Cellulite, characterized by the dimpled appearance of the skin, is a common concern, particularly among women. While there's no definitive "cure," a combination of approaches, including diet and exercise, can significantly improve its appearance. This article explores the underlying causes of cellulite, the role of diet and exercise in managing it, and additional treatments that may offer further benefits.
Understanding Cellulite
Cellulite occurs when fat deposits push through the connective tissue beneath the skin, creating a puckered or dimpled effect. Under your skin there’s a network of connective tissue strands called septae. Women are more likely than men to have cellulite because (in general) they have fewer and less tightly arranged septae. Genetics can also play a role. While it's often associated with excess weight, cellulite affects people of all body shapes and sizes.
The Role of Diet in Cellulite Reduction
Diet plays a crucial role in managing cellulite. While you can eat what you like if you have cellulite, bad eating habits increase your risk of developing cellulite. A high-calorie diet that features a lot of carbohydrates, fats, preservatives and salt may contribute to the development of more cellulite.
Foods to Incorporate
- Flaxseed: Flaxseed supports estrogen levels and boosts the growth of collagen, the main component of connective tissue.
- Water: Water helps flush out toxins that hide in the fat layers beneath the skin.
- Kelp: Kelp contains fucoxanthin, an organic pigment found in plants, which helps the body burn fat. Studies show that ingesting kelp can help facilitate a five to 10 percent loss in body weight, thus reducing the appearance of cellulite.
- Collagen-Boosting Foods: Collagen acts as skin’s matrix, providing strength and structural support, and most theories agree cellulite results in part from a breakdown of collagen. When collagen is depleted, skin loses strength, elasticity and thickness, and can’t contain fat cells in a compact, uniform pattern. The result: lumps, bumps and dimply bits. Start your day with a skin-strengthening smoothie made with collagen powder; in one study, women who used collagen peptides reduced cellulite and increased dermal thickness. Add papayas, strawberries or oranges-they’re high in vitamin C, shown to stimulate collagen production. Include antioxidant-rich blueberries, guava and mangos to protect against collagen-depleting damage from the sun and free radicals, and spinach; some research suggests chlorophyll can enhance college production.
- Potassium-Rich Foods: Emphasize fresh fruits and vegetables, especially spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe and tomatoes; they’re high in potassium, to balance out sodium (plus, collagen-boosting nutrients).
Foods to Limit
- High-Sodium Foods: A high-sodium diet makes your body hang on to more fluid, causing swelling and puffiness, and exacerbating the appearance of cellulite. Packaged, processed or fast foods are also loaded with artificial ingredients, damaged fats and inflammatory, allergenic foods.
- Caffeine: Your morning latte may be promoting dimply deposits: caffeine increases levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that can encourage the body to hang on to fat, and coffee’s diuretic actions dehydrate skin and worsen the appearance of cellulite. Even worse if you’re adding milk or cream; some research suggests added hormones in milk and other dairy products up your body’s levels of estrogen, thought to play a role in the development of cellulite.
- Processed Foods: Avoid sodium-rich processed, packaged and fast-foods.
Exercise Strategies for Cellulite Reduction
Exercise can help improve the appearance of cellulite. Regular exercise increases your muscle mass, which flattens cellulite. It also increases blood flow to certain areas of your body, which speeds up fat loss. Certain exercises can help tone specific areas of the body that cellulite commonly occurs on. They can also contribute to a reduction in overall body fat, which can reduce the appearance of cellulite.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise involves a sustained period of activity that increases a person’s heart and breathing rates. Regular aerobic exercise can help people burn calories and, alongside a balanced diet, can aid in weight loss. Maintaining a moderate weight can lessen the appearance of cellulite. Some common aerobic exercises include: walking, running, cycling, swimming, jumping rope. A person can perform aerobic exercise every day. However, it is important to remember that some exercises, such as running and cycling, can pose a risk of injury. For this reason, it can be helpful to keep an aerobic exercise routine varied. Experts recommend adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week.
Read also: Does Collagen Help with Weight Loss?
Strength Training Exercises
- Curtsy Lunge: Other exercises may help reduce a person’s cellulite by building muscle in the affected area. Curtsy lunges help strengthen the gluteus medius, quads, and hamstrings.
- Stand with the feet shoulder-width apart.
