Tag cellulite

Don’t Body Shame Women Who Have Cellulite

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Copyright: flisakd

It’s startling to hear men criticize women for having cellulite, because anywhere from 80 to 98 percent of women have it. The presence of cellulite on a woman does not indicate that she has too much body fat, or that she is in some way unhealthy. Cellulite occurs when fat pushes up against the fibrous connective tissue which lies over it, causing a “cottage cheese” appearance. Cellulite can become more noticeable with weight gain, hormonal changes, and poor skin quality, but it is absolutely considered normal for those who have it. 

I recently heard one of my male friends literally exclaim “Ewww!” when I mentioned that I had some cellulite on the backs of my legs, prompting me to write this article in defense of all who sport some cellulite on their bodies. Mind you, I hadn’t even revealed the area in question on my body, but the reaction from my friend was unsettling. This is the kind of attitude that makes me want to keep my body covered up at all times, just to ensure that the backs of my legs don’t somehow offend an opinionated man. Honestly, even supermodels have cellulite, so could we stop picking on women (and men) who have it?

Venus Freeze Treatments For Cellulite

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No, this is NOT me, but this shows how effective the Venus Freeze can be in reducing the appearance of cellulite.

No, this is NOT me, but this shows how effective the Venus Freeze can be in reducing the appearance of cellulite.

I am a sucker for any non-invasive treatments that promise to reduce the appearance of cellulite or tighten loose skin. So when I kept hearing about the Venus Freeze treatment and its promises to address both of these issues, my curiosity grew. The Venus Freeze employs radio frequency waves to heat up treated tissues, causing it to contract, while magnets stimulate production of collagen and elastin. While many platforms will only treat the face OR the body, the Venus Freeze can be used anywhere on the body. You can expect to see response to the treatments after a few weeks to up to 3 months following the first treatment. The best results are seen when treatments are done weekly, for a total of 8 to 10 treatments. About 10% of people who undergo the Venus Freeze treatments will show no response, which is indeed frustrating both for the non-responder and for the practitioner who is administering the treatments. However, there is no way to determine who falls into that 10% until treatments are well under way. The good news is that the majority of individuals who undergo this treatment should see noticeable improvement in the areas treated.

Here’s where I was completely sold: the treatment feels like a hot stone massage, with no pain involved, and there is no down time. After enduring two rounds of the intensely painful BodyFx treatment, which incidentally did NOTHING to improve the cellulite on the backs of my legs, I was ready to try something that did NOT have me writhing in pain on a treatment table.

I had my first treatment last week at a wonderful facility called Laser Creations in Simi Valley, CA (http://www.lasercreations.org/venus-freeze-skin-tightening-and-body/) and am happy to report that I felt no pain at all during the entire treatment. It truly did feel remarkably similar to a hot stone massage, down to a couple of hot spots which were almost at the point of pain but not quite. After the treatment was completed, the area was massaged manually, and some fat pockets popped from this manipulation. It was a strange sensation, feeling those pockets pop, but I felt victorious because I knew that the technology was already bringing about an effect.

I noticed no change in the quality of my skin, nor did I see any improvement in the appearance of cellulite after the first treatment, but that is normal after only one treatment. I did notice that the more proximal areas (areas closer to my glutes and on my glutes) actually looked more pronounced with respect to the dimpling, but I think that has something to do with the localized swelling. I returned today for my second treatment in the series and experienced one spot which zapped me for a second, causing me to flinch. However, the rest of the treatment was fine, and the heat, though intense, was not painful at all. We got more pockets to pop today, but not as many as from the first treatment. I am very excited to see if visible changes begin to emerge after this second treatment! There are six more treatments left in the series for me, with cumulative effects expected over time. I also practice very clean eating and I drink 1-1/2 gallons of water a day, which will enhance the process of lipolysis (breakdown of fats in fat cells).

I am hoping that a noticeable difference in the areas treated will emerge shortly after my fourth treatment. As a physician who actively works in the field of aesthetic medicine, I am well aware that it takes the body about 5 to 6 months to fully generate a round of collagen, and that small, visible changes can be seen about 30 days into a Venus Freeze treatment regimen.

