Can a treatment/special garment melt the fat which can then naturally removed through the kidneys into the urine. Absolutely not. Phrases like those are total garbage and would make any biologist laugh out loud. Yet they are churned out en masse on the internet by ignorant bloggers, influencers, “journalists”, beauty therapists and even medical aesthetic specialists, who do not even know the most basic biology…
Facial redness: what is best, LED phototherapy or laser/IPL?
Superficial facial vascular lesions (facial redness, thread/spider veins) can be an aesthetic problem as well as a symptom of different skin diseases. Risk factors include Fitzpatrick skin types I, II and III, significant sun exposure, rosacea, alcohol consumption and smoking. Facial spider veins and related facial vascular lesions are treated with laser, IPL and LED phototherapy treatments. The first two (laser and IPL) are generally more effective but also can cause side effects, such pain, erythema/redness and less often oedema, blistering, hematoma, crusting, hyperpigmentation, scarring, keloid formation and infection…
Radiofrequency / cavitation: gel, cream, serum or oil? When to use each conductive medium.
“Radiofrequency” is an all encompassing term for treatment with different types of high frequency electrical currents. Different machines utilise different frequencies, from an extra low of 300kHz to an extra high of 5GHz. The types of physical phenomena at play on those different machines are quite different…
Compression stockings versus polyphenols for cellulite and water retention
Graduated compression stockings can offer some relief from water retention, however there are quite uncomfortable, especially in the summer, when they are most needed. For cellulite, things are even more complicated, as compression leggings helps in some ways and are detrimental in some others. Clearly there must be a better way…
Can I have infrared / red light therapy treatment with makeup on?
Red and infrared light therapy (phototherapy) is very popular as an anti-ageing facial treatment, as it is generally very safe and instantly effective. The general rule is that makeup must be removed before phototherapy treatment. This is because makeup quite often contains ingredients which aim to reflect light back from the face, in order to create an effect of “radiance” and light on the skin. However, if they have a treatment during lunchtime, many women find it a hassle to remove...
"If you do any other exercise than Pilates you will inflame your body". Seriously?
A client asked me a few days ago if this “advice”, given to her by a complementary health practitioner, is true: “You should not do any other exercise than Pilates, otherwise you will inflame your body”. This, of course, is an absolutely preposterous statement which goes against all common sense. You can only imagine the millions of inflamed athletes - or just billions of inflamed active common people - since the dawn of humanity all the way until the 1920s, when Joseph Pilates developed a method of exercise that would not inflame the human body…
Can I reduce lipedema with RF, cavitation or RF microneedling?
This is a very valid question asked by so many people in the lipedema community. However, the fact of the matter is that there is no good non-surgical treatment - be it radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, acoustic wave therapy, RF microneedling, HIFU, massage, red/infrared light therapy or pressotherapy. None of those non-surgical techniques or any other reduces lipedema and currently the only good solution for lipedema is surgery. Sure, exercise and healthy nutrition…
Cost is not an issue, so can I get rid of my cellulite / tighten my skin in one session?
It may not be a common question but it is a common thought: “I can throw (tens of) thousands of pounds in an one-off (even very painful) cellulite / skin tightening treatment. Can I get results in one session and then get on with my billionaire / centi-millionaire / deca-millionaire life?” Well, the honest answer to this very question is: Nah, life doesn’t work like that. Your body needs regular and repeated stimulation (treatments) as well as time to change. Throwing tens of thousands at the problem cannot violate the laws of physics and biology to provide instant results…
What is radio frequency bum lift and how long does it last?
There are two types of butt lifting procedures: surgical (BBL/brazilian butt lift) and non-surgical. From the myriad non-surgical bum lifting procedures the only one that really works, and is SAFE, is deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency. Deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency works my stimulating collagen and elastin synthesis as well as collagen contraction on both the dermis and hypodermis, where all the important collagen structures are found (the ones that give shape to your skin). The end result is skin tightening that lifts the skin and helps it defy gravity, i.e. bum lifting…
Is it fat or cellulite that I have on my thighs?
