Cellulite... you have no idea how obsessed I was with it when I was younger. Cellulite affects at least 80% of women, but for some reason I felt like it was only me. I hated it so much that I didn't want to wear a swimsuit in public, and I even avoided shorts and skirts because I felt like my knees looked like a big pile of it. Luckily I learned to live with it, and I also found a few tricks against cellulite that really helped.

First, let me tell you one thing: almost every woman has cellulite. Those who don't are blessed with good genes, but the vast majority of us have those unsightly dimples on our upper thighs, hips, and sometimes knees, like I did. Weight, age and fitness level are all factors that affect the severity of it, but being slim or fit doesn't mean it will go away completely. In my early 20s I weighed as little as 100 lbs for 5'6, and I had tons of cellulite on my legs, from the knee to the butt... I also know some extremely fit spin instructors, who despite being very muscular and lean have some of the typical "orange peel" texture around their hips.

Knowing that it's a common issue doesn't always help though. For me, cellulite was a big reason why I had difficulties accepting my body when I was younger. It had a very negative impact on my self-esteem, seriously affecting my confidence. Going to the pool or having to wear shorts, all these small events that imply showing your upper legs may sound insignificant for most, but for me they were a source of anxiety and shame. I vividly remember trying on a cute pink floral skirt at one of my favorite stores when I was about 21 and crying in the dressing room because I thought my legs looked so ugly... I was especially upset with the cellulite creating visible dimples all around my knees.

Cellulite sounds like a disease, but it's a very benign condition caused by enlarged fat cells and lack of elasticity of the skin and underlying tissue. It's hormone related (which is why it may start piling up at puberty like it did for me), and water retention as well as poor blood circulation make it worse. It's not an easy issue to get rid of, trust me, I've tried. If I wasn't so scared of needles I would have done a liposuction decades ago!

So what really helps? Of course becoming more mature and accepting that I would never look perfect was the main way for me to stop obsessing about it and to start enjoying pool parties. But there are a few things that had a visible effect on my cellulite:

- a regular workout routine with high-intensity exercise. My legs have literally never looked better than today, and I'm in my late 30s. I basically lost all the cellulite I had around the knees after about 1 year of going to spin classes at least twice a week. I never said it was fast or easy! But I see a real difference, although I still have some "orange peel" texture on my upper thighs and hips. (I've also lost several pounds of butt fat and gone down 2 pants sizes by working out aggressively and consistently).

- stop focusing on a low-fat diet. You can't shed cellulite just by not eating fat. That's not how it works, and low-fat often means high carb, which is likely to make it worse. Keep a balanced diet with everything in moderation, don't snack between meals, avoid processed foods, drink enough water, those are the best pieces of advice I received.

- massage. Massaging the affected areas increases blood flow and helps soften the tissue, which helps with the appearance of the dimples. But you have to be very consistent and do it every single day, preferably with...

- ... a cream formulated to fight cellulite, like Jan Marini's CelluliTx. This one contains eleven ingredients that combine to target the orange-peel look caused by cellulite. There's caffeine, mustard and chili pepper extracts to increase blood circulation and diminish water retention, plus retinol, lotus flower, peptides, shea butter, and more.


I've used tons of anti-cellulite creams in the past 2 decades, and I've been applying this one daily for a few weeks. What I like about this CelluliTx is that it's very moisturizing without being greasy, and it doesn't burn or cause a warming sensation like some other cellulite treatments I've tried. It's going to take at least a couple more months of daily use before I can see a visible difference, but I think it's very well formulated.





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