AUTHOR Nilufer Atik, 48, hid her legs over the summer because she hated her orange peel thighs. Could a bargain treatment the stars love banish her cellulite for shorts season?
FOR decades, I enjoyed my perfectly smooth legs and a bum that could give them to me Kylie Minogue a run for her money.
4
I had no qualms about wearing Lycra shorts to the gym or wearing a thong bikini to the beach.
But then I hit my forties and got pregnant.
Suddenly, as my belly expanded and my hormones kicked in, crater-like dimples began to appear all over my thighs and butt.
“It’s normal to have cellulite in pregnancy,” my midwife told me.
So I thought it was just a natural part of the physical changes that come with impending motherhood and that things would go back to normal after the birth.
But they didn’t – they got worse.
Despite losing most of the baby weight after having my son Milo, now seven, my cellulite stubbornly remained.
And even though I worked out daily, used scrubs, applied expensive creams, tried specialist massages and even dry-brushed before baths – apparently something Geri Halliwell swears by as a cellulite fighter – nothing reduced it.
From proudly showing off my short but toned legs in mini skirts on sunny days to hiding them under maxi dresses.
Cottage-cheese leather
During the school run, I envied other mums who wore cool playsuits without a hint of cottage-cheese skin showing, as I sweated alongside them in black leggings and an oversized t-shirt to hide my unsightly bumps.
Desperate, I started doing some research online. There had to be something that minimized cellulite that didn’t mean turning to expensive, invasive surgery.
Then I came across LPG endermologie.
It is a type of lymphatic drainage that was developed by French doctors in the 1980s and has been used by women in France ever since. It was originally designed to help burn victims, until doctors noticed it also improved the appearance of cellulite.
It eventually became so popular in France that women booked weekly sessions. Celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce and Penelope Cruz are also said to be fans.
The technology can be used on both the face and body, claiming to tighten skin, reduce double chins and smooth wrinkles.
I discovered a medical and beauty clinic – Bodyvie in Richmond, Surrey, near my home – that did gas dermology, with sessions starting at £20 for ten minutes. I booked a consultation.
4
4
“Endermologie works by breaking down fat deposits, promoting lymphatic drainage and improving circulation to fight cellulite,” said Donna, my therapist.
He then showed me the hand held device used to administer the treatment which had two metal cylinders inside that moved in and out to create a vacuum effect.
Donna suggested I do two half hour sessions a week for six weeks to work on my problem areas on my thighs and bum.
They assured me it didn’t hurt, but I was nervous before my first one.
They gave me a weird white onesie to wear to protect my skin from the rollers and make it easier for them to move.
It felt like it could barely fit my little finger, but it was surprisingly stretchy and comfortable.
NextI was asked to lie face down on a massage table as Donna turned on the gas engine and got to work.
The feeling wasn’t unpleasant, and it certainly didn’t hurt, but I wouldn’t call it relaxing either.
I felt like there was a big, cold catfish moving up and down the back of my legs and stopping to suck my skin every few seconds.
I blamed myself for falling for yet another waste of time and money treatment.
Nilufer Atik
This was an image I couldn’t get out of my head and at one point I even laughed, passing it off as “a bit ticklish”.
The machine signaled when it was time to roll over and after 15 minutes on the front and another 15 on the back, I was done.
Eager to see the results, I hopped in front of the mirror, tapping my neck to see if any of my terrible cellulite had disappeared. But Donna explained that I wouldn’t notice a visible difference until at least six sessions.
I wasn’t convinced, and by the third week, I was disappointed to see that there was almost no difference. I blamed myself for falling for yet another waste of time and money treatment that promised far more than it delivered.
But then, after my seventh session, I asked Donna to take some pictures of the back of my legs and buttocks to compare with the ones I had taken at the beginning.
I was shocked when I saw them — the cellulite was almost gone.
Not only did the skin on the front and back of my legs look smoother, but my bum was also firmer. I was pleased.
The best summer dress
I asked how long the results would last once I completed the course and Donna told me the average time was about three months.
But if I had regular refresher sessions throughout the year, I could maintain the improvement. they sold me
Leaving the clinic, I began to imagine myself on vacation this summer, in a bikini without a sarong for the first time in years.
I promised myself that if the weather was good, I would do school drop-off in my best summer dress the next morning and give the showy moms a run for their money.
Goodbye orange peel — hello sunshine!
- LPG Endermologie is available at Bodyvie from £20 for a ten minute session. More information at bodyvie.com.
