Natural* ways to get rid of cellulite

Hate to be the bearer of bad news... but as of right here... right now, there is NO proven way to getting rid of the sexist Cellulite affliction. (Life can be so unfair: despite rarely occurring in males, cellulite is estimated to effect 80-90% of females throughout their aging process.)

BUT before you leave disgruntled about being brought to this article by dubious means, please let me explain: while there are no methods of getting rid of cellulite, there are some natural ways you can go about minimizing the appearance. (And by natural, I mean methods of minimizing cellulite that do not involve surgery, lasers, or injections.) 

These simple tricks can help your skin look smoother, tighter, and younger: 

1. Build muscle mass: Counter to what you would initially think, skinny people can still have cellulite, because cellulite is made up of fat. If a body is thin, but has no muscle mass, the fat on their bodies can still manifest as cellulite. A simple remedy to this is to add some strength-training exercises into your daily schedule, especially targeting any problematic  cellulite hot-spots (thighs, rear-end, etc.). Building muscle will help smooth out any little lumps and bumps as your new muscle mass will lie on top of your fat layers, giving your skin a flat surface to rest upon. 

2. Consume less salt: By reducing your salt intake to less than 1,500 milligrams a day, you will cut down on water retention which some skin experts believe helps to improve the appearance of cellulite.

3. Self-tan: Giving yourself a faux-tan helps create an optical illusion that helps to hide the presence of cellulite. (Please note: by self-tan, we mean a tan that comes from a bottle, absolutely NO tanning-beds!) Multiple skin-care companies, such as Nivea and Philosophy, have been marketing "firming" self-tanners-- feel free to experiment with these, but keep expectations realistic. 

4. Use Moisturizers That Irritate Your Skin: Again, it sounds counter-intuitive to think that applying something that causes irritation would be recommended for your skin, but by applying a skin cream with skin-irritating ingredients such as pepper, caffeine, or retinols, the irritation caused to the skin makes it mildly swell, which camouflages any cellulite presence. The effect only lasts for a few hours, but is good to use before a special event or outing.

With warmer weather and bathing-suit season right around the corner, we would love to hear your opinions on any of these-- or other-- cellulite fighting tricks.

No surprise: Philly's top 3 skin treatments are America's top too!

With the absolutely amazing transformations that we see on a daily basis, further convincing was not necessary, but... it's always nice to know that (MANY!) others agree with you. 

According to the American Health & Beauty Reader's Choice Awards, Fraxel, Thermage, and Botox were all picked as the BEST treatments in their respective genres.

 Best Skin Tightening Devices: Thermage 

While skin tightening inquiries were high, the most popular skin tightening device was Thermage. With almost immediate improvements, no down time, and no risk, it is easy to understand why Thermage would be America's most popular choice for tightening the skin on their faces, neck, belly, thighs, buttocks, arms, etc... 

Used to treat sagging skin, wrinkles and discoloration, Thermage stimulates growth of new collagen, therefore tightening and improving skin's texture and contours. 

Best of Fillers/Injectables: Botox 

An oldy but goody: BOTOX is still number 1 when it comes to facial fillers/injectables! (Having been around since 1994, this is the oldest procedure on the list!) 

Despite the negative media hype regarding the use of Botox, people love it, and keep coming back to it again and again for it's wrinkle erasing abilities.  Despite several competitors entering the market this year, Botox remained the #1 preferred injectable.

Best Resurfacing/Rejuvenation Device: Fraxel 

Setting the gold standard for skin resurfacing, Fraxel (by the same company as Thermage, Solta Medical) was by far the most popular in its category. 

By promoting new collagen growth, Fraxel is able to rid the skin of acne scars, sun damage, uneven pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles, scarring, stretch marks, and much more. 

"I made my skin look perfect-- without surgery!"

Obviously I LOVED this Fraxel/Thermage/happy-ending for everyone story, recently featured on Betty Confidential.com. (It's extra exciting because the article ends with a lead-in to her upcoming Fraxel experiences!) 

Is it possible to have glorious skin without a facelift? Yes!
-Lisa Cohen

Over time one acquires wisdom, experience, understanding, and aging skin.

My mother had beautiful skin because she stayed out of the sun, though she smoked more than an old Chevy with a faulty engine. 

