What is the most effective treatment for cellulite?

Although no cellulite treatment is permanent, creams and other salves that contain three common ingredients can improve appearance. Find out what these three critical ingredients are with dermatologist Heidi Waldorf, MD.

Transcript

00:00

I use thermage, which is a radiofrequency tissue tightening device to, in a sense, Spanx the skin.

00:07

[MUSIC PLAYING]

00:13

While there's no permanent treatment or cure for cellulite, there are things you can do to make it better. The simplest is to put on a self-tanner.

00:22

Just by changing the color-- and not with a real tan, but with makeup or self-tanning lotion-- you can improve the appearance by making

00:30

the color appear more uniform. In addition, if you know you're going to be somewhere where you're going to be exposed, a little before, start daily treatment

00:38

with a combination of topicals. You can use products with caffeine, a retinoid,

00:45

as well as an anti-inflammatory to try to target all the three major presumed causes of cellulite.

00:52

If you have more time and money and are motivated, you can do some other treatments. I use thermage, which is a radiofrequency tissue

01:01

tightening device to, in a sense, Spanx the skin. I like to make the skin snugger and tighter

01:08

to try to hold it in better. On the same concept, you can also do exercise.

01:14

Keeping fit is important to try to hold everything up and in. However, even the thinnest women will often have cellulite.

01:22

Patients also find that some of the newer liposuction techniques can be helpful. But again, they are not a permanent cure,

01:29

so you really need to speak to the doctor who's doing the treatment to confirm that that doctor understands

01:35

that cellulite is what bothers you. [AUDIO LOGO]