Noah Johns Health Report

You put on your bikini and – eek! Cellulite is there. Before you reach for the baggy tracksuit pants, there is some hope: there are all sorts of anti cellulite treatments that can help reduce the bumpy appearance of the condition. In this article, I will discuss the cause of cellulite and how to get rid of it.

What causes cellulite?

Hormones are thought to be one of the main things that causes cellulite. Estrogen, which is a female hormone, begins to decrease between the ages of 25 and 35. This causes blockages in the lymphatic system and this in turn increases the amount of fluid in the fat cells. At the same time, the connective tissue which holds the fat cells together becomes tight and squeezes the fat upwards towards the skin.

Do men get cellulite?

Only less than 5 percent of men get cellulite. This is because males have a different fat structure than women and do not have high levels of the female hormone, estrogen. Finally, men also have thicker skin and less overall body fat.

Why do thin women get cellulite?

Cellulite isn’t related to the amount of overall fat that your carry. Instead, it is caused by the fat that is found in the layer just below the skin, which is by itself very thin. Fat doesn’t accumulate much in this area as it this layer’s job is to regulate the body temperature and is not used as a fat reserve for excess calories.

Will exercise help my cellulite?

Exercise can help cellulite but isn’t the most effective anti cellulite treatment. This is because cellulite isn’t related to weight gain and losing body fat will do little to affect its overall look. More successful treatments include massage, cream and body wraps because they target the blocked lymph nodes and smooth out the fat.

For the best results in cellulite reduction, you should combine two or more treatments into your anti cellulite program. Why? Because each treatment attacks the cellulite from a different angle and by combining them you will see better results at a quicker rate.

Let’s take look at the most common combinations of anti cellulite treatments. You can use these combinations or you can combine more than three together. Just make sure that whatever selection you choose that it will fit your budget and life circumstance.

Massage and Cellulite Cream

Massage works to reduce cellulite by increasing circulation, stimulating lymphatic drainage and helping to break down the harden fat deposits. When you are having massage conducted, some sort of massage oil or cream needs to be used. With anti cellulite massage, often this is special cellulite cream that designed to help reduce the cellulite. These lotions contain ingredients that are known to remove cellulite such as caffeine, AHA and ginko extract.

Diet and Exercise

The best cellulite exercise should tighten and tone the buttocks and legs through by increasing the amount of toned muscle. This means exercises like lunges, squats and leg press are the main stay of any anti cellulite exercise regime. Of course, simply increasing the amount of toned muscle will do very little if there is a thick layer of fat covering the muscle. Proper diet will help to decrease your levels of fat as you increase your levels of lean muscle.

Laser and Massage Therapy

Machines like TriActive, which combine laser and massage therapy, are commonly found in beauty spas and doctor clinics. The mechanical massage is more effective than home devices or using just your bare hands. While the massage target the cellulite under the skin, the laser therapy helps to promote an increase in collagen to improve the thickness, smoothness and health of the skin.

Before you set your sights on a particular anti cellulite treatment, take your time to consider the various options and products that are available to you. There is a large portion of women who rush into a particular treatment after seeing the glossy advertisements only to be disappointed by the fact that no results eventuated. Most simply bin the product, not bothering to complain or return the item.

The main reason why a product doesn’t work is because it doesn’t fit a particular client’s skin or cellulite severity. This means you need to thoroughly research each treatment to see whether it will suit not only your type of cellulite but also your budget and diary.

Some cellulite products work well, while others don’t. A fair majority are simply rip offs. The best approach is to do plenty of personal research and read as many customer reviews as you can. You will quickly get a picture of which products work and which ones don’t. You’ll also be able to avoid the many scams that are scattered across the internet.

There are two main approaches to cellulite removal – massage and exercise.

Anti cellulite massage involves either bare hands or mechanical device effectively massaging the cellulite affected areas. You can either do it yourself at home using your own bare hands or a purchased home cellulite massaging device; or, you can have it professionally done at a local beauty therapist. Massage helps to break down the cellulite and improve the health of the skin through increase circulation.

Cellulite exercise is different to exercise for weight loss. There is more of a focus on increasing the levels of lean muscle mass in the thighs, legs and buttocks. By doing weight lifting exercise for these areas, the appearance of the cellulite is reduced due to the legs being tightened and toned.

High-density lipoprotein or HDL
cholesterol is a form of lipid found within our body. Medical experts call this
the "good" cholesterol because it passes through our blood vessels
and appears to get rid of all those excess cholesterol and bring it to the
liver to be broken down and eliminated. These excess cholesterol, when not
removed from our system, forms into plaques that are normally the cause of
coronary artery disease. Whenever we measure the HDL cholesterol of a person,
we are measuring how vigorous his blood vessels are being purged free of
cholesterol. HDL cholesterol levels strongly affect the degree of risk for
heart attacks and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) that a person
might experience. Levels of HDL cholesterol that are low increase your risk
whereas high levels make these risks very low.

There are numerous factors that affect
the levels of our HDL cholesterol. One factor is related to genetics. Very high
and very low HDL cholesterol levels may run in your gene pool. A history of
high heart attack incidents in the family might be due to low HDL cholesterol
levels while families that have high HDL cholesterol levels have lower
occurrence of heart attacks.

How to increase HDL cholesterol
levels?

1. Weight loss. Excess weight or
obesity is one of the main reasons why LDL cholesterol levels increase and HDL
cholesterol decreases. Losing weight is one way of elevating your HDL
cholesterol levels.

2. Reduce trans fatty acid intake.
Trans fatty acids are commonly found in many foods, especially those that are
labeled "partially hydrogenated vegetable oils". By removing these
foods from our diet, we are helping our body increase our HDL cholesterol and
not aiding it in increasing our LDL levels.

3. Limit your alcohol intake. One or
two drinks of alcohol a day can greatly help in elevating your HDL levels but
having more than one or two may result to health problems like heart failure.

4. More soluble fiber. Oats, legumes,
fruits, and vegetables are rich in soluble fiber that help in increasing your
HDL levels and lower down your LDL cholesterol. Two servings a day is
recommended.

5. Aerobic exercise.  Aerobic exercises like riding a bike,
jogging, and running significantly help in elevating your HDL cholesterol levels.
Studies have shown that doing this exercise for 20 to 30 minutes increases your
heart rate and effectively elevates your HDL cholesterol levels.

6 Go for monounsaturated fats.
Monounsaturated fats which are found in your olive oil, canola oil, peanut
butter, and avocado oil help elevate your HDL levels without increasing the
level of your total cholesterol.

7. Cranberry juice, fish and other
foods that are rich in omega- 3 fatty acids help in increasing your HDL
cholesterol levels.

8. Niacin is one of the drugs that
seem to elevate HDL cholesterol levels effectively. This drug has several forms
namely nicotinic acid, hexaniacinate nicotinamide and inositol. Sadly all of
them are called "niacin" and only nicotinic acid increases your HDL
cholesterol.