- Perform a curtsy motion by bending the left leg while moving the right leg backward, crossing over the midline. The right foot should land diagonally behind the left leg.
- Briefly pause in this position before using the left foot to push back to the starting position.
- Switch the legs and repeat the above process. Performing the move on both sides counts as 1 rep.
- Perform 3 sets of 10 reps, with a 1-minute rest between sets.
- A person can perform this exercise 2 to 3 times per week.
- Lateral Lunge: The lateral lunge, or side lunge, strengthens the gluteus, quads, and hamstrings.
- Stand with the feet shoulder-width apart and the arms to the side.
- Step to the side with the right leg, keeping the left leg straight, and bend the right knee to lower into a squat position on the right side.
- Keep the chest up to maintain balance.
- Push back up with the right leg to return to the starting position.
- Perform 3 sets of 10 reps per side, with a 1-minute rest between sets.
- A person can perform lateral lunges 2 to 3 times per week.
- Stepup with Reverse Lunge: This exercise targets the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. It requires a low bench or another slightly elevated surface.
- Stand 1 to 2 feet away from the bench.
- With the right foot, step onto the bench while moving the left knee upward.
- Lower the left leg and step off the bench into the starting position.
- As the left leg reaches the floor, lung backward with the right leg.
- Return to the starting position.
- Perform 3 sets of 10 reps on each leg, resting for 1 minute between sets.
- A person can perform this exercise 2 to 3 times per week.
- Glute Bridge: Glute bridges work a person’s glutes without putting excess pressure on their lower back.
- Lie on the floor with the knees bent, the shins vertical, and the arms at the side with the palms of both hands facing the floor.
- Push through the heels to raise the hips off the ground, forming a straight line from the upper back to the knees.
- Briefly pause in this position while engaging the core.
- Return to the starting position.
- Perform 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps, resting for 1 minute between sets.
- A person can make this exercise more challenging by stretching one leg out straight so that they are using only one leg to push the hips off the ground.
- A person can perform glute bridges 2 to 3 times per week.
- Split Squat: This exercise, which some people refer to as the Bulgarian split squat, also requires an elevated surface, ideally a bench. Split squats target the quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
- Stand next to the bench facing away from it.
- Plant the right foot about a lunge-length away from the bench and place the top of the left foot on the bench behind.
- Drop into a lunge position with the right knee bent at 90 degrees and the left knee nearly touching the ground.
- Push mostly through the right foot to return to the starting position.
- Perform 3 sets of 10 reps per leg, with a 1-minute rest between sets.
- Some people might like to make this exercise more difficult by holding a dumbbell in each hand.
- A person can perform this exercise 2 to 3 times per week.
- Pushups: Pushups require no equipment and target the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
- Begin in a plank position. The palms should be shoulder-width apart on the floor with the arms straight and the toes together.
- Keeping the body straight, slowly bend the elbows to lower the body toward the floor.
- Once the chest or chin is 1 to 2 inches from the floor, pause briefly.
- Push back up to the starting position.
- Perform 3 sets of 5 to 10 reps, with a 1-minute rest between sets.
- People who find this exercise too challenging can modify it by lowering the knees so that they touch the floor, engaging the core to stay locked into this position.
- A person can perform pushups 2 to 3 times per week.
- Dumbbell Rows: As well as targeting the biceps, dumbbell rows help build strength in the shoulders and lats.
- Keeping the back straight, stand with the knees sight bent, tilting slightly forward from the hips.
- With both arms straight and the wrists facing each other, hold one dumbbell in each hand.
- Pull both hands toward the ribs and pause briefly with the elbows bent and the arms in line with the torso.
- Move the arms back to the starting position.
- Perform 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps with a 1-minute break between sets.
- A person can perform dumbbell rows 2 to 3 times per week.
- Vibrating Platform Exercises: Almost any kind of physical movement promotes circulation, enhances lymph flow, strengthens muscles that support skin and helps trim body fat. But exercising on a vibrating platform (also called a Power Plate workout), can really amp up your efforts to get rid of cellulite. The vibrating movement of these pulsating platforms stimulates lymph and circulation, and it’s thought to disrupt fat cells and even encourage collagen formation; some research suggests Power Plate workouts are better than aerobic exercise for lessening cellulite (and, bonus, reducing belly fat). Do squats, lift weights or jog in place on the platform for at least 10 minutes a day. Or jump on a trampoline; the vertical, up-and-down movement promotes lymph flow.
