Already have an account?
Get back to the
Beauty

4 Easy Ways to Get Rid of Cellulite Before Summer

Say goodbye to all those pesky bumps.

Tags:

Every year, another new cellulite treatment comes along, promising it’s not just the latest, but also the greatest way to get rid of it. And a huge price tag is often attached to the hype. “We spend one billion dollars each year on new ways to eradicate cellulite, and often end up disappointed,” notes Valerie Goldburt, MD, PhD, a dermatologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Fortunately, Dr. Goldburt adds, there are some very effective and natural ways to combat it.

Drink up.

Plain tap water helps flush toxins that hide in the fat layers beneath the skin and accentuate lumps and bumps. Hydration plumps the skin and makes it look less lumpy,” Dr. Goldburt explains, “definitely camouflaging cellulite.”

The key: Drink half of your body weight in fluid ounces daily! So if you weight 150 pounds, you should sip 75 ox. (a little more than nine cups) of water. “And be sure to avoid beverages with caffeine and alcohol, as they tend to be dehydrating,” she adds.

Use a caffeine cream.

Slimming creams containing 3.5 percent water-soluble, antioxidant-rich caffeine and xanthenes like Cellusculpt Body Shaper & Cellulite Soothing Cream ($59, Sephora) are proven to help hide cellulite by plumping skin cells. “Topical caffeine increases the blood flow to the surface of the skin, plumping it up for a couple of hours,” says Dr. Goldburt.

Or, try this DIY scrub: Mix 1/4 cup of ground coffee with 3 Tbs. of sugar and olive oil to form a smooth paste. Massage into cellulite-prone areas in a circular motion for five minutes, then rinse off in a warm shower. Repeat at least twice weekly.

Take gotu kola.

This herbal extract, derived from a close relative of parsley, ups your supply of collagen and elastin, improving elasticity and thickening the skin to minimize the appearance of bumpy cellulite, says Josh Axe, CNS, a certified nutritionist in Nashville, Tennessee. “Take 150 mg. to 250 mg. of gotu kola two to three times daily and you will see a difference in the appearance of cellulite within three days.” Find the supplement in health food stores or online ($5.75, Vitacost).

Try laser therapy.

Low-level laser therapy, which can be done with at-home devices like the Glo910+ Anti Cellulite Massage Machine ($299.00, Amazon) can improve the cellulite in your thighs and buttocks. “As with caffeine creams, these devices work by stimulating blood flow,” Dr. Goldburt says. “In addition, they increase production of collagen, which can also mask the appearance of cellulite.

This article originally appeared in our print magazine, Reverse Aging.

We write about products we think our readers will like. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the supplier.  

Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items. Use right arrow key to move into submenus. Use escape to exit the menu. Use up and down arrow keys to explore. Use left arrow key to move back to the parent list.