Are Skin Creams Effective for Cellulite Reduction?

Cellulites are those demons that don't let you wear shorts and skirts! Alas! How desperately do you want to get rid of cellulites! But all the suggestions you get is to exercise and control your diet to reduce fat. However, did you know cellulite is not only an issue with obese people, it can even occur on the skin of thin people! Now that is something, here you do exercises and starve yourself to get rid of cellulites and there you find them present even after reducing all that body fat. In such a desperate attempt, sometimes you take the short cut and buy cellulite reduction creams. But are these skin creams effective in reducing cellulite? Let's explore! But before that, just take a bird's overview on what is cellulite and what are the causes behind its formation!  

What is Cellulite? 

Cellulite may be defined as the collection of fat under your skin that gives it a dimpled and lump like appearance. These underlying fat deposits occur mostly on your pelvic region making it look saggy and wrinkly. The other common areas where cellulites occur include buttocks and thighs. They usually appear after puberty. The other popular names of cellulite include orange peel syndrome, cottage cheese skin, hail damage, and the mattress phenomenon, all due to its typical appearance!

Although cellulite can be classified as a form of fat, its causes are not only related to your diet or lifestyle. Cellulite can result from a combination of factors. One may inherit this, or cause it to grow due to some hormonal imbalance. Let's have look at the causes of cellulite formation.  

What are the causes of cellulite? 

There is no established fact or facts about the exact causes that lead to cellulite formation. However, there are many theories that bring forward certain factors that may be behind the appearance of cellulites.

Hormonal factors – hormones like, oestrogen, insulin, thyroid hormones are supposed to be an active and important factor in the process of cellulite production.

Genes –Certain genes play an important role in the formation of cellulite. These genes may make a person prone to have those characteristics that are associated with cellulite production. This means, some of your genes that decide your gender, race, the rate of your metabolism, or distribution of fat under your skin as well as circulatory issues may have a critical part in the production of cellulites in your body.

Unhealthy diet – Although diet has little effects on cellulite production, it still can play a role in causing cellulites. It is when you consume excessive fatty and salty foods and when your fiber intake is really poor, you are more likely to develop cellulite.

Lifestyle – The generally bad habits affecting health are the ones that may also cause cellulites like smoking and not doing regular exercise. Smokers and inactive people are more prone to cellulite. If you daily routine demands you to keep sitting or standing for continuous longer hours then also you may develop cellulite.

Improper clothing- Clothing which limits the blood flow to some parts of your body may cause cellulite formation in that part. For example, if you wear tight pants or undergarments that may restrict blood from flowing down to your buttocks, you may be at a risk of developing cellulite.  

How to reduce cellulite? 

Cellulite now seems to have become a common feature of human body with so many people suffering from it! Women have these cellulites more than men do, probably because of their thinner skin. Several therapies have been experimented with and are recommended to remove cellulite, but none of these have been supported by the scientific or medical fraternity as a whole. There are also home remedies for cellulite reduction that might help you a little in dealing with these fat deposits but only when they are not due to some genetic factor. Apart from these, there are numerous skin creams that claim to be effective cellulite reduction creams. Are they really effective in cellulite reduction?

Are skin creams effective for cellulite reduction?  

Many over-the-counter skin creams are there that claim to be effective in eliminating cellulite. However, they don't seem to be effective and prove to be just another skin moisturizer. For some time, these creams make your skin appear firmer and smoother, but they are not able to fight off the underlying cause of cellulite. This is unfortunate but skin creams do not really make your cellulites disappear. However, some of these anti-cellulite creams may temporarily reduce cellulites appearance.  

Why some cellulite creams seem to be effective? 

Some of the cellulite creams are effective, particularly those that help reduce the appearance of cellulite by the surface of your skin smooth and draining off the fluid that lie underneath your skin (this leads to shrinking of fat cells) And how will you know which cream is effective? By looking at its list of ingredients! Yes, cellulite creams that are made of certain ingredients work on the above principles to make the cream somewhat effective, even if it is a temporary effect. So, what are the ingredients that make any skin cream effective for cellulite reduction?

Ingredients to look for in effective anti-cellulite creams  

Caffeine

Yes the same component that's there in your coffee. Caffeine has diuretic properties that help reduce cellulite. It firms your skin by eliminating excessive moisture. It is also an alkaloid. Alkoloids stimulate degradation of fat deposited underneath your skin. Not only this, caffeine also work to increases blood flow. However. Its effect is also temporary but yes it is effective even if temporarily.  

Aminophylline

Aminophylline is increasingly finding place in the manufacturing of anti-cellulite creams. Traditionally, it is used in making asthma inhalers and prescription drugs. Aminophylline relaxes the muscles and for this property, it is used in inhalers to relax chest muscles when they become constricted. The same principle works on your skin, it relaxes muscles in your skin to diminish the tight dimpled effect on it. Aminophylline also has active antioxidant properties. Due to this, it helps bring down fat deposited under your skin.

Bladderwrack Extract

Bladderwrack is a type of seaweed that has long been used to stimulate thyroid gland. It has quite a high concentration of iodine which amazingly help thyroid patients. Bladderwrack extract also has high concentration of polysaccharides and polyphenols that are considered to be very effective in weigh loss as they boost the rate of metabolism in a body. This quality of bladderwrack extract is also taken into work for reducing cellulite as it eliminates fluid buildup underneath skin.

So, if you find any anti-cellulite cream having the above ingredients, you can at least be sure that they will prove to be effective even if temporarily. To get rid of cellulites, you can take other measures too apart from applying cellulite creams.

What else is required for cellulite reduction? 

A change in lifestyle, which includes your clothing, your diet, your exercise plan and your posture while sitting is required.

While we can’t get rid of genetic issues causing cellulite, we for sure can make amendments in our lifestyle and see changes happen. Exercising is the best way to reduce all fat in body which also helps in reducing cellulite. Keeping active throughout the day and not sitting or lying at one place and in one posture all day helps to a great extent. Its wise to not to let yourself become obese. More fat causes the fat cells to get bigger making your legs look lumpier.

With exercising and such other measures one may be able to achieve the aim of cellulite reduction. Although strict and regulated use of skin creams is advised one should not rely on them for these alone are not capable enough to make the cellulite disappear.

With all this, certain natural home remedies for cellulite reduction too can be tried. Being natural, they won't harm you anyways and they might just do wonders for your body and reduce cellulites!