Anti-cellulite leggings: do they work?

Cellulite compression leggings

• Compression leggings for cellulite: do they work?

• Three types of compression garments

• Plain (constant pressure) anti-cellulite leggings

• Compression leggings for water retention

• Do compression leggings work for cellulite?

• Are anti-cellulite leggings / tights a good idea?

• (*) Anti-cellulite compression leggings and arterial flow

• Have a cellulite treatment in London with the cellulite experts

Compression leggings for cellulite: do they work?

There are many different types of “anti-cellulite” compression garments, such as leggings, stockings, tights, socks, shorts, pants, jeans and corsets.

Many of these garments are suggested to be used for water retention reduction, permanent or temporary body reshaping but the main selling point is cellulite removal.

But does this “anti-cellulite” shapewear work? Are they all the same or equally effective?

Three types of compression garments

We can divide the different compression garments on the market in three categories:

• Uniform pressure (simple compression) garments

• Graduated compression garments

• Utter gimmicks

On this article we are analysing the two types of compression garments and their effectiveness in reducing cellulite and water retention and their effect on firmness. And on a separate article we are analysing the gimmicks, such as cellulite pants.

Plain (constant pressure) anti-cellulite leggings

Apart from keeping fat compressed and contained, the main idea behind compression garments is that they encourage blood circulation and lymphatic drainage.

Unfortunately constant pressure compression garments are very bad at this. If they are very tight, they will inhibit arterial flow(*), which is a bad thing.

Furthermore, due to the uniform pressure from ankle to hips, venous return (the return of blood from the limbs to the heart via the veins) and lymphatic drainage (the return of lymph from the limbs to the heart via the lymphatic vessels) will not be encouraged, as there is no pressure differential. You need high pressure lower down in the limbs and gradually lower pressure high up in the limbs to stimulate upward flow.

Short garments, such as calf-only ones MAY help, but why buy those instead of the graduated pressure ones which will DEFINITELY help with lymph drainage / blood circulation?

As for cellulite, there is not a chance in hell that constant pressure compression leggings, stockings and tights can help:

• As we will see below, compression inhibits skin firmness

• And as we have just seen, venous return and lymph drainage is not improved and even arterial flow is partially inhibited.

Plus compression does nothing to either reduce fat or to break down fibrosis, in addition to not doing much for water retention.

So there is no effect on any of the main aspects of cellulite: fat, firmness, fibrosis or water retention.

Compression leggings for water retention

Graduated pressure compression garments are proven to help with water retention, but what about cellulite?

Graduated compression garments do aid the return of blood and lymph from the feet, calves, thighs and hips towards the heart (but can be unhelpful with arterial flow).

For this reason graduated compression stockings, leggings, tights and socks do help prevent water retention (we are all familiar with the flight socks used to prevent deep vein thrombosis on long haul flights).

Do compression leggings work for cellulite?

Now regarding cellulite:

• (+) As WATER RETENTION is one of the main aspects of cellulite, they should partially help improve cellulite too

• (-) Compression leggings and other similar garments cannot remove established cellulite FAT ACCUMULATION

• (+) However, they can at least help inhibit the deposition of new cellulite FAT ACCUMULATION. This is because water retention and poor circulation are proven to stimulate fat accumulation in the area where they occur. Plus, compression inhibits the growth of fat tissue, which is the principle on which slimming leggings are based.

• (-) Compression leggings cannot possibly help with FIBROSIS, a major aspect of cellulite

• (+) Due to their effect on water retention reduction, they can help with adipose tissue INFLAMMATION, another aspect of cellulite

• (-) However, as we will see below, and as mentioned above, all compression garments (especially the slimming leggings mentioned above) undermine skin FIRMNESS. In most cases cellulite is, to a large extent, a lack of skin firmness problem.

In summary, the role of compression leggings in water retention reduction is clear and this is why they are used in medical settings for this purpose for decades.

This is the category where “Fanka leggings” (or similar brands) fall into: the immediately make your thighs and butt look amazing. But as for long-term cellulite reduction and/or prevention things are ambivalent to negative, as we described above and as the lack of any scientific evidence suggests.

Are anti-cellulite leggings / tights a good idea?

For cellulite, however, the situation is neither here nor there.

If your cellulite is of the “more water retention/inflammation” type, you will see a benefit. But don’t wear them all the time as they will gradually diminish your skin firmness. plus you will become dependent on them.

However, since water retention and skin looseness usually go together, it is a difficult call to choose between smoothness and firmness.

If your cellulite is of the “more fat” type or the “more fibrosis” type, then compression “cellulite leggings” will not help at all in cellulite reduction, but may help a bit with prevention.

In any case, for cellulite prevention, compression leggings would be my last choice, due to their long-term negative effect on skin firmness. There are far better ways to partially help prevent the “water retention” type of cellulite than wearing compression leggings all the time - which id really counter-productive.

This is not a way to live one’s life, especially given that water retention occurs more in the summer and compression leggings become unbearable in the summer.

These better ways to reduce water retention and these are healthy eating, exercise (especially swimming), increasing the intake of specific polyphenols in your diet (or supplementing with them) and avoiding toxins, smoking, alcohol and the contraceptive pill.

(*) Anti-cellulite Compression leggings and arterial flow

All compression garments inhibit arterial flow.

This is because arterial blood travels in the opposite direction of vein blood and lymph, and also against the pressure gradient of graduated compression garments.

So, although graduated compression aids in lymph/vein flow, it also keeps arterial flow reduced, resulting in poor nourishment of the tissues.

This may not be a big problem if compression is used short-term.

However, continuous use of compression socks, stockings, tights and leggings (graduated pressure or not) is not recommended.

Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts

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