This is a very common question at the clinic, as most people are misinformed about what cellulite is. Cellulite is hypodermal adipose tissue, i.e. fat within the deepest skin layer (hypodermis). Fat is subcutaneous adipose tissue, i.e. fat under the deepest skin layer (hypodermis). But how can we differentiate between cellulite and fat in our own body It’s simple. At the clinic we offer the following simple way to help clients differentiate between fat and cellulite…
Cellulite after weight loss: why does it look worse?
When you put on weight adipocytes (fat cells) in your deeper, subcutaneous adipose tissue fill up with fat and that give you volume. Skin has to accommodate the excess volume by becoming longer. At the she time, adipocytes in your more superficial hypodermal adipose tissue also fill up with fat and we call that cellulite. When you lose weight you mainly lose fat from the subcutaneous adipose tissue and not so much from the hypodermal one…
Does alcohol cause cellulite?
Will RF or cavitation “melt” my BBL fat?
Brazilian butt lift surgery (BBL) enlarges and lifts the buttocks by adding volume, through the addition of fat. However, BBL does not improve cellulite neither it changes the quality of the skin in the slightest and for this reason many people choose RF treatment, for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, or cavitation treatment, for cellulite reduction. However, many people are afraid that either of those technologies may reduce the amount of fat added via the BBL procedure…
Hard cellulite vs soft cellulite: what are the differences?
Does cellulite go away when you lose weight?
Excess fat accumulation at the hypodermal level (fat in skin’s deeper layer) is the most important aspect of cellulite (with fibrosis, skin laxity and poor circulation being the other main aspects). When weight is lost, with diet and exercise, different types of body fat are reduced at different speeds…
Monopolar vs bipolar: the pros and cons of each type of radiofrequency
A very common question we are asked at the clinic is what is the difference between unipolar, monopolar, bipolar and multipolar (i.e. tripolar, tetrapolar, octipolar) radio frequency? Which one is best for skin tightening and cellulite? On this article we examine the merits of bipolar vs monopolar RF and…
Forskolin: the most important lipolytic active ingredient
Forskolin, is the extract of the South Asian plant coleus forskohlii / plectranthus barbatus. It has been extensively researched for decades for its lipolytic action and is routinely used in lab experiments when it is needed to stimulate lipolysis in fat cells. (Lipolysis refers to fat release from fat cells, leading to fat cell size reduction and, if sustained, eventual fat cell death.) However, due to its high cost (10x more than the highest quality caffeine) it is rarely used in anti-cellulite creams - although it is way more important than caffeine in this regard…
The ideal cellulite reduction plan, without any cut corners or compromises, for maximum results
Here is the IDEAL cellulite removal plan, without any cut corners or compromises, i.e. where the usual time and money constraints are not issue. Most people only have two weeks left before their holidays to do something about cellulite, a limited budget (fair enough), limited time to receive treatments or to apply creams and no intention, energy or time to follow an exercise / healthy nutrition regime. But for those who have the time, money and energy, this is the best possible plan, without gimmicks or compromises.
Is radiofrequency treatment safe?
Radiofrequency treatment is based on electrically heating the skin and can be anything from extremely safe all the way to very unsafe (and with a lot of adverse reactions), depending on type of radiofrequency used, equipment and therapist experience/training. If the pain threshold rule is adhered, deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency provided in a continuous moving fashion, should be ~99.5% safe, or better…
Can stress cause skin ageing and cellulite?
Stress, per se, is not a direct or a major cause of skin ageing and, especially, cellulite. There are much more important factors, such as sugar intake, calorie intake, lack of exercise, smoking, alcohol intake etc. However, stress indirectly can indeed have an effect. Stress results in the secretion of cortisol, the stress hormone, which has a catabolic effect on tissues, meaning that it results in protein loss from skin and other organs…