I, on the other hand, who loathe cigs because I almost asphyxiated in her Cutlass Supreme, have suffered the consequences of tanning with baby oil all the way through my young adulthood. So my dewy skin is now lined and sagging in areas. (My lungs, however, rock!)

When it comes to my skin, my husband is diplomatic--a good strategy for survival.

In general, though, I’ve been very happy with the way I look. I’ve had great beauty advice my whole life. My cousins Yaya and Adrianna in Mexico City have inspired me to always look well groomed; coming from two of the most beautiful women I know, I‘ve paid attention. Magali, our young-adult daughter, has given me valuable hair and makeup tips (our son isn’t really good for that). I’m also blessed with a small, quality group of female friends that I treasure deeply. Since we’re all in Silicon Valley, we network and multi-task 24/7. So like an Army recruit, I want to be all that I can be—both in my work and appearance.

I’d heard about some non-invasive skin treatments, Thermage and Fraxel, that could make your skin look absolutely fabulous. The idea of having those treatments came at a great time for me. 

I’d been having Botox treatments on my forehead for the past seven years, but the treatments seemed more and more obvious as the skin on the rest of my face began sagging. Yet I didn’t feel ready for a full-scale facelift. My friends who’d had one looked fabulous, but I wasn’t sure I wanted surgery. Thermage, which tightens the skin, and Fraxel, which removes brown spots, seemed like good intermediate solutions.

By the time I went to San Francisco dermatologist Dr. Vic Narurkar, I had done my homework. I knew that Thermage delivers pulses of energy designed to heat collagen, a structural protein deep within the skin. The pulses help build and contract the collagen, which in turn tightens the appearance of the skin's surface. Each energy pulse takes two to seven seconds. On average, the entire face may require 400 to 600 pulses, and the stomach area may require 400 pulses. My face required over 900 pulses, so you can see I’m a challenge!

(Picture to the left shows the author's Before & After, left-hand side is the "before", and the right-hand side is the "After". Photos are courtesy of Dr. Vic Narurkar.)

The treatment, which I had on Nov. 11, took about an hour and a half. Gel was placed on my face over a grid; the only part that was distasteful was when the gel oozed into my mouth. The grid is a guide for the doctor to follow, using a wand that also vibrates to take your attention away from the pain. That was OK; I have an innate high tolerance for pain, anyway. I’m a Republican in Northern California!

The day after the treatment, I saw some very subtle changes in my skin texture. I noticed a smoother neck, a bit of a lift to my eyebrow area, and decreased under-eye puffiness. My face felt tighter. Three days after the treatment I had an even smoother neck, forehead, and undereye area. I think it’s better to have this kind of slight, daily improvement in your skin because really, who wants some lout at work to ask, “Have you had work done?”

The great experience I had with Thermage made me eager to try the next treatment, Fraxel, with Dr. Narurkar. I’ll tell you all about it next time!

(Before & after picture at top of article is courtesy of Thermage.com)

What would you rather: slim body or young face?

A recent nation-wide study shows that the fanny is mightier than the face... When asked to choose between a slim body, or a young looking face, 60% of people chose a slim body. This is an interesting question for many reasons, one being that until rather recently having a "slim body" or a "young looking face" were mutually exclusive of each other.

Sources attribute French actress Catherine Denevue (pictured at left)for famously first stating this major conundrum many women of-a-certain-age face, when she said that at a certain point, women "have to choose between your fanny and your face."

Wise beyond her years, she succinctly describes the dilemma still faced by women today. 

By keeping a lean body, your face is more susceptible to the signs of volume loss that come with aging. If you keep extra weight on your body, your face benefits from an extra fullness which lends itself to a younger countenance, however your body might not be satisfactory to your liking. 

As Kathie Lee and Hoda discuss, thankfully there are now ways to manage never getting caught in this paradoxical rut. Due to the amazing advances of aesthetic medicine, people of all ages and sexes can now control their weight and their faces. (Thank you Botox, Fraxel, dermal-fillers, good skin-care products, etc., etc...)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Botox... the next quick way to lose weight?

When it comes to weight-loss, everyone loves a quick fix.

The idea of Thermage is usually a big tease in this arena. People looking to lose weight hear about this new laser treatment that promises to "tighten skin" and "contour the body" and they hopefully assume that this treatment is a way to easily drop a couple pounds. 

But...it's not. 

