Compression leggings, stockings and tights: a double edged sword

• Leggings and stockings that hide cellulite - and cause skin looseness

• The effect of cellulite leggings, stockings and other compression garments on skin tightness / firmness

• Compression leggings vs vibration platform training

• The effect of compression garments on fat tissue

• Fat versus firmness?

• How didn’t I hear of this before?

• Book an expert skin tightening / cellulite treatment in London, at LipoTherapeia®

• Check our professional consultancy for a masterclass in radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, cellulite and skin tightening

Leggings and stockings that hide cellulite - and cause skin looseness

In a separate article we analysed the two types of so-called anti-cellulite leggings (constant compression and graduated compression) and saw that they don’t “work” for most types of cellulite.

But how do cellulite hiding stockings/leggings affect skin firmness?

Here we analyse the effects of compression leggings and other garments on skin firmness.

The effect of cellulite leggings, stockings and other compression garments on skin tightness / firmness

How can compression leggings/stockings affect skin firmness/tightness?

• Constant movement and vibration throughout the day provide mechanical stimulation to cell mechanosensitive receptors, which in turn stimulate collagen and elastin synthesis in your skin’s collagen cells (fibroblasts) and even in fat cells (adipocytes)

• By wearing tight compression stockings, leggings and tights, you shield your tissues (fat, cellulite, skin, fascia, other connective tissue) from that all-important vibration, to quite a large extent

• With continuous use of compression garments your skin, fat tissue and superficial fascia will have less collagen and therefore looser skin

• This effect is even more pronounced with the super-tight, so-called “slimming tights”

Compression leggings vs vibration platform training

In effect, wearing compression tights is the opposite of doing vibration plate training:

• Vibration plate training boosts collagen production via intense vibration

• While compression tights inhibit collagen production via lack of vibration.

The effect of compression garments on fat tissue

Compression leggings have two different effects on fat accumulation in adipose tissue

• (+) The reduced mechanical deformation / stretching that occurs due to the compression leggings will lead to more fat accumulation. This is in addition to reduced collagen production mentioned above (fat cells tend to accumulate fat faster if they do not receive any mechanical stimulation).

• (-) On the other hand, compression will lead to reduced fat accumulation

From these two opposite effects the second one is stronger, i.e. fat accumulation will probably be inhibited more than stimulated.

Existing fat, however, will remain largely unaffected.

This is the basis of the use of slimming leggings.

The price you pay for the slimming effect is that your skin becomes flabbier.

Fat versus firmness?

All in all, although compression leggings would seem to have a favourable effect on fat accumulation prevention, and thereby new cellulite prevention, they also have a very negative effect on skin firmness.

And given that usually cellulite and skin looseness go together, there is no point wearing compression stockings ALL THE TIME to either hide cellulite or to slightly reduce cellulite fat accumulation, while at the same time considerably reducing skin firmness.

There is a better way, and this is regular exercise and healthy nutrition, which also happens to be an established way to stimulate firmness and reduce fat.

And for faster results there is high-power, deep tissue radiofrequency and high-power ultrasound, which provide fast, impressive cellulite reduction and skin firming results, especially in relation to compression leggings and stockings.

How didn’t I hear of this before?

Unfortunately few people in the beauty industry - and even in aesthetic medicine - have ever heard or have any awareness of the effects of mechanotransduction in the connective and adipose tissues.

So you will rarely hear about this from the so called experts in the aesthetic / beauty industry - and almost never from consumer websites / magazines.

But you can definitely see with your eyes and feel with your hands the negative effect of compression on skin firmness after just a few weeks of compression garment use: skin simply becomes softer, squishier and looser.

Of course, the occasional wearing of a tight corset or compression tights to hide the extra fat/cellulite for one day is absolutely fine. Just don't make it a day-in, day-out, year-in year-out habit…

Check our professional consultancy for a masterclass in radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, cellulite and skin tightening

Do you want to deeply understand radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, cellulite and skin tightening? Attend a half-day, 1-day, 2-day or 3-day professional consultancy / one-to-one training and confidently offer your clients the safest, strongest and most effective treatment possible. Service available via Zoom or at our central London practice.