Cellulite: The Dimpled Devil

I don't know about you, but I saw my first cellulite dimple at 18 years of age. "What is THAT??" I said, pointing at the one dimple on my outer thigh. I was horrified. What I wouldn't give today to have only one dimple.

During my first few years in college, my dimples mated and produced offspring. I was told that cellulite is the result of excess body fat. Well, I weighed a whopping 120 pounds (I'm 5'4"), so I found that hard to believe. But I joined a gym anyway. More cellulite appeared. Mostly on the backs of my thighs. Shorts would still hide it, but I was so self-conscious in a swimsuit.

And then it seemed like my cellulite stopped "growing." No more appeared through my 20s and the first half of my 30s. But in my mid-30s, it started to appear on the front of my legs. I hadn't gained any weight. I was still working out, and I was eating healthy. C'mon, dimples, what gives??

I tried all the creams and scrubs and oils that promised to reduce cellulite. Nothing worked. I tried the DIY coffee-grounds scrub at home. Just messy! So I resorted to knee-length shorts.

Then the beauty community started talking about fascia (or myofascial tissue) and how it can contribute to cellulite when fascia is tight. So, now, they said, it's all about fascial manipulation to reduce cellulite. Down the rabbit hole I went! I tried:

• Endermologie -- There aren't enough terrible words to describe how painful this was. It's a device equipped with motorized rollers and suction that "rolls" out the skin's surface. Basically it's a "Holy-cow-that's-so-painful-get-away-from-me-spa-lady-before-I-deck-you" kind of massage. I stuck with it for a bit, though. More than a few people have heard me say "Beauty is pain!" I probably had 10 sessions before I gave up. No results.

• The FasciaBlaster® -- A self-massage myofascial tool. This looks like a medieval torture device. Actually, it feels like a medieval torture device. But Ashley Black, the creator, had a ton of great before/afters on her site, and she had a bunch of great tutorials. And so I really wanted to make this work. But this was like doing Endermologie on myself. Ouch. Stuck with it for about 6 months, and while it didn't hurt as much after a while, I still saw no results.

• Foam Rolling -- Supposed to achieve deep muscle and fascia release. Ouch. Gotta be honest: I didn't stick with this.

Then one day I was walking the aisles of a health and beauty expo and saw a booth for ItWorks Body Slimming Wraps. "Do they work for cellulite?" I asked? The nice lady told me that they did, even though they aren't marketed for that. I would try anything once (obviously)! She advised that I wrap my legs twice per week for 2 weeks and to sleep with the wraps on. So I bought 8 wraps, grabbed her card in case I needed more, and off I went. Holy cow! In 2 weeks, I saw about a 50% reduction in cellulite. I bought 8 more wraps, went 2 more weeks, and my cellulite was about 85% gone. I emailed the ItWorks lady and she told me that now, I could just wrap for maintenance. Maybe once or twice a month. That was 2004, and I have been using these wraps ever since.

Here's how I use them:

I'm on a monthly "autoship" plan with ItWorks, and I receive 3 wraps per month (so 36 for the year). I don't wrap at all from September through February since I'm not wearing shorts. I save up my wraps from those months. Then in March, I start the 2X per week for 4 weeks routine (using 16 wraps). So I'm ready for shorts and swimsuits by May. I wrap twice a month, for maintenance, through May, June, July and August (using 16 wraps) just to maintain. And I use my surplus of wraps for spot treatments or even around my belly.

I start by dry brushing my legs (Read my blog on why dry brushing is good for your entire body -- I transformed my "crunchy" menopausal skin into soft skin in no time!) and then applying 1 wrap to each leg. The wraps are sticky, so you will want to cover them with something (I use plastic wrap, elastic stretch bandages or Fab Wrap™ from IT WORKS!). Even though the body wraps say to just wear them for 45 minutes, I sleep in them.

I have recommended these wraps to friends many times over the years. They really do work! For me, anyway. And as I've said time and again: I won't recommend something that doesn't work for me or that I don't believe in.

Side note: Another thing that works but is a little pricey!

A friend of mine who owns a Pilates studio a few years ago asked me if I wanted to try her Lipo Light Body Sculpting machine. She had purchased one for her Pilates clients, and she said it helped with slimming, shaping and toning. "I bet it would help your cellulite," she said.  This was during the winter when I wasn't wrapping my legs with ItWorks Body Slimming Wraps, and my cellulite was having a party on my legs. What the heck, I'll try anything, after all.

The machine uses 16 LED light paddles, placed directly on your skin. The light stimulates the fat cell to liquify the fat within the cell. Then the liquified fat is absorbed by the lymphatic system. Twice per week, for 5 weeks, she would place the paddles on the front and back of my legs, and I would lie still for 20 minutes. Then, off to a vibration plate for 5 minutes to speed up the lymphatic system. Eureka! This worked! I saw a significant reduction in cellulite -- probably 90%. But it's not a cure. Like everything, consistency is key. My legs were nearly cellulite free throughout the summer, but I had to repeat the process in about 6 months. And here's the rub: Professional treatments like this are not cheap. The 10 sessions ran about $1,500.

Questions? Send me a note at regina@reginarecommends.com. I'd love to hear from you!