WTF causes cellulite?

As the arrival of spring ushers in a season of shorts and skirts, many of us desire to reduce the appearance of cellulite - myself included. Cellulite is very common. 80-90% of women are believed to have this common condition. 

The more you understand cellulite, the easiest it is to treat it. When it comes to cellulite, there are so many different theories on it, so let’s discuss what cellulite actually is and how you can smooth it out. 

Let’s start with the basics. 

Q: Where does cellulite occur?

A: Butt, thighs, and hips. These are the most common areas that cellulite occurs in. 

In these listed areas, there are twice as many alpha 2 receptors. What is an alpha 2 receptor?

These receptors are found in fat cells and essentially tell the body to store fat for later use. One of the main purposes of this fat is to act as a reserve for pregnancy, providing fuel for the baby while in the womb. 

Cellulite is not a fat problem 

The appearance of cellulite is caused by partially or completely dissolved collagen bands, resulting in a cottage-like appearance. Contrary to popular belief, cellulite is not a fat problem. Instead, it's a collagen disorder caused by excess estrogen. Cellulite is mainly a hormonal problem, primarily linked to imbalances in estrogen and cortisol along with trapped lymph. 

So how do I fix cellulite?

1. Fix the atrophy problem! Stimulate your muscles. This would be exercises like lunges, squats, walking backwards (yes you read that right), and treadmill on an incline. 
2. Fix the circulation problem. This would be things like rebounding (trampoline), dry brushing, body gua sha, and red light therapy. What happens with cellulite is you lose the vascular system right underneath the skin. So there is a lot of congestion, not a lot of circulation, and free radical damage. You want to increase blood flow to those areas, the rituals listed above are great ways to lease trapped lymph. 

Product recommendations:

Bamboo Body Brush

Dry Brushing stimulates a reaction in your skin. Dry Brushing causes “stress” in the skin (not the type we get from work or traffic), but a good type of stress that teaches the skin how to rebound and actually start to improve circulation. Body Brushing is a ritual I do every morning and night and have personally seen the biggest difference in my own skin from this effective, on the go tool. I like doing mine first thing in the morning (before showering), and right before bed. 

Sculpting Stone Body Gua Sha

This is one of my favorite items in my bathroom at the moment. As discussed earlier, what we’re essentially trying to do is to create more blood flow. To create lymph moving through the body if you will. The Sculpting Stone utilizes Far Infra-Red waves and therapeutic ultrasound to generate 3700 ultrasonic pulses, surpassing other stones like Jade (which produces 1843). By stimulating microcirculation and metabolism through friction with the skin, this tool helps to release trapped lymph and aid in the expulsion of cellulite. I love using this with The Golden Secrets Goddess Shaping Body Oil. 

Something else you can do, is sleep more. Sleep more? Yes! How much you sleep, has a direct impact on your cortisol levels. If your cortisol levels are unbalanced from lack of sleep, this has a significant impact on your appearance. If you’d like to read more on sleep, lease see 3 min read linked here.

Let us know what you think of this blog post, and your thoughts on cellulite!