Additional Treatments and Considerations
While diet and exercise form the foundation of cellulite management, several other treatments may offer additional benefits.
Topical Treatments
- Retinol Creams: Retinol is a form of vitamin A that reduces the presence of free radicals responsible for the breakdown of collagen. Retinol helps maintain skin smoothness and makes cellulite bulges less visible. Look for 100,000 IUs of vitamin A per two-ounce jar.
- Caffeine Creams: Caffeine works by breaking down fat cells and dehydrating the area where the cellulite is, tightening and firming the skin for a temporarily smooth appearance.
- Cellulite Creams: Use a topical cellulite cream with natural ingredients shown to maintain skin’s elasticity, promote circulation and enhance lipolysis.
Professional Treatments
- FDA-Approved Treatments: Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also approved several treatments for cellulite, including Cellfina®, Cellulaze® and Qwo®. These can improve the appearance of dimples on your skin.
- Cosmetic Procedures: Cosmetic surgeons also use a variety of treatments to reduce the appearance of cellulite temporarily. These treatments include: Deep massaging to puff up the skin. Acoustic wave therapy to break up cellulite with sound waves. Laser treatment to help thicken the skin. Liposuction to remove fat (however, it’s deep fat, not necessarily cellulite). Mesotherapy, in which a needle injects drugs into the cellulite. Subcision, in which a needle inserted under the skin breaks up tough bands causing cellulite. Vacuum-assisted precise tissue release to cut tissue and fill out dimpled skin. Radiofrequency, ultrasound, infrared light or radial pulses to heat skin.
Alternative Therapies
- Ginkgo Biloba: Ginkgo biloba is an herbal product frequently used in traditional Chinese medicine. Studies show that ginkgo biloba may cause an increase in blood flow to many parts of the body. An increase in blood flow in your stomach, legs and butt may reduce the appearance of cellulite.
- Grape-Seed Extract: Grape-seed extract comes from grinding up grape seeds. Traditional European medicine has used grape-seed extract for a long time. Like ginkgo biloba, grape-seed extract may increase blood flow to many parts of the body, which can reduce the appearance of cellulite.
- Cupping: Cupping is a form of traditional Chinese and Middle Eastern medicine. A healthcare provider places cups on parts of your body, and suction force pulls your skin upward. Small studies show that cupping may decrease the amount of cellulite in your body. However, there’s not yet enough research to draw definite conclusions.
- Dry Brushing: Dry brushing involves using a dry, stiff-bristled brush to massage your skin. When you dry brush your skin, your skin temporarily puffs up due to increased blood circulation. There are claims that dry brushing can reduce cellulite. However, there isn’t any proof that dry brushing reduces the appearance of cellulite.
Lifestyle Adjustments
- Avoid Tight Clothing: Give your skinny jeans and tight yoga pants a break; snug clothing can hamper lymph flow, encouraging toxins to accumulate in and around fat cells. The same goes for pantyhose, tight underwear, cycling pants or anything with a snug waistband can interfere with flow, especially since they specifically cover the most cellulite-prone areas on your body. Swap figure-hugging pants and shorts for looser, flowy garments, and be sure your undies aren’t tight around the crease of your thigh; lymph glands are concentrated in the groin area. And uncross your legs; sitting with your legs crossed impedes blood and lymph movement.
- Massage: Massage stimulates circulation, promotes lymph flow and lessens fluid retention. And manipulating cellulite-prone areas helps release tight, fibrous bands connecting skin to muscle that can make fat layers bulge and dimple. Try gentle, self-massage techniques. Before you bathe or shower, start with dry brushing, long used to simulate lymph flow and remove toxins and cellular waste. Using a soft brush with natural bristles, lightly stroke cellulite-prone regions, moving in the direction of your heart. Follow with a warm bath or shower to enhance circulation, and add a gentle body scrub-exfoliation smooths skin and increases the turnover of cells, minimizing the appearance of cellulite, and it’s thought that the mild irritation triggers collagen production. After your bath, when tissues are still warm, massage dimpled areas in a circular motion for 5 to 10 minutes.
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