Hypodermal fat accumulation and cellulite: the elephant in the room that most treatments ignore

“TL;DR: Many cellulite “experts” forget the most important aspect of cellulite (i.e. FAT) and maintain that literally anything else is the most important thing: water retention, fibrosis, skin laxity etc.

However, those skin problems in cellulite affected tissues are the result - not the cause - of cellulite, and are secondary when it comes to treatment, not the number one priority.”

• So when it comes to cellulite, fat is king (hypodermal fat accumulation, to be precise)

• Overhyped cellulite treatments: doing all the wrong things except the one that matters

• And how is this achieved? How do we reduce hypodermal fat, the most important aspect of cellulite?

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

• Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia

• The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening

So when it comes to cellulite, fat is king (hypodermal fat accumulation, to be precise)

When it comes to cellulite many people/companies (i.e. anti-cellulite skincare companies, cellulite equipment manufacturers, plastic surgeons, beauty therapists, lymphatic drainage therapists, massage therapists, beauty journalists and - last but not least - horrible injectable manufacturers) focus on everything else than the elephant in the room, the most important thing: hypodermal fat accumulation - i.e. fat accumulation in the deepest layer of the skin, the hypodermis.

It is increased hypodermal fat accumulation that causes:

• Circulation constriction and consequent water retention. Therefore, approaches that only focus on circulation and ignoring fat accumulation, such as lymphatic drainage, a simplistic retinol cream or deep tissue massage, will not solve anything.

• Hypodermal retinaculae fibrosis. Therefore, approaches that only focus on connective tissue and ignoring fat accumulation, such as palper-rouler massage or ghastly injectables, will not achieve anything either.

• Hypodermal skin laxity. Therefore, approaches that just focus on skin tightening - and especially on hypodermal ‘scar tissue-ing’ - such as extreme intensity HIFU or RF microneedling, will not do much either.

Unfortunately most people and companies focus on all the secondary things (fibrosis, skin looseness, circulation) which, although still very important, are not THE most important thing, i.e. hypodermal fat accumulation.

Overhyped cellulite treatments: doing all the wrong things except the one that matters

Especially the focus on “breaking down the collagen bands”, I find really pointless, especially with terrible injectable solutions that lead to this kind of disasters. Palper-rouler massage also tends to lead to skin laxity, in addition to not doing much for fat or fibrosis, thereby making the situation worse - but not as bad as collagenase injectables, such as the one mentioned above.

And no, subcutaneous fat accumulation, i.e. the one removed by liposuction, or subcutaneous connective tissue, i.e. the one “blasted” with “fascia blasting” (what a stupid name!), are not part of the cellulite problem anatomically. So liposuction or damaging the subcutaneous fascia with a medieval torture implement will not achieve anything either.

Filler injectables that fill the skin microrelief ‘troughs’ (skin depressions above retinaculae) in order to make them level with the ‘peaks’ (skin protuberances above adipose tissue globules) are so pathetic, they do not merit any further comment.

And of course, exfoliating the epidermis with dry brushing or softening it up a with a little shea butter or mineral oil, as is the case with those ridiculous “bum-bum” creams, will achieve exactly zero results. The epidermis, i.e. the deepest skin layer, is totally the wrong place to work on cellulite, which is the deepest skin layer.

So when it comes to cellulite, fat is king (hypodermal fat accumulation, to be precise). This is where the main focus should be. This does not mean that all the other main aspects (fibrosis, laxity, oedema) are not important.

However, the main aspect of cellulite should primarily be targeted, not the secondary ones.

And how is this achieved? How do we reduce hypodermal fat, the most important aspect of cellulite?

Always in addition to healthy nutrition and exercise, the strongest SAFE way to reduce hypodermal fat, and therefore tackle the most important aspect of cellulite, is with a course of 6-12 sessions (not less) of deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation.

The good news is that this technology also works pretty well with hypodermal retinaculae fibrosis and boosts circulation/lymphatic drainage, thereby also tackling two more aspects of cellulite.

However, for skin laxity ultrasound is less effective.

For cellulite combined with skin laxity, 6-12 sessions (again, not less) of deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency are ideal, as it primarily focuses on skin tightening, secondarily on hypodermal fat accumulation and it also boosts circulation / lymphatic drainage.

For hypodermal fibrosis, though, radiofrequency is less effective.

A highly concentrated cream (not gel, serum or oil), rich in high purity active ingredients that work on both hypodermal fat accumulation, as well circulation/lymphatic drainage, fibrosis and skin laxity (examples: forskolin, liposomal caffeine, centella triterpenes, EGCG, curcumin, and hydroxyproline, among others) would be helpful too.

Such a cream may act a bit more slowly than treatments but it works in ways that treatments can’t work - and it is much more economical too.

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

At LipoTherapeia we have specialised 100% in skin tightening and cellulite reduction for more than two decades and 20,000+ sessions.

This is all we study and practise every day and have researched and tried hands-on all the important skin tightening equipment and their manufacturers.

As strong, deep acting radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the technologies of choice for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, we have invested in the best RF/ultrasound technologies in the world.

Furthermore, over the last two decades we have developed advanced RF and cavitation treatment protocols in order to make the most of our technologies, for maximum results, naturally and safely.

And for even better, faster results, we now combine our RF/ultrasound treatments with high-power red/infrared light LED treatment.

Our radiofrequency/ultrasound/LED treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, microneedling-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.

And our focus is on honest, realistic, science-based treatment, combined with caring, professional service, with a smile.

We will be pleased to see you, assess your cellulite, skin laxity or fibrosis, listen to your story, discuss your case and offer you the best possible treatment.

Learn more or check prices and book an expert cellulite / skin tightening treatment at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1).

Advanced, infrared / blue / 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.

We use specialised therapy protocols for skin rejuvenation / anti-ageing, pigmentation / post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), moderate/severe acne, skin redness, sensitive/inflamed/irritated skin, wound healing, sports injuries / musculoskeletal pain and overall wellness / well-being.

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.

On our booking page you can book stand-alone phototherapy sessions or combine them with our other treatments, as an add-on.

Learn more or check prices and book an expert LED phototherapy treatment at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1).

The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction 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 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.

Learn more or check prices and book training at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1)

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