Thermage tightens skin that is loose for a variety of reasons (significant weight loss, pregnancy*, aging, etc.) but Thermage only affects the skin, it cannot do anything to the fat underneath it. A lot of excited would-be Thermage patients leave the office very disappointed when they hear this reality... 

The latest fly-by-night weight-loss solution that might actually just be the golden ticket,  comes from our very good friend, Botox. 

Although this concept is still in the very early stages of study and experimentation, research suggests that if Botox is injected into the stomach walls, the appetite can be significantly suppressed, resulting in decreased weight. (Is there anything Botox can't do?!) 

For the testing of this, patients are sedated before the injection so that the doctors can endoscopically view the patient's stomach to see the best points to inject. Upon injection, the Botox “temporarily relaxes the muscles of the stomach so that it can’t contract as vigorously, and you feel full faster and you eat less food,” explains Gastroenterologist Dr. Robynne Chutkan, founder of the Digestive Center for Women, on a recent episode of The Doctors. 

Clinical trials showed that stomachs treated with Botox retain the food longer, delaying emptying time and cutting the amount of food and liquid it takes a person to feel full, in half. Just like other Botox injections, it takes about two weeks for the botulinum toxin to reach its peak effect.

This study is in it's infancy though, as only ten patients so far have received this treatment. Dr. Chutkan, who tested this procedure on herself, admits that the feeling  “[is] subtle, but you definitely feel full faster.” She also  noted during this experiment, she lost seven pounds in three weeks. (A little higher than the recommended weight loss rate of 2lbs. per week, max.)

Botox is already being used off-label to solve a wide variety of physical problems including migraines, hair loss, vocal cord problems, hyper-sweating, and even an overly gummy smile.

The great thing about Botox is that it can be experimented with safely, because any effect it has is temporary. 

If weight-loss turns out to be another solution Botox can provide, I may need to snap up some Allergan stock asap. Here's to better living through chemistry...

*Picture shows a Thermage "before & after", where the female patient was done having children, and no amount of diet or exercise would shrink her skin back into shape. 

Stomach Botox injections for weight loss:

Diagram of what Eye Thermage accomplishes:

Today Show: Thermage, Fraxel, and Isolaz (oh my!)

Saggy skin that no exercise or diet can fix? 

Acne that won't go away, no matter what? 

Large pores, acne scars, or skin discoloration? 

For these, and a wide variety of other common skin ailments, one company has strategically managed to incorporate all the solutions. 

Solta Medical, which owns Thermage (used for skin tightening and contouring), Fraxel (skin resurfacing and refining), and Isolaz (acne vacuum), is behind the cutting-edge laser technology created to help banish your appearance woes. 

The advantages to non-invasive beauty procedures, including lower cost, no down time, minimal risk with amazing results, has many people happily converting to laser treatments as opposed to the surgery route they would have taken ten years ago.

Meredith Viera of NBC's "The Today Show" recently interviewed real-life women who have under-gone these treatments, with stellar success:

Your "still got it" secret

Do you ever come across pictures of yourself, from years ago, and find yourself surprised? 

"I wish I appreciated what I looked like then... I wish I still looked like that..."

Skin-tightening with Thermage is one way in which you can recapture your youth. By stimulating your body's natural renewal of collagen, subtle, natural looking results are achieved with little to no downtime:

• Tighter and smoother skin
• Softened lines and wrinkles
• Redefined contours and firmness
• Renewed collagen

With the help of Thermage, you won't have to wish you looked like you did in the good ol' days; because instead you can know you've still got it! 

Dr. Oz features Thermage!

Dr. Oz does Oprah proud as day after day he show-cases the coolest, most interesting advances being made in medicine, in a way that everyone can relate to. Thanks to him, millions of Americans can learn about new ways to make their lives better, in a wide variety of health related areas. 

Not one to skimp on the topics women like, he often discusses the latest and greatest procedures in the beauty world. Which, is exactly where this video clip comes in: this video features Thermage, a laser skin tightening treatment that helps smooth and contour skin for a younger appearance, without any downtime. Since it only takes one treatment to achieve optimal results, this has been a huge success since it's release. The only problem...? Not everyone knows about it!

What better place to spread Thermage knowledge than Dr. Oz's fun and engaging platform, that just happens to have millions and millions of viewers?