Invasix Body Fx Treatments…If You Are Lean, Beware!

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BodyFxI have a problem area which is constantly being tortured in an effort to to correct the issue, namely, mild but stubborn cellulite on my hamstring area. In the past I have tried Exilis treatments, and I always make sure to do infrared body wraps before I compete to minimize the appearance of cellulite in this region. However, the results of both of these procedures are temporary, and consequently I am always on the hunt for something more effective.

Enter BodyFx by Invasix, which is a radio-frequency and vacuum device which allegedly targets fat cells while also tightening the dermis and causing collagen contracture. The promise of less fat along with tighter skin seemed too good to be true, but I was willing to try this technology 1) because I am a physician who specializes in aesthetic medicine, 2) I will be stepping onstage very soon, and 3) I HATE the dimpling on the backs of my thighs.

I was told that the treatment, which combines focused radio-frequency energy, deep tissue heating, and suction coupled negative pressure, would be uncomfortable, but MAN OH MAN! Between the intense someone-is-lighting-me-on-fire heat and the intermittent zapping sensation I experienced at the end of some of the pulses, I was in agony. I am a tough cookie with a high pain threshold too, which should tell you a lot. The procedure was so painful that I was yelling obscenities and grabbing onto the treatment table, getting a great chest workout as I wrestled it like it was an enormous squeeze ball. I know that my body fat is at around 14% right now, that I have very little storage fat on the backs of my legs, and that the leaner a patient is, the more painful the BodyFx treatment tends to be.

Here’s a YouTube video which describes the technology:

I find it amazing that the patient featured in this video only reported mild heat sensation, so I am guessing that she has significantly more body fat than I do. Truth be told, my procedure hurt like the dickens. I had to endure ten minutes on each thigh, with more distal and lateral aspects of my posterior thigh being the most intensely painful areas. It was no picnic!

BodyFx treatments must be performed weekly for an 8 week treatment period, which means that I must endure SEVEN more weekly sessions to see optimal results. A one treatment maintenance every 6 months is also part of the treatment protocol. Oh goodie. I am honestly dreading the pain I will be experiencing later this week when I go in for my second BodyFx treatment. But you know what? If it truly works, all the pain will be worth it.

How White Rice Ruins Me

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I grew up on glutinous white rice as a result of my Japanese heritage and never thought twice about it. Then when I began competing in 2009, I had to cut out the white food and actually went through a bit of separation anxiety. In a sense I was probably feeling more guilt than anything else, but I eliminated it from my daily meal plan and suddenly noticed that my physique leaned out rapidly. It’s not like I had started out with a weight problem, but I certainly did not have the chiseled appearance of someone who stepped on a bodybuilding stage regularly.
Oh no cellulite
Though it has been relatively easy to avoid regular bread, sweets, and other contest prep busters, I still find myself pining for sticky white rice, because it is the bosom buddy of the lovely raw fish slices that characterize sushi. I absolutely love sushi and sashimi but only indulge in it on rare occasions when I can afford it and when I know I can have a fun meal. What drives me nuts is the fact that all-you-can-eat sushi places require you to eat all the rice you are served, which means that you are almost force fed a large quantity of high glycemic index starch. It’s wild to think that people frequently negate the health damaging effects of the rice, only concentrating on the fish being served. Truth is, the insulin-spiking effects of white rice can wreak havoc on general health and can certainly set one back on contest prep. So if you consume sushi frequently, you may be setting up your body for insulin resistance over time.

Another thing I have noticed personally whenever I eat sticky white rice is that my hamstring region holds water. The following morning is always disappointing because I wake up to waves and ripples, and sadly, they aren’t the kind you would see in the ocean. It takes 24 to 48 hours to get rid of that too, and also requires me to hydrate aggressively to flush everything out. It’s dramatic and it’s very upsetting. My body has actually gotten more sensitive over time too, and my body struggles to digest white rice. To be honest, I am not sure it’s really worth indulging in the white rice I used to love to much because it sets me back so much health-wise.