Aromatherapy essential oils for cellulite: do they work?
Aromatherapy for cellulite?
Essential oils at high concentrations for cellulite
Essential oil skin penetration and side effects of protracted use
Non-essential oil active ingredients in anti-cellulite formulations are much more effective, safe, sustainable
Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts
Advanced, infrared / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia
Discover our professional training in cellulite, skin tightening, radiofrequency and ultrasound
Essential oils at high concentrations for cellulite
Several aromatherapy oils have applications for cellulite reduction, due to their circulation boosting effects and in some cases even due their lipolytic effects (limited research exists on the latter, though).
Examples of such potentially anti-cellulite essential oils include all the pine/fir/cypress essential oils, all the citrus essential oils and menthol-containing essential oils, among others, when used in HIGH concentrations.
In low concentrations those same oils also have an agreeable smell and can form the basis of a lovely, relaxing aromatherapy swedish massage or deep tissue massage. However, in high concentrations the same oils become pungent and extreme, irritating the airways and sometimes even irritating the skin too.
Aromatherapy massage treatments are supposed to use essential oils at around 1% concentration for the whole mix of oils and definitely below 3%.
However, for essential oils to work for cellulite, they need to be used above 3% for the total mix of oils applied. This may still not be a problem for application once a week or even daily application for a few days. However, after a few applications at such concentrations the chance of skin irritation gradually increases and after several applications at high concentration the chance of such irritation increases disproportionately.
Essential oil skin penetration and side effects of protracted use
The vast majority of people and aromatherapists are unaware that essential oils are very good at penetrating the skin and continuous absorption of essential oil chemical components at high concentrations is not a good idea.
With protracted use, intolerance may follow and this happens often to aromatherapists who routinely use essential oils with the same chemical components - including the author of this article, who initially thought otherwise.
Furthermore, different people may find different oils in a typical anti-cellulite aromatherapy mix disagreeable, especially when included at high concentrations.
Given that cellulite does not get reduced in a few days - several weeks and months of treatment / skincare application are recommended - the use of essential oil application is not recommended for cellulite reduction: at low concentrations not much happens (apart from helping other active get absorbed) and at high concentrations protracted use of essential oils is irritating and unsustainable.
Non-essential oil active ingredients in anti-cellulite formulations are much more effective, safe, sustainable
This is the reason we do not use essential oils in our cellulite creams. Instead we prefer the use of polyphenols and other active ingredients, such as centella asiatica triterpenes for gotu kola, forskolin, caffeine, EGCG from green tea, cocoa flavanols, hesperidin from citrus fruits, curcumin from turmeric and hydroxyproline (the most important aminoacid of collagen) among others, which are both extensively researched (thousands of papers written on those actives) and safe / non-irritating at recommended concentrations (all are also taken internally as supplements and are components of common edible herbs and plants).
As with everything to do with cellulite, excessive force, either with treatments or active ingredients, does not make sense and long-term application is needed for good, sustainable, long-term results.
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Learn more or check prices and book an expert cellulite / skin tightening treatment at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1).
Advanced, infrared / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia
At LipoTherapeia we are passionate about phototherapy (also known as photobiomodulation/PBM, red light therapy, infrared light therapy, blue light therapy, LED light therapy etc) and we use the most powerful equipment available today (up to 240mW/cm2), for best results and treatment of large body areas.
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Our LED phototherapy sessions are comfortable, deeply relaxing and super-safe and are great to enhance our radiofrequency/ultrasound treatments for skin tightening / cellulite reduction.
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Discover our professional training in cellulite, skin tightening, radiofrequency and ultrasound
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