What is cellulite?
Cellulite is a circulatory issue. People develop fat pads, typically along the legs, that have almost become isolated and they don't get circulation to them. As the cellulite worsens, you start to get a lot more fibrotic tissue around it, which ends up looking like a "cauliflower" clustered area of fat cells.
Why do women tend to get cellulite more then men?
Hormones are a contributing factor. Low levels of activity also contribute to cellulite (although this applies to both men & women)
How can you treat cellulite naturally?
One cellulite treatment is mesotherapy.
Some supplements can help with getting rid of cellulite, like Chromium.
Exercise is very important to help with circulation.
You can also try treating cellulite with massage. This will help with circulation to the area being massaged. Dr. JJ recommends a hand held massager to his patients who want to decrease their fat and/or cellulite.
Dry skin brushing (use a special brush), will help increase the circulation in an area.
Cellulite creams are another option to consider. Jennifer asked if it is the active ingredients in the creams or the "rubbing action" that helps with cellulite. Dr. JJ said that it's both.
What is Mesotherapy?
Mesotherapy delivers very small does of vitamins, minerals, homeopathics, and herbals directly into the fat cells. In this example, they would be put directly into the fat cells of the cellulite. The injections are injected along a grid, targeting the area where the fat cells are. This is one of the most effective treatments Dr. JJ has seen for getting rid of persistent fat and cellulite reduction
Once you treat cellulite, is it gone for good?
No, once you get rid of cellulite, it is not gone for good. You have to maintain a healthy lifestyle, with a good diet and lots of exercise. You don't have to continue with mesotherapy treatments. Once a patient's cellulite is treated, Dr. JJ doesn't typically see them again. Dr. JJ doesn't just perform Mesotherapy, he also coaches his patients on creating a healthy lifestyle.
Typically with fat loss, there isn't a magic bullet. There isn't just one thing that you can do to lose the fat. Strategies for long term weight loss include maintaining a healthy diet, regular exercise, supplements, and stress management. Dr. JJ helps his patients see the big picture.
Mesotherapy demonstration:
Dr. JJ performs a Mesotherapy treatment on Jennifer's thighs. (Jen has very, very mild cellulite).
Before doing the mesotherapy injections, Dr. JJ uses a vacuum massage to massage the area. This is a suction device that drives a lot more blood flow into the area. Since cellulite is a circulatory issue, by increasing the blood flow to that area, it helps to get rid of the body cellulite and allow for better absorption of the solution.
Each treatment typically takes about 1 hour. For a cellulite treatment, Dr. JJ injects in a grid pattern. He pinches the area before injecting to help reduce the pain of the needle going in. One of the reasons why Mesotherapy works so well is because there are so many injections you are really able to deliver the treatment directly to the areas of poor circulation.
Jen said that the massaging part of the treatment tickled. The injecting part is what hurt. Dr. JJ said that the reason why it hurt is because Jen doesn't have that much fat to remove, so she felt it more. Dr. JJ has some patients who don't even feel the injections. He may also notice that the area that he is injecting into is cold because of the poor circulation. Often these patients notice those areas feeling warmer as more cellulite is loss- a sign that the circulation is improving.
You can find a naturopath, in your community to help design a weight loss plan for you & to help you treat cellulite through the Find a Practitioner link on our website www.vitaminjunkeys.com.
What's Dr. JJ taking today: CLA or Conjugated Linoleic Acid
Conjugated Linoleic Acid is a supplement with some pretty good studies behind it. If you take CLA before every meal it helps you disperse your abdominal fat. When this works, it works really well. You have to take it in a high dose (6g or 6000 mg/day- 2000 mg at each meal). There are different chemical configurations of CLA, and it is important to get the right type, otherwise it may have the opposite effect (i.e. increase your abdominal fat). You want to make sure that you get a good quality brand of CLA (Your healthcare practitioner can make a recommendation based on brands available in your community).