In the previous two pieces we saw that cellulite is a really a created term propagated by the cosmetic industry to lull an ever increasing supply of consumers into paying for products and services of dubious efficacy. Even with the high-end treatments the change in appearance is a temporary one at best, and at worst a causative agent in the aggravation of the condition.
In this piece we’ll begin to look at the conditions that contribute to the symptoms that are collectively called cellulite and in understanding these factors try to divine the interventions needed to modify the causes of the situation.
We have already seen that the three main symptoms that in combination give the bumpy appearance associated with cellulite are excess fat, circulatory insufficiency, and connective tissue architecture.
Although it’s thought that cellulite is mainly a female concern, a larger proportion of men than is readily apparent actually have a condition similar to cellulite, its just better concealed. Part of the cellulite condition is inadequate thickness of the skin, which is why there are in fact many individuals (both male and female) that have all of the other traits of cellulite, but because they have thicker skin, the lumps and bumps aren’t as visible. This intervention (thickening the skin) is actually one of the more successful interventions being offered by the medical and cosmetic industries alike.
One of the most effective methods of stimulating the body to remodel thicker skin is through the use of Retin-A; and herein lies a sorry tale. Retin-A works very effectively to remodel skin by removing damaged protein structures, and stimulating the growth of new proteins to create a more uniform and thicker skin. It was developed in the late 1960’s as a treatment for skin conditions such as acne vulgaris and keratosis pilaris (chicken skin). However, once Retin-A, which is a derivative of vitamin A (retinol), was shown to have real world effect, it was immediately seized by the pharmaceutical industry and is now a regulated treatment. This is true of many effective treatments, once they show real biological effect they are then usually re-classified as a drug and subsequently tightly regulated. Sometimes this is a good thing as some people really do need saving from themselves, sadly it does however restrict access to the more level headed of us.
So for most of us Retin-A is off the table but there are other chemicals that are accessible which perform a similar function; these are the hydroxy acids (alpha and beta). Hydroxy acids, like Retin-A, stimulate the growth of new proteins within the skin to produce a thicker more even tone. As suggested in the previous instalments, this isn’t an overnight effect, both Retin-A and Hydroxy acids stimulate the remodelling of your skin, but this is dependent upon physiological dynamics. The cells that make up your skin take a minimum of two weeks to turnover (they’re in constant flux, breaking down and re-building), but the change in each cycle is miniscule, so it takes a number of these cycles to create an appreciable effect. The remodelling process is reliant on the consistent provision of beneficial nutrients, the right signals and the minimisation of destructive stresses. Even with daily attention to providing the right environment for optimal skin health it will take at least 6-12 months to have any lasting effect. You have to grow a better body.
Nutrition for skin health is beyond the scope of this article, but here are a few tips to assist in the remodelling of skin towards a thicker, more evenly toned expression.
First, you need to wash, carefully. Keeping your skin clean is essential to minimise the toxins we are bombarded with daily from stressing the skin and causing an inflammatory condition which then prevents the effective remodelling of skin as well as at the same time as highlighting the hills and valleys due to fluid retention. However, over-zealous cleaning is counter-productive as it removes the natural humectant coating (moisture retaining substances) and disturbs the microbiome (bacteria) that maintains skin health. Excessive cleaning may in fact contribute to the appearance of cellulite by removing these two key features of the skin environment. Use gentle cleansers and do not use regular soap.
As well as maintaining skin hygiene, you can assist the process by gentle exfoliation. Uneven skin, like local inflammation, highlights the lumpy appearance of cellulite. Regular exfoliation to smooth out the skin will slightly reduce the appearance of cellulite, although it is a mostly cosmetic effect. It is however necessary to remove the flaky skin cells which contribute to irregular texture and also provides a ready source of nutrition (the skin cells) for specific bacteria that contributes to poor skin health. Again like cleansing, you need to be gentle and consistent, a few times per week is more than sufficient. The key is to encourage a better environment for healthy renewal, if you try to push it, however, the body will push back, often with results being the opposite for which you’d hoped.
Once you’ve thrown out the surface garbage, you can then attend to the task of remodelling the real skin structure. If you have access and you can afford it, then you can enlist the aid of a medical specialist hopefully well versed in dermatology who can provide you with an individual protocol for the use of Retin-A. The rest of us from more meagre holdings have to rely upon more accessible chemicals to assist us in stimulating an increased turnover of the proteins in the skin, which as we saw above were the hydroxy acids. There are three common hydroxy acids, lactic acid (alpha-) and glycolic acid (alpha-), which are both water soluble, and salicylic acid (beta-) which is lipid soluble. The lipid soluble beta-hydroxy acid is especially beneficial as it can penetrate through the fatty structures in the skin, so has a more widespread effect than the alpha-hydroxy acids. Daily and judicial use of these chemicals will gradually change the structure of the skin to a more healthy and abundant landscape (i.e. thicker and more uniform), but keep in mind that this will take a year or so for permanent (-ish) effect.
The final factor (in our small summary) that will vastly improve the health of your skin and improve the appearance of cellulite is the hydration status of your skin. Like the rest of your body, the skin is mostly water. However, due to its direct interaction with the environment, it has to deal with multiple stressors many of which cause it to dry out. I’ve covered previously how the hydration status of the cells in the body is in itself a potent signal that then dictates various cascades to either promote certain biochemical pathways or block them.
Most of the topical cellulite treatments simply work by causing the retention of water in the skin. This assists in the healthy turnover of the skin and temporarily smoothes out the skin, giving the illusion of reduced cellulite. One of the key ingredients that can achieve this is hyaluronic acid which helps to increase the skin's natural elastin levels. Hyaluronic acid does this by absorbing fairly large amounts of water which then supports the elasticity and youthful appearance of skin.
Performed regularly these activities will go some way to providing the skin with the correct signals to stimulate a thicker and more even skin texture and tone which in part will reduce the appearance of cellulite. This in itself is really only a cosmetic effect as we have done nothing to address the underlying connective tissue structure, nor the excess adiposity that is creating the pressure upon the collagen matrix. That is what we will address in the next piece in this series, as they are both fairly involved scenarios.
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