If you do any research, you’ll see plenty of ugly terms out there describing cellulite, such as cottage cheese thighs or orange peel legs. I’m thinking we should ditch the negativity, drop the ugly words and band together to boost our self-esteem back again. Doesn’t society give us enough to feel bad about?
How Many Women have Cellulite?
Approximately 90% of women over the age of 35 deal with cellulite. If 90% of women have cellulite, why are we stressing about something that only 10% of women are without. Unfortunately cellulite isn’t one of those things like freckles, which some people stress about, but other people find beautiful but we can certainly give it less negative attention, can’t we?
Do I have Cellulite Because I’m Overweight?
Absolutely not. In fact, women of all shapes and sizes (including the very thin) have cellulite. Take a good look at Mom or Grandma’s thighs and you might see where your body is headed. Cellulite, or lack thereof, is all in your genes. If mom has cellulite, you can assume you’re likely going to have it too.
Does Exercise Get Rid of Cellulite?
Even though anyone can get cellulite, a sedentary lifestyle can cause your cellulite to be more prominent. Exercising is important on so many levels – reducing the appearance of your cellulite is just the icing on the cake. Grab those running shoes and hit the trails.
Do Creams and Lotions Work?
Some creams can help reduce the appearance of cellulite, especially the ones that contain caffeine. The caffeine helps reduce the water retention in your skin, flushing it out, thus making the appearance on the skin smoother. The thing to note is that it’s temporary and you need to continue using daily to keep any results you might see.
Is There Anything Else I Can do at Home?
Try dry brushing. Dry brushing is literally brushing your skin with a natural bristle brush. The reason this is so effective is that it stimulations blood circulation and boosts the lymphatic system which will release lymph and toxins under the skin’s layers. It also exfoliates your skin leaving it super smooth and soft. (Plus, it feels amazing!) The best time to dry brush is right before your shower. Make sure you moisturize after your shower.
Another thing you can try is deep tissue massage. They make tools for easy massaging at home. Use in conjunction with the caffeine creams for best results. It’s not a miracle cure and like we noted with the creams, the results are temporary, but it’s easy to do.
If you really want to get serious about your cellulite, contact your dermatologist who can tell you what’s available in office. Light therapy, mechanical massage and injections are all current options.
Or, and I Say This with Encouragement, Just Move On!
I think as women we need to band together and focus on the positives about ourselves instead of nit-picking all of the things we can’t really change. So you have cellulite; I do, too! I also found my first grey hair this summer, my teeth could be straightened and my eyelashes that are almost non-existent without mascara. It’s so easy to fill a laundry list of dislikes.
What about those things that we love. I’ll go first. I love my natural red hair. And I won’t let cellulite steal the joy I get from wearing my green swimsuit that complements my hair color. Take that, cellulite.
What about you? What do you love about yourself? Share in the comments.