Cellulite is hypodermal fat, i.e. fat found within the deeper layer of the skin and therefore is part of the skin itself. Neither liposuction nor BBL removes cellulite. With liposuction subcutaneous fat (i.e. fat under the skin) is removed…
Forskolin: a key anti-cellulite cream active
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…
Cellulite treatment results
It is quite natural to be excited about seeing results from your aesthetic treatment, be it an anti-ageing procedure, a cellulite removal treatment etc. And living in a fast paced world, where instant gratification is considered the norm, people want to see results from anything they undertake as soon as possible - ideally yesterday. But let’s see how realistic such expectations are and what to expect from your cellulite treatment, really…
Can you take collagen and whey protein powder together?
Whey protein powder (10-40g/day) is usually taken in combination with resistance exercise, as it has the exact aminoacid profile for this purpose. Hydrolysed collagen protein (5-20g/day) is usually taken to help support joints and maintain/boost skin firmness, sometimes in combination with radiofrequency treatment, as it has the exact aminoacid profile for this purpose (more glycine, proline and hydroxyproline). Hydroxyproline, specifically, is only found in skin / hydrolysed collagen protein…
Does exfoliating and hydrating help with cellulite?
Exfoliating and/or moisturising your skin would not make the tiniest difference to your cellulite. Exfoliation / hydration work on your epidermis, i.e. the top 0.1mm of your skin. Cellulite is located in the hypodermis, i.e. the deepest 2-8mm of your skin and 20-80 times deeper than the width of your epidermis. There is absolutely no connection…
Cavitation / radiofrequency for cellulite at home: does it work?
The truth is that quite often even professional RF treatments do not offer any significant benefits, simply because they are provided with the wrong equipment, usually cheap chinese low-power, bipolar machines, which are too superficial, too weak and, quite frankly, not very safe or sturdy to use in a professional setup. Home-use radio frequency equipment is even worse than cheap professional equipment, as it is even lower spec…
Does exercise tighten loose skin?
Exercise and everyday physical activity are essential for skin firmness, together with a healthy nutrition, rich in protein and polyphenols. Exercise and physical activity offers our fibroblasts (collagen- and elastin-producing cells) the necessary mechanical stimulation they need to keep producing collagen and elastin. Collagen gives skin firmness, while elastin offers elasticity, leading to firm, elastic, healthy, good looking skin.
Why we do not offer Morpheus8 at our London clinic
Radiofrequency microneedling has become extremely popular the last few years, for both skin tightening and cellulite removal - and even for fibrosis reduction after lipo. We have tried RF microneedling around 2014, way before it became popular around 2019 - and all the rage around 2022 with Morpheus8 - and found it lacking, both in terms of effectiveness and especially safety. The best way to understand the reasoning for us not offering Morpheus8 is real world evidence, consisting of feedback and reviews from real people in the real world, as opposed to the virtual reality of instagram and tiktok. Real world reviews show an average of…
What causes cellulite?
Misinformation abounds about cellulite and its causes could not be an exception. Caffeine and fizz in drinks are widely - and erroneously - thought to be major causes, while, for example, no one speaks about the contraceptive pill - a major cause of cellulite. Below we list the 19 top causes of cellulite…
How to lose all of my fat, permanently
This is something we hear often: “I wish there was something, a pill or a procedure, to kill (almost) all my fat cells forever, so I can eat whatever I want and never put on weight anymore”. Most people actually use the word “almost” to mean that some fat should stay intact in all the strategic places (butt, breasts, face etc), with the rest mostly gone. To which my answer is: “Be careful what you wish for…” Because, believe me, you would not want such a thing to happen to you, as without fat cells you would end up dead. Let me explain.
Infrared light therapy for achilles tendinopathy
The most common treatment regime for achilles tendon injury involves eccentric exercises to effect fibre remodelling. However, low level light therapy (LED or laser), usually in the infrared range for improved penetration, is also used for soft tissue / sports injuries, such as tendinopathies, always in combination with exercise. The randomized controlled trial listed below investigated the clinical effectiveness of an eccentric exercise regime for achilles tendinopathy and evaluated the additional benefits of photobiomodulation (low level light therapy, LLLT) as an adjunct treatment. The study challenged the necessity of the intensive Alfredson protocol…
Glaucine and cellulite
Yellow poppy (glaucium flavum) is a plant that belongs to the poppy family and is primarily found in western Europe. Studies undertaken by a cosmetics ingredient manufacturer have shown that the yellow poppy extract glaucine exerts a pronounced inhibitory effect on fat cells, that can be used in the fight against cellulite, as a cellulite cream ingredient.
Painful cellulite and fat
At the clinic we hear a lot of clients asking “why does my cellulite hurt when massaged“ or even “why does my fat hurt to touch”. For most women cellulite is not painful (at least for Stage I or Stage II cellulite). However, in the more severe cases of lumpy cellulite (Stage III) both cellulite and fat can hurt to the touch. This is most commonly found in…
Weight loss / slimming leggings: they don't work
Can I use retinol before/after an LED mask?
Depending on the type of retinol you are using, it may be quite harsh/sensitising on your skin, especially when combined with light. So applying retinol before LED treatment is not recommended. In fact, light skin absorption is maximum when it is cleansed with nothing applied on it. You can always apply actives after treatment…
Can you overdo it with LED therapy?
LED light therapy, also known as low level light therapy (LLLT), is rightly acknowledged as a very, very safe type of treatment, with minimal and rare adverse reactions. Indeed, treatment with LED light can only go wrong if provided in a very, very stupid way. This is usually the case when extremely high intensity, extremely long treatment times or a combination of both is utilised. Luckily, most home and even professional devices on the market are not strong enough for this to easily occur but it is still possible…
Cavitation ultrasound for cellulite vs physiotherapy ultrasound
Yes, there are usually considerable differences. Physiotherapy ultrasound is usually of 1MHz (and sometimes 3MHz) frequency and of maximum power of around 10 Watts. Quite often it is used at a fraction of this maximum power, usually anything between 1 Watt and 5 Watts. This is because physiotherapy ultrasound is meant to stimulate and it is also used in a very small area, hence the low powers. Sometimes, low frequency ultrasound (300kHz) is used in physiotherapy but at very, very low powers (0.5-1 Watt). Some machines used in beauty, for cellulite reduction or other purposes, can also be of…
Cellulite
There is ridiculous misinformation on cellulite in the media. Instagram, blogs, newspapers, glossy magazines, clinic/beauty salon websites and even cellulite equipment and cellulite cream manufacturer websites offer such gems as “cellulite is toxins”, “cellulite is just fat”, “cellulite does not exist”, “cellulite is natural”, “cellulite is normal”, “cellulite is just fascia”, “cellulite is just water retention”, “90% of women in the world have cellulite” etc etc…
Why do I still have cellulite after liposuction?
I have recently had liposuction and still have cellulite - how it this possible? It is possible simply because liposuction does not remove cellulite (hypodermal fat), it removes fat (subcutaneous fat), as it is actually supposed to do. Cellulite is superficial fat which is enmeshed into your skin and thereby it cannot be removed surgically (unless you want your skin to be removed). Liposuction, on the other hand, removes deeper fat (subcutaneous adipose tissue) which is located UNDER your skin and UNDER the cellulite layer (hypodermal adipose tissue). These are two different types of fat and two different depths…
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