Pressotherapy for cellulite: does it work?

Do pressotherapy compression boots help with cellulite?

Our Beachy Legs articles are a practical way to share our experience in cellulite and skin tightening, from our London clinic with everyone in the world. Check all our articles here. And if you do live in London, book an assessment, consultation or treatment with us here.

• Pressotherapy for water retention and lymphatic drainage

• Is pressotherapy treatment effective for cellulite?

• In which cases can pressotherapy treatment help reduce cellulite the most?

• Does pressotherapy treatment work for skin tightening?

• Pressotherapy immediately after cellulite treatment with radiofrequency, ultrasound or massage

• Pressotherapy for cellulite prevention

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

Pressotherapy for water retention and lymphatic drainage

Pressotherapy refers to alternate compression provided to your legs by pneumatic garments (inflatable boots for the legs and sleeves for the arms) in order to push fluid from the periphery (limbs) towards the heart, with the aim to boost blood circulation and lymphatic drainage.

Pressotherapy has traditionally been used used for water retention / lymphatic drainage, recovery from sports training and recovery from sports injuries.

In the last few years pressotherapy is very popular for cellulite, but is this use justified? Can pressotherapy reduce cellulite?

Is pressotherapy treatment effective for cellulite?

As cellulite is characterised by water retention, it makes sense that pressotherapy can also help with cellulite.

Pressotherapy can partially help reduce cellulite by boosting circulation and aiding lymphatic drainage, which also has an effect on inflammation, an important aspect of cellulite.

However, this is only a temporary effect lasting for up to about 7 days, thereby improving the appearance of cellulite for up to 7 days.

However, pressotherapy does NOT affect to a significant degree:

• Hypodermal fat accumulation (the main aspect of cellulite)

• Skin looseness, oxidative damage, glycation and fibrosis (the other aspects of cellulite)

So there are limitations on what can pressotherapy do for cellulite.

In which cases can pressotherapy treatment help reduce cellulite the most?

Cellulite is partially a problem of poor circulation/water retention, so anything that boosts blood circulation/lymph drainage can decrease cellulite too.

Different women have different types of cellulite:

• If your type of cellulite is characterised by excess water retention/inflammation (oedematous cellulite) you will experience better results after a course of pressotherapy sessions

• Conversely, if your cellulite is characterised by a lot of hypodermal fat accumulation (adipose cellulite), lack of skin firmness or a lot of connective tissue hardening (fibrotic cellulite), then pressotherapy treatments will provide poor results

Does pressotherapy treatment work for skin tightening?

As mentioned just above, pressotherapy cannot help with skin tightening, as it does not stimulate collagen contraction or synthesis at all.

Pressotherapy immediately after cellulite treatment with radiofrequency, ultrasound or massage

In cases with more hypodermal fat accumulation, skin looseness or fibrosis the pressotherapy will have to be combined with - or replaced completely by - a vigorous cellulite treatment, such as:

• High-power, deep-acting radio frequency

• High-power ultrasound

• Or at the very least by a strong cellulite-specific massage

In this way, pressotherapy can - to some extent - enhance the effectiveness of other cellulite treatments by expediting the transportation of fat released by the adipocytes (fat cells) away from the cellulite tissues.

Contrary to popular belief, fat that is not removed from an area after a lipolytic cellulite treatment (such as radiofrequency or ultrasound cavitation), is not “burned”. It is typically re-absorbed by the adipocytes, thereby diminishing the effectiveness of the treatment.

Because pressotherapy helps prevent this re-absorption, it is the ideal companion to all other cellulite treatments as it enhances their effectiveness.

Of course, both ultrasound and RF significantly stimulate blood circulation and lymphatic drainage themselves. However, any extra help in removing fat molecules from the treated area is always useful.

Pressotherapy for cellulite prevention

Because most types of cellulite are characterised to some extent by water retention (only the severity of water retention varies), you will almost always experience SOME results with pressotherapy, even as a sole treatment. However, the degree and the duration of improvement will vary.

Pressotherapy can offer some quick, modest results with water retention and consequently cellulite. However, these results are short-lived, so pressotherapy is ideally suited to cellulite prevention or perhaps maintenance, more than reduction.

Of course, if you combine pressotherapy with a lipolytic or skin firming cellulite treatment, such as those mentioned above, you will always experience good results, regardless of your type of cellulite.

Check our professional consultancy 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 or 2-day or 3-day professional consultancy / one-to-one masterclass and confidently offer your clients the safest, strongest and most effective treatment possible. Service available via Zoom or at our central London practice.