Myth #3:
Massage is the best way to break up the cellulite bumps

Gentle massage that encourages circulation is helpful. Massage that involves pinching or squeezing of the skin can actually do more damage and cause bruising.

The best way to address cellulite is with a three pronged approach utilizing the right topical products, following a healthy nutritional program, and reducing stress and isolation.

Here are a few basic steps to get you started:

1. Topically, look for products that contain circulation boosters such as cayenne pepper, tiger’s herb and horsenut tree extract.

2. Internally, add cell repairing and collagen enhancing foods to your diet such as:

• Whole eggs—these contain lecithin which are key to repairing cell
• Amino acids—found in beans and legumes are building blocks for protein, which makes up the collagen and elastin fibers.
• Goji Berries—these dried berries are loaded with healthy skin nutrients such as, essential fatty acids, beta carotene, vitamin c and trace minerals.
• Dietary Supplements—daily intake of dietary supplements can ensure you are getting all the appropriate nutrients in the right amounts.

3. Stress Reduction—or as I like to call it, emotional self care. By reducing isolation and stress we encourage healthy neuropeptides, which are important to keeping our cells healthy and full of water. Believe it or not, the average person has only 2 close friends today, where as they had 3 close friends a few years ago. The human connection is healing and it is important to connect with others to stay healthy.

Cellulite and Stretch Mark Management.

Cellulite - Myth #2

Myth #2 - Cellulite can be reduced through exercise and weight-loss.

When you lose weight, no matter what diet-exercise program you follow, the percentage of body fat decreases, but there is no measurable loss of cellulite. This is because the fat that accumulates when you eat more calories than you use, and likewise, burn off when you exercise, is not what contributes to cellulite. This is because the body cannot utilize fat trapped in the dermal layer. And this trapped fat is what creates the look of cellulite.

The bottom line is cellulite is a result of poor circulation or damage to the blood vessels. Weak blood vessels can’t carry as many nutrients to the dermis, so it deteriorates along with the circulatory system. This causes the bands of fibers surrounding fat cells in the skin to harden. They contract around fat, pushing it out and creating cellulite’s bumpy appearance.

What about all those squats?
Exercise burns smooth body fat but not the hard dermal kind. Strong blood vessels increase circulation in outer skin layers, fortifying the dermis, which will hold down dermal fat and keep it from poking toward the surface. To reduce cellulite you need to repair the blood vessels and repair the dermis.

By simply adding key skin hydrating, cell-fortifying nutrients to our diets we can rebuild, re-hydrate, and revitalize our skin, forcing stubborn fat cells back invisibly below the surface - and keeping them there.

Learn more about cellulite

Cellu-what?? The top 3 myths

To celebrate the season, I’d like to kick off the blog with the first topic being cellulite. It is one of the most misunderstood concerns and a common question from my patients, especially during the summertime.

Here are a few myths:

Myth #1 - Cellulite is a fat problem.

Contrary to popular opinion, cellulite is not the result of too much fat in your body. It does not matter whether you are a size two or a size twenty-two, have a high body fat content, or quite low, you can still have cellulite. You know that fatty tissue is found in most parts of your body to varying degrees. The job of fat is to function as a protective cushion for your organs and as an energy reserve. When you reduce your normal intake of food, your body automatically burns its own reservoir of stored fat. The fat comes off, but the bumpy dimples are still there.

Why does this happen?
Because cellulite is not a result of normal body fat. Those lumps occur when the cells in the skin and the connective tissue (think of a net, made of collagen and elastin strands) in the dermis are weakened. When they become weak, the fat cells from the lower layers in the skin push up, and then get trapped in the net of collagen and elastin.

Welcome to the Murad Skincare Blog!