Water, fat or fibrous cellulite: how to make them disappear?

The emergence of aqueous cellulite is a result of water accumulation between the adipocytes in the hypodermis. The water retained in the skin tissues forms swellings and oedemas. This type of cellulite is often located in the lower limbs (thighs, calves and ankles). Forming a bump on the skin, it is soft and non-painful to the touch.

Water-based cellulite is primarily caused by a dysfunction in the venous and lymphatic circulations. The adipocytes slow down the elimination of water and toxins, which stagnate in the connective tissue and give the skin a dimpled appearance. The skin then begins to deform. Individuals affected by cellulite with water retention often complain of heavy legs.

Wearing overly tight clothing or shoes can potentially exacerbate poor circulation, as can excessive salt intake. Indeed, when tissues have a high concentration of salt, they attract and retain water, which limits its evacuation.

How to eliminate water-based cellulite?

There are several solutions to prevent the onset of water cellulite or to reduce its appearance:

• Adopt a balanced diet : as previously mentioned, a diet too high in salt promotes the appearance of cellulite. To prevent it, maintain a varied diet and drink plenty of water.

• Maintaining regular physical activity : aquatic sports are particularly recommended against water retention. Practised in cold water, they promote better blood circulation. Furthermore, water has a massaging effect on the skin.

• Massages : similar to adipose cellulite, performing a knead-and-roll technique stimulates blood circulation and has a draining effect. The application of a toning treatment, such as our caffeine body cream or our green coffee body scrub complements its action, and helps to smooth and firm the skin.

• Shockwaves : these acoustic waves serve to stimulate and enhance both blood and lymphatic circulation.

• Mesotherapy against aqueous cellulite : this technique involves the injection of active substances with draining properties.

The fibrous cellulite is embedded, hard and painful to the touch. It sometimes takes on a purplish hue. The appearance of fibrous cellulite is due to the hardening of collagen fibres surrounding the fat cells. This phenomenon is caused by the glycation of these fibres, that is, the deposit of sugars on their surface. These modify their structure, which can lead to a loss of their function.

Collagen fibres typically have the role of providing tissues with mechanical resistance to stretching and pulling. When these fibres harden, the skin is pulled downwards, which compresses the fat cells between the partitions of the hypodermis, forming skin depressions that lead to dimpling. Fibrous cellulite can be caused by several factors, including a sedentary lifestyle, a diet too high in sugar, or heredity.

How to eliminate fibrous cellulite?

This form of cellulite is the most challenging to eliminate and few treatments show real effectiveness. It is therefore better to prevent its occurrence. Here are some methods for this purpose:

• Adopting a balanced diet : a diet too high in sugar promotes the appearance of cellulite.

• Maintaining regular physical activity : this helps to rebalance the ingested sugar / expended sugar equilibrium.

• Massages : as in the cases of adipose and aqueous cellulite, performing a knead-and-roll stimulates the circulation of fats and water and has a draining effect. However, the effectiveness of this method in the case of fibrous cellulite is very limited.

• Liposuction : this technique involves suctioning fat through cannulas inserted into the skin via thin incisions.

• Radiofrequency : The emission of a very high-frequency electromagnetic wave allows the heating of the hypodermis and to promote lipolysis. The accumulated fat is thus eliminated and the adipocytes deflate.