In order to prevent cellulite, you need to understand what causes it in the first place.

Cellulite is the bumpy fat deposits that many women complain about. As we all know "prevention is the best medicine"; it is much easier to prevent something from happening than have to fix it later.

If you understand what causes a problem like cellulite you do at least have a chance to prevent it. But the sooner you start the better, since some women start forming cellulite as young as age 14.

The reason for this is genetics. Now this is one factor you can not eliminate. If your mother, aunts, grandmother, etc. all have cellulite, you need to start working to prevent it earlier and work even harder to prevent it. The sooner the better – so mothers, if you have cellulite start helping your daughters prevent it NOW don’t wait until they are adults and it has already formed!

The "actual cause" of cellulite formation instead of smooth fat deposits is a combination of damage to the connective tissue and thin skin. So anything that damages either the body’s connective tissue or the skin must be avoided whenever possible. (NOTE: Connective tissue holds the body together so we don’t turn into a big puddle of goo! It is a gelatin based substance containing cells and fiber – collagen for strength and elastin for flexibility. Thin skin shows these deposits more readily, thicker skin helps smooth them over and cover them up.)

Aging – this is one factor we cannot eliminate. Women have a tendancy to increase fat deposits and have the skin thin as we age. But we can fight back. Watch your diet and your weight – this helps but does not eliminate the problem because even thin women do have cellulite deposits. Skin – moisturize and use sun screen – this will slow down the thinning process.

Smoking, alcohol and medications (drugs) – all of these cause thinning of the skin. (Hormones and hormone based birth control will also especially thin the skin – excess estrogen is the culprit.) They should be avoided or limited. Also some medications can cause damage to the body’s connective tissue.

Tension and fatigue – yes, you skin can be stressed and tired and this causes poor circulation and thinner skin. Massages, whirlpool spas, saunas: these all cause both you and your skin to relax and they improve circulation which also helps the connective tissue remain flexible and healthy.

Injuries – these cause physical damage to an area, including both skin and connective tissue. If you cannot avoid them, then make sure you take proper care of the area to promote complete healing.

Exercise – connective tissue needs constant motion to remain flexible and strong. It does not neet to be strenuous exercise. For healthy connective tissue: yoga, pilates, stretching, etc. are the best way to go. The entire body moves gently and repeatedly increasing circulation and keeping the connective tissue from hardening and forming "lumps" or "bubbles".

Diet – Plenty of water is needed to keep everything hydrated and healthy. Natural foods are best because then your body does not need to work as hard to detoxify and remove unnecessary chemicals, preservatives and pesticides which "poison" the connective tissue and the skin.

Preventing cellulite is MUCH easier than getting rid of it, just ask any woman who has it!

Tags: Best Medicine, Collagen, Elastin, Flexibility, Prevention

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 at 3:32 am and is filed under Style & Beauty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.