Infinite Ideas - Cellulite Solutions: Simple Secrets for Super-smooth Skin

Cellulite solutions

Simple secrets for super-smooth skin

Infinite Ideas with Cherry Maslen and Linda Bird

7. Creams crackers

The number one beauty rule? Moisturise. Experts say keeping skin hydrated can help banish those dimples.

Moisturise daily is the kind of advice dispensed by both your mother and beauty experts at glossy magazines. And while you know it can be great for your face, will it really help reduce cellulite on your bottom?

Skin specialists assure us it can. Thats because when you slather on moisturiser, it helps plump out your skin.

The effects may be temporary but adding moisture can smooth out those dimples and orange-peel bits to a degree.

The truth is cellulite looks worse on dehydrated or dry skin. Thats because when your skin lacks moisture, it looks thinner, so those little pockets of fatty cells beneath the skin (which are the cellulite) are more noticeable. If you rehydrate your skin, you reduce the appearance of cellulite.

Most of us dont need to be reminded to moisturise our faces, but the skin on the rest of our body often gets neglected. So aim to moisturise day and night after a shower in the morning or after your bedtime bath.

Expensive, delicious smelling unguents make it a more pleasurable task, but any good moisturiser or body oil will do the trick.

Some of the best tried and tested brands of moisturisers include Dermalogica, Clarins, Decleor, and Nivea or Olay are great bargain buys. They make no claims about cellulite reduction, as theyre simple body moisturisers, but with regular use, chances are your skin will look plumper and smoother and cellulite that bit less troublesome!

Moisturisers actually work by trapping the moisture into your skin (rather than adding moisture). But as you age, your skin thins and loses more moisture, so its vital to use a good cream or lotion as the years go by. Even petroleum jelly (Vaseline) works by trapping water into the skin, reducing water loss. And that doesnt cost an arm and a leg! That said, if splashing out on a pricey, beautifully packaged body moisturiser is going to make the entire process more pleasurable, then you may be more likely to build it into your regular toilette. And with moisturising, regularity is the key.

Another good tip to avoid dehydrating your skin is to avoid too hot water in your bath or shower as this can harm your bodys lipids (natural fats). Dont soak for too long in hot water either. However sleepy or anxious you are to get between the sheets, make sure you do moisturise at night experts say thats when the skin is more permeable so better able to absorb beneficial ingredients.

During dry weather or if you live in air-conditioned or centrally heated rooms, try using a humidifier to put moisture back into the air. Alternatively put a bowl of water on a radiator.

Avoid over-using harsh soaps or detergent-based cleansers or bubble baths; these can strip the natural oils from your skin and make it drier. Experts say warm water is good enough to get your body clean unless youre really grubby. Glycerine is a good ingredient to look for in soaps as this is really moisturising.

The sun is cruel to cellulite sufferers precisely because it conspires to dry out the skin, which makes those orange-peel dimples more noticeable.

When you lounge on your chaise longue, baking yourself in the sun, dangerous UV rays release nasty free radicals, which attack the collagen in your skin. This reduces its elasticity. On your face, this spells wrinkles. On your bottom and thighs it means skin becomes more saggy, less firm and plump. The reason that cellulite gets worse with age is because the collagen and elastin in your skin become weaker and less elastic and when theyre less pliable, the fatty pockets beneath the skin arent held in place and become more noticeable.

Best advice, then, is always to use a sunscreen (make sure its at least a factor 15) and use plenty of it. Reapply it often and stay out of the sun between noon and 3 pm the hottest part of the day. Better still, stick to fake tan, which is a great way to disguise cellulite.

How did it go?

Q: Is it true that its more beneficial to apply moisturiser onto damp skin?

A: An old wives tale, this one. The cream is actually diluted by the moisture on your skin, so youre effectively reducing the richness of the cream or lotion. Instead wait until youre properly dry before you slather it on.

Q: What about exfoliators? Do they do any good?

A: Again, there are temporary benefits. Exfoliating is a great way to brighten up the skin as it removes the dead surface skin cells, which can make skin look dull and lacklustre. When these surface skin cells are removed, the skin looks smoother instantly. When your skin is smooth, fake tan goes on more evenly and we all know cellulite is less noticeable when your bodys beautifully bronzed.

Heres an idea for you

Add avocados to your shopping list. Theyre full of mono-unsaturated fats and vitamin E, which are good for your skin. They make a delicious snack. Chuck a few slices in a sandwich or over a salad. You can even make a moisturising beauty mask with them. Simply mush up two or three avocados into a soft paste and smother over your bottom massaging it in using circular movements with the avocado stone (or get a willing bystander to do this for you!) Then just wash it off with warm water.

Defining idea

I love to put on lotion. Sometimes Ill watch TV and go into a lotion trance for an hour. I try to find brands that dont taste bad in case anyone wants to taste me.

ANGELINA JOLIE

8. On the shelf

Cellulite creams abound. But what works, what doesnt and whats really worth the money?

Theres no denying the placebo effect of using cellulite creams theres nothing like rubbing on pricey, sweet-smelling, beautifully packaged unguents to make you feel youre spoiling yourself.

But, do they work? You might be seduced into thinking so. These days many products are impressively endorsed by various scientific studies, many of which claim that testers lost inches and pounds after using said unguent for a period of time.

But if youre hoping for a miracle in a bottle, you still have a long wait. Cellulite creams alone, however impressive, arent likely to transform fleshy, saggy buttocks into a nectarine-firm bottom.

But they may certainly help. Cellulite creams can hydrate your skin, so if your thighs and bottom have been neglected, rubbing on a cream will moisturise the area and help plump up the skin. Big difference already.

Many cellulite creams also contain temporary toning ingredients, which help improve skin texture; the effects can be pretty immediate but are temporary good for a hot date, beach day, black dress occasion, that sort of thing.

But the longer-lasting effects come down to a pot-pourri of active ingredients, which do anything from boost metabolism, facilitate cell turnover, help shed water, even break down fat.

Take caffeine, a common and effective ingredient in many anti-cellulite formulations. Its thought to encourage the metabolism of fats, and help drain accumulated fluids in your fat cells, and boost your circulation. Its also toning.

Another key ingredient used in the more effective anti-cellulite creams is retinol . Its a derivative of vitamin A that has been found to increase skin renewal and boost the production of collagen. Often found in face cream, it can improve the elasticity of the skin on your nether regions too. RoCs retinol-based product has many devotees, who claim to have lost inches and firmed up significantly using the formulation twice daily.