10 top tips for brides to reduce cellulite

It’s a fact that around 90 per cent of post-adolescent women have the dreaded ‘orange peel-skin’ look. And before you think it just affects those overweight, cellulite is found on women of all shapes and sizes. Although it is hard to totally eradicate, follow our top tips to beat cellulite and you could see a difference in as little a week…

Cellulite tip 1: Keep hydrated

Drink six to eight glasses of water per day to flush out any excess sodium that causes fluid retention. If you get fed up of drinking water, try herbal teas or adding a little pure fruit juice to it. Sticking to this regime can make your skin look plumper within seven days.

Cellulite tip 2: Quit smoking

As if you needed another reason to quit, but smoking can worsen cellulite as it cuts off your skin’s food supply and floods your body with toxins. This can have a detrimental effect on the elasticity of your skin, thereby worsening cellulite … and bringing on premature wrinkles and sagging. Quit now.

Cellulite tip 3: De-stress

We know that planning a wedding is one of the most stressful times of your life, but stress should be avoided where possible as it causes hormonal changes that can affect the skin. Cortisol is a stress hormone that can cause thinning of the skin and increased fat storage. It can also slow the production of growth hormones that create healthy skin. It is so important to incorporate relaxation into your day. Try having a hot bubble bath, or taking five with your fave magazine. And make sure you get the magic eight hours sleep per night.

Cellulite tip 4: Exercise to beat cellulite

Although slimmer brides are just as likely to get cellulite as those with a fuller figure, weight gain can worsen the appearance of cellulite. If you combine a cardiovascular exercise plan, with resistance training on your legs and bum, you could dramatically reduce the appearance of cellulite. This will take longer than seven days but the reduction in cellulite (not to mention the improvement in your overall toning and fitness) will be amazing.

Cellulite tip 5: Body brush

A body brush could be your best purchase this year! Skin brushing helps remove dead skin cells, stimulates circulation and boosts your lymphatic flow. This in turn helps out the poor drainage in fat cells that causes cellulite. For the best results brush twice a day using long strokes towards your heart.

Cellulite tip 6: Moisturise

There are lots of creams and gels on the market, with all sorts of ambitious claims. The truth is, for great results you cannot rely on creams alone, they need to be combined with exercise and healthy eating/drinking. Having said that, applying a good quality moisturiser twice a day will help to plump up the skin on your rear. And using the specialist cellulite products will get even better results. They are designed to boost your circulation in the troubled area and increase collagen production. For best results, the creams have to be used continually.

Cellulite tip 7: Essential fatty acids

Essential fatty acids can help strengthen the connective tissues around fat cells, thereby helping to reduce cellulite. A diet richer in essential fatty acids may encourage the fat cells to breakdown and therefore could reduce the dimpling effect. Good sources of essential fatty acids are olive oil, flaxseed oil, blackcurrant seed oil, walnut oil and fish oil (try to eat oily fish once a week).

Cellulite tip 8 :Eat more protein

Water retention can be part of the cellulite problem. Protein can help as it contains albumin, which helps absorb excess fluid. For the best effect, try eating three portions of fish, pulses and beans, poultry or tofu per day.

Cellulite tip 9:Massage

Massage from trained practitioners has a host of benefits. It can help reduce stress, increase circulation and lymphatic drainage, and break down adhesions. Specialist manual skin kneading combined with lymphatic drainage can result in the smoothing of skin tissue and the elimination of excess fluid. Booking in for a massage before your wedding may be a nice treat for you and your bridesmaids, too.

Cellulite tip 10 :Endermologie

Although originally developed as a treatment for scars, endermologie is now used as a treatment for cellulite reduction and skin toning. The technique uses two powered rollers and regulated suction to break down some of your fat cells, thereby boosting circulation and stretching the collagen fibres. The broken down fat cells are then spread into a smoother layer. A visible improvement can be seen after one session although ten or more sessions are recommended for lasting results, so plan these in well in advance of your wedding date.