Cellulite: a condition that every woman – and man – hates. Cellulite is the dimpled, lumpy appearance of the skin caused by fat deposits that push through the tissue beneath your skin. The dimples are unsightly and quite stubborn when they form, leading people to go to lengths to solutions.

Quick Facts

Cellulite, also popularly known as orange-peel skin, mattress phenomenon, and hail damage among other choice words, is a common appearance on both men and women. Many solutions have been fronted but only a few last longer than a few weeks.

Changing your diet to include more fruits, vegetables, and cutting the intake of processed carbs helps reduce their appearance as does becoming physically active.

Another Fact:

Cellulite is graded.

Grade one of cellulite is quite mild. The skin is moderately sagged and the fat deposits are visible but not pronounced. The skin has an orange-peel appearance.

Grade two cellulite forms medium-depth depressions that have the “cottage cheese” appearance and they are even more visible that they are at stage one.

Grade three cellulite is severe with over 10 deep depressions. This stage is also know the “mattress” appearance since that is how the skin looks.

Causes of cellulite are unknown but science attributes it to the nature of the connective tissue and fat cells. Cellulite is believed to me more prevalent in women – 80 to 90% experience it in their lives – due to the vertical arrangement of the connective tissue and fat cells when compared to men’s crisscross structure.

Hormones are also believed to play a part in the formation of cellulite in women. Noradrenaline, estrogen, thyroid, and insulin hormones play a part in the cellulite formation. As a woman approaches menopause, estrogen levels decrease as does the flow of blood in the connective tissues underneath the skin. Low circulation means less collagen production, which leads in fat cells enlarging.

All these factors combined make the fat deposits under the skin to be more visible. While this explains cellulite in older women, it does not offer a convincing answer to the appearance of the same in teenagers, which is why experts are still working on causes of these annoying fat deposits.

Does Cupping Work for Cellulite?

The truth is cellulite has no fix. Most of the procedures, however invasive or expensive have no permanent effect. They only offer temporary relief but experts only view this as a challenge worth conquering.

If your question is “does cupping work for cellulite”, dry-moving cupping has been on trial as a method that could finally eliminate cellulite. The method involves four steps: skin sterilization, lubrication with olive oil, application of the cups on skin, and removal.

The recipient of this therapy is made to lie on a mattress then the skin is sterilized and oil applied to prevent skin getting hurt by cup movement. The cup is manually pumped to create negative pressure then the pump is removed and the area of application massaged. The massage coupled with the cupping increases flow of blood in the areas applied which, when repeated at least three times a week for a month, yields positive results.

According to a study done published at researchgate.net, this method works due to increased blood flow on the areas with cellulite and so it could be the solution that the world has been waiting for. The study is still in its pilot stages.