Do you have Cellulite?
Are you frustrated by cellulite?
Have you heard of the “Mattress Phenomenon”?
Have you used creams to no avail?
Have you spent a lot of money on spa treatments?
Have you ever wondered why men don’t get cellulite?
Did you know nutrition plays a big role in cellulite?
Have you heard that before? Not Likely
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Let’s face it – NOBODY wants Cellulite !!!
There are billions of dollars spent on treatments, therapies and various potions to combat Cellulite, yet the success rate is dismal.
It is very rare for a man to get cellulite but over 90% of adult women have cellulite.
The obvious question [to me at least] is – What are the differences between male and female skin?
And, it should help to study those women who DO NOT have it.
There are key differences between male and female skin.
— Similarities first:
Men and Women have distinct layers in the skin structure:
The Epidermis or outer layer of skin
The Dermis / Corium or the fibrous connective tissue that provides the skin’s “foundation” and nervous/blood supply etc. The dermis gives skin rigidity and firmness.
The Subcutaneous layer which is comprised of fat.
— The differences:
Epidermis or outer layer [virtually the same thickness]
Dermis layer is quite thin in women – men have a thicker dermis.
Subcutaneous fat layer is much thicker in women and has less connective tissue or to put it another way – less organised. The subcutaneous fat in men’s skin has more fibrous tissue to keep it “organised”.
Take a look at my artwork below and you can begin to appreciate the differences between male and female skin.
Women’s Skin
__________________________________________ ———————————————————– —————- Epidermis —————————– ———————————————————– ================================= ========= Dermis or Corium=========== ==00===00===00===00===00===00===00== 00000000 – Subcutaneous Fat – 0000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Men’s Skin ___________________________________________ ———————————————————— ————— Epidermis ——————————- ———————————————————— ================================= ================================= ================================= ========= Dermis or Corium =========== ================================= ================================= %%%%%% -SubCutaneous Fat -%%%%%%%%% %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
The “Mattress Phenomenon” or dimpling occurs because the dermis does not have proper integrity – basically it is flimsy.
You can see where subcutaneous fat protrudes into the dermal zone in the female diagram.
Of course, male skin has a more substantial dermal layer that prevents this from happening.
Let me back up for a minute:
Most women have at least some cellulite.
Some women have very little cellulite while others have none.
Below the age of 16 cellulite is rare.
Puberty is sometimes blamed, but I don’t think it’s the cause.
The American diet – low fat/high carb diets along with borderline nutrition in fats, minerals and vitamins is a more likely cause.
Specifically – we need to consider what makes connective tissue healthier – the dermis is primarily connective tissue.
It is easy to see that female skin, due to its thinner dermis, lacks a “reserve” to allow for borderline nutrition. In other words, a shortage of nutrition will be met with quicker symptoms- ie cellulite.
If men lose 20% of their dermal thickness there are no obvious consequences, but if women lose 20% of their dermal layer there will be dimpling and eventual full blown “mattressing”.
Side note here: Various Caffeine products can cause temporary improvement in “dermal tone”, but fail to address the underlying problem – a thin dermal layer.
Let’s look at some nutritional concerns:
~ Protein [animal sources are best]
To start, women need to optimize their protein intake.
20 to 30 grams of protein per meal is ideal or about 1 gram per pound of body weight per day. This takes some diligence and many benefit from taking a protein supplement.
Remember, our goal is to optimize the connective tissue.
How many dieters eat french fries and drink a diet coke?
Healthy weight loss programs include plenty of protein as well as exercise.
Exercise improves muscle tone, skin tone and bone density.
FYI: Connective tissue [dermis is an example] is largely collagen – the major structural protein of the body. Collagen is built from amino acids which come from dietary protein sources. If we lack proper amounts of protein we cannot create and maintain healthy collagen. [50% of bone is protein – mostly collagen]
Vitamin C cross-links collagen or to put it another way – collagen falls apart without vitamin C’s efforts – see Scurvy – where sailor’s blood vessels and bones were frail and their teeth “jumped ship” [or fell out, for the landlubbers].
If you bruise easily you are probably short on vitamin C.
~ The Good Fats:
We need a certain amount of saturated fat, cholesterol and the EFA’s [Essential Fatty Acids] to be healthy.
3% of our dietary intake of calories should come from the EFA’s.
