick one’s skin is can determine the severity of your cellulite condition and how visible it is on your skin. Even though each of these factors can not be a 100% guaranteed cause, they do play an important role in whether one’s going to be affected by cellulite or not.
Age: As we age, our skin starts to get loose, wrinkles start to appear, and we don’t have that plump and soft looking skin we once had back when we were younger. All of this is caused because aging affects the proteins that hold our skin plump and firm, and we end up losing skin elasticity. As that happens, the visibility of our cellulite is increased and they seem to pop out more.
The sex factor has been mentioned in the previous parts and is mainly under the effects of female reproductive hormones; estrogen and progesterone. The fat retention of the body: gaining weight does have a noticeable effect on how prominent one’s cellulite is. Even though slim people are also affected by cellulite, people with obesity seem to have a higher chance of developing cellulite. That being said, the weight factor alone doesn’t determine one’s definite chance of getting cellulite, and all the factors mentioned together should be considered.
What are the symptoms of cellulite? Aside from the lumpy or dimpling appearance cellulite gives the skin and the changed cottage cheese texture, cellulite can sometimes be noticed when you pinch your skin.
Cellulite has four stages of development:
- Grade 0: There hasn’t been any development of cellulite and your skin is cellulite free
- Grade 1: In a standing position, your skin seems to be smooth and without cellulite, but when sitting down, mild lumping or dimpling would be visible
- Grade 2: both the standing position and the sitting position, mild cellulite can be noticed
- Grade 3: Skin has severe visible dimples on it both when one’s standing up and sitting down. Raised and depressed areas ( deep peaks and valleys) are another feature of grade 3 cellulite condition
Now that we’ve learned the basics of cellulite, let’s look at one of the safest, easiest, and most inexpensive ways of preventing and diminishing cellulite; drinking water.
Even though there are all sorts of solutions to help improve the appearance of cellulite, from cellulite creams, massages, and lasers to radio frequency therapy, most are not aware of the simple way of drinking more water. Based on science and years of research, the minimum daily water intake for an average-sized person is 64 oz., or in other words, 8 US cups. But worry not if you drink more than that; the more the merrier as water is regularly flushed out of the body every few hours.
The key to treating one’s cellulite condition with water lies in consistency. As water doesn’t affect the cellulite directly, the body should get accustomed to the steady flow of water to make the other changes that would lead to a decrease in cellulite appearance. Drinking water prevents not only dehydration but also helps the circulation of bodily fluids and can help flush out some factors that affect weight gain. Other than that, drinking water also increases the body’s ability to break down fat stored throughout the body.
With all that said, water might not work for everyone, and it all depends on the individual whether using water can improve their cellulite condition or how effective it is. We have also thought this case through and recommend using a cellulite cream. Based on most people’s cellulite cream reviews, we’ve encountered a higher rate of success using cellulite creams. After much research and trying out, we recommend using the CelluAid cellulite cream for those disappointed by the water method, who are scared of surgeries, and don’t want to spend too much money on cellulite treatment.
Some might be questioning why we chose the CelluAid cellulite cream out of all its counterparts currently available on the market. Well, to be frank, the CelluAid offers gradual toning of the dimples caused by cellulite while decreasing the visibility of the cellulite in the meantime. The CelluAid cellulite cream directly targets the fat cells within the adipose layer of the skin. The special quinoa seed extract included in the formula of the CelluAid cellulite cream promotes the excessive fat stored in the body and visibly reduces the volume of fat cells. Not only does quinoa encourage fat burning, but it also deactivates natural enzymes available inside fatty acids so that they wouldn’t penetrate fat cells, and that would control the intake of fat and expansion of the fatty cells, inhibiting different tissues of the body. Quinoa seed extract also has other effects, such as adding support to the skin’s elasticity and helping the shape of the body stay refined.
The special quinoa seed extract used in the CelluAid cellulite cream is a complex called Adiposlim that is a blend of lauric acid and proline, which would in turn prevent the retention of fat in the adipose layer of skin. This complex, after various clinical trials, has proved to smoothen the outer look of the skin and improve the overall state of the cellulite’s appearance.
Some of the other ingredients playing a part in making CelluAid cellulite cream the cream of our choice are:
- Caffeine: not only soothing, it is filled with antioxidant properties and has a great effect against exposure to UV light. With the constricting effect caffeine has, skin would be soothed and the redness of it could be decreased
- Squalane: derived from the sugar plant, squalane is regarded for the fact that it can closely resemble the skin’s natural sebum. Smooth and silky to the touch, squalane is the reason the CelluAid cellulite cream has that creamy and easy to melt texture while it moisturizes the skin, leading to a smoother and much softer surface. It also increases the health of the natural skin barrier and the elasticity of the skin.
- Hyaluronic acid: last but not least, the last active ingredient playing a part in the effectiveness of the CelluAid cellulite cream is hyaluronic acid. Being able to hold up to 1000 times its weight in water, it’s been regarded as one of the few first ingredients used in the cream industry for its moisturizing properties. Hyaluronic acid retains water in the deeper layers of skin and prevents it from getting dehydrated, avoiding breakage. After using hyaluronic acid, the skin usually feels hydrated, smooth and plumped up.
Disclaimer: This article contains sponsored marketing content. It is intended for promotional purposes and should not be considered as an endorsement or recommendation by our website. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and exercise their own judgment before making any decisions based on the information provided in this article.
