To date, more than 10 million women worldwide have had an Endermologie experience. Asians use it to reduce fat, Russians and Europeans to fight cellulite, and Brazillians to reduce the ‘orange-peel’ effect of cellulite on buttocks.
Now the French designed ‘experience’ is available from The Body Clinic in Wicklow Street allowing Irish women to look as good as their European counterparts.
Cellulite
The culprit being attacked by Endermologie is cellulite. It is a condition that 90 percent of all women, and a lesser percentage of men, face. Creams cannot remove it nor can exercise. In a nutshell the main causes include weight gain, genetic predisposition and inevitable hormone changes throughout life. These factors cause the fat cells in the subcutaneous fat layer to increase up to 300 times their original size and stick together inside the pockets in which they are enclosed. The pockets are stretched upward while the fibers between the pockets are strained, circulation is inhibited and toxins and water are trapped. The result is cellulite.
The French manufacturers have moved the goalposts on their competition by announcing their equipment is the first treatment to be FDA-approved for cellulite reduction and loss of body circumference and for body contouring.
The science behind it
The origins of the treatment were nothing to do with its current application. The treatment was developed in France in the 1980s as a treatment for adherent scars. Adherent scars result when the skin is damaged by repeated infection or ulceration, so that scar tissue becomes attached to the skin’s underlying layers. Endermologie was developed as an alternative method to surgery for freeing the scar. In the process of freeing the scar tissue, many patients observed reduction of body dimensions and improvement in skin texture. Since then, Endermologie has been used as a treatment to achieve cellulite reduction and skin toning.
The road test
The actual treatment itself is good fun. Customers are asked to don a all over body stocking which is reminiscent of John Boy in the old television series The Waltons (if you are too young to remember this series, then think Western cowboy fields and men in their long johns). However, aside from covered one’s modesty, the body gown protects your skin and without it, the customer might end up with what looks like love bites. It is all very well for Gwyneth Paltrow to show ‘cupping’ marks off at award ceremonies but I can’t imagine the average Irish woman wanting to boast about her cellulite treatments.
Once on the table, the therapist gets the work. The machine has suction and rollers and this handheld device is rolled up and down the body with the affected areas getting most attention. The therapist said it was like deep tissue massage and I can agree. At times, it was a little uncomfortable but afterwards I felt a warm glow. To aid the exit of the cellulite from the body, customers are asked to drink lots of water. This duly done, I found myself visiting the toilet often.
The Verdict
The actual treatment was very good in terms of the actual experience. However, one visit is not enough to produce meaningful results (and hey, who says I have cellulite anyway!) but customers return again and again so I can only conclude that 10 million women can’t wrong.
For more information and booking, please visit www.thebodyclinics.com