3% of a 2,000 Cal diet is 60 Calories or ~ 7 grams per day of EFA.
Most think of the EFA’s as the Omega 3’s but there is one EFA that is an Omega 6 [linoleic acid]. Alpha linolenic [ALA] is the other.
Omega 3’s are DHA, EPA and ALA.
Sources of the EFA’s include Flax oil, Fish oil and Krill oil.
To avoid a long lecture – you need to take an EFA supplement.
Cholesterol is a nutrient.
Cholesterol is in EVERY cell of our bodies.
Cholesterol is a major part of cell membranes.
Cholesterol provides rigidity in cell membranes.
A low cholesterol diet can cause premature wrinkles.
Low cholesterol diets may cause cellulite.
You blood cholesterol has little to do with dietary cholesterol.
2 eggs per day = no increase in blood cholesterol [AHA Study]
Sugar, B vitamin depletion and margarine increase cholesterol.
Avoiding sugar, taking B vitamins and EFA’s improve cholesterol.
Use Real butter
Never use Margarine or hydrogenated oil aka “Trans Fat”.
Avoid sugar where you can – sugar turns to fat.
Low fat diets are NOT good for your skin.
Cutting back on Carbs instead of Fat = better skin.
~Other Micro-Nutrients
Minerals
You need a full complement of major, trace and ultra-trace minerals.
We need a proper Calcium balance
– We need to avoid excess Phosphorus in our diets [especially dark colas]
– It is important to get plenty of Magnesium [found in plants’ chlorophyll – YOUR veggies]
– Getting adequate Calcium is a must. [dairy is the primary dietary source, but often impractical]
Which Calcium supplement is best?
– Take 500mg of MCHA [Calcium] twice a day.
– MCHA is derived from cows and is 40-60% absorbed where calcium carbonate products are 3% absorbed.
No animal eats rocks for its Calcium, we shouldn’t either.
Remember calcium carbonate is chemically identical to limestone; so are oyster shells, egg shells, coral and dolomite. Calcium citrate is also an example of a metallic or rock-like mineral and therefore not very bio-available – 3-5% absorbed. Save your money.
Taking a quality Plant Derived Colloidal Mineral product is a good way to get many trace and ultra-trace minerals. Look for Humic Shale as the source.
Vitamins
Taking extra vitamin C is a must. Many scientists believe that we need 4,000 mg per day for optimal health. [I take 2,000 mg twice a day, everyday].
Vitamin C is very safe and 100% Non-toxic.
Vitamin E, the natural version d-tocopherol, promotes healthy skin and works in tandem with vitamin C.
Vitamin A and Beta-carotene are also vital to skin form and function.
The B vitamins are essential to skin health. Take a B complex supplement to get a balanced supply of each B Vitamin.
Many benefit from taking a B12 supplement.
And as I always say….
To achieve optimal health we need Full Spectrum Nutrition.
Around 90 nutrients are considered ESSENTIAL
These nutrients can be divided into 4 groups:
Vitamins, Minerals, Amino Acids [Protein] and Fats/Oils.
If Optimal Health is the goal, it is virtually impossible to get “everything you need” from foods alone.
To get full spectrum nutrition we ALL need to supplement our diets.
Supplements to consider:
1) Get a good multiple vitamin/mineral product. Versions with “Chelated” minerals are best. I also like those with some plant based vitamins.
2) Take a quality Calcium product. Look for MCHA as the calcium source and one that includes Magnesium, vitamin D and some assorted trace minerals.
3) Take Omega 3 oils. Flax oil is the best to start. Adding Krill or fish oil later [BTW – Krill oil in the container has a distinctive odor – if you place 3-4 desiccant packs in the bottle and refrigerate it, the odor is gone in 12 hours]
4) Find a good Colloidal mineral product for trace minerals. Make sure it’s from Humic shale and NOT ionic minerals. Humic shale is the “fossilized” remains of the dinosaur days. Plant based colloidal minerals are 98% absorbed.
5) Vitamin E is difficult to get in sufficient amounts from foods. I advise people to supplement with at least 400 IU per day. Natural versions are best, look for “d-tocopherol” but avoid “d-l-tocopherol”- it’s the man-made version and is only 25% usable. Look for a vitamin E with mixed tocopherols that also contains selenium.
As always, feel free to comment or message questions or concerns.