Anticellulite

The onset of cellulite depends on several factors that often add up (even if it can be traced back to a microcirculatory alteration). Some of the factors that cannot be eliminated are defined as primary (for example sex, race, or genetics), whereas secondary factors, are linked to certain stages of life or particular pathologies. Others are defined as aggravating factors (such as poor diet or sedentary lifestyle) and can be controlled when adopting different habits.

Being female and Caucasian are unfavorable factors: the Mediterranean woman is characterized by a pear (gynoid) shape in which the action of female hormones (estrogens) prevails over specific receptors, resulting in an accumulation of excess weight in the lower part of the body, water retention and circulatory stasis. Not surprisingly, this problem starts during adolescence, a period in which there is a real hormonal upheaval that marks the transition from childhood to adulthood.

The genetic component is also important, considering that some micro circulatory disorders are often handed down from one generation to the next and that venous and lymphatic insufficiencies with capillary fragility constitute the basis of cellulite.

Cutaneous manifestations of cellulite are strongly linked to the menstrual cycle: Effects are more obvious int he time interval preceding menstruation and during pregnancy when there is a higher estrogen level.

Decreased muscular quality which can be due to a sedentary lifestyle or excessively rapid weight loss that has sacrificed noble muscle tissue, is certainly one of the factors favouring cellulite.
An active lifestyle helps maintaining muscle tone, circulation, metabolism and fat reduction and prevent venous stasis.

From a clinical point of view, this disorder can be of hormonal or circulatory type.
In both cases it is possible to talk about genetic cellulite, a hereditary pathology.
There are other factors to take into consideration (such as water retention problems) which cannot be solved by an occasional aesthetic treatment.
Any treatment must be followed up consistently over time.
In addition to the appropriate treatments, we recommend a diet rich in fruit and vegetables and low in fat combined to physical activity.
It is important to know that any aesthetic program only really works if it is combined with a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.

Tricks of the Trade

Before starting any treatment, we encourage some important habits, such as skin exfoliation. Regular removal of dead skin layers (impurities and dead cells) attenuates the orange peel effect. It also optimizes skin absorption of specific active ingredients.

An incorrect diet with excessive calories, lipids and salt augments the building up of localized fat deposits and the resulting fluid retention. Even a wrong body posture can aggravate the clinical picture: remaining seated for prolonged periods of time slows down the circulation as the chair compresses the blood vessels. The situation worsens if you keep your legs crossed.

Another risk factor is spending too much time standing still, as the blood struggles to ascend from the lower limbs, with a consequent circulatory stasis. Flat feet or hollow feet also cause incorrect posture and facilitate the processes that cause cellulite.

Constrictive clothing must be avoided: tight-fitting clothes and underwear limit circulation and shoes that are too tight or wearing too high heels hinder venous and lymphatic return.

Stress and smoking are other unfavorable factors, the former due to the inevitable repercussions on the hormonal framework (an increase in the so-called stress hormones), the latter due to its vasoconstrictor action and its ability to increase free radicals, substances that damage microcirculation and accelerate the body’s general aging process.

Like all diseases, cellulite also makes its symptoms more or less evident over time.

Cellulite can be classified in four stages:

First stage: congestive cellulite

The surface of the epidermis appears normal, but the subcutaneous tissue stasis has begun at a capillary level, with an increase of plasma infiltration between the tissue layers and an initial dissociation of the adipocytes.

Second stage: edematous cellulite

This type of cellulite is characterized by the initial phase of orange peel effect where it is possible to detect a stagnation of interstitial liquids. In this stage the adipocytes begin to swell and compress the blood vessels, compromising the hydro-saline exchange between cells and facilitating the formation of edema, hence the name edematous cellulite.

Third stage: fibrous cellulite

In the fibrous stage of cellulite, small fat nodules are formed which harden when contact with collagen and, causing a slowing down of oxygen flow between the tissue cells. In many cases it can result in flabby sclerotic cellulite. The area affected area of the body is soft with skin tone loss and visible orange peel imperfections.

Fourth Stage: Sclerotic Cellulite

Sclerotic cellulite is the final stage of water retention and it is considered irreversible. It should be treated with great care to obtain the best possible results.

In this phase there is a thickening in collagen fibers. Fat nodules are bulky and evident and affected nerve endings cause hypersensitivity. Apart from the orange peel effect, the skin is stained with spots.