VelaSmooth to Combat Cellulite: Does it Work?

Most of us are willing to try virtually anything to get rid of that dreaded cellulite and say goodbye to cottage cheese thighs forever. Now a relatively new treatment called VelaSmooth promises to do just that – in roughly eight weeks or less. But does it really work? You be the judge…

VelaSmooth is a fairly new technique that is advertised as being powered by ELOS, an acronym which stands for electrical-optical synergy. While for most of us that term has no meaning whatsoever, in simple laymen’s speak it means that it uses a combination of radio waves, infrared light and massage to make cellulite disappear.

The treatment, which takes about half an hour each time, involves heating the areas affected by cellulite to increase skin elasticity. Then, the radio waves heat up those ugly fat cells which lie behind the skin’s surface. Finally, a “vacuum action” combined with deep tissue massage is carried out to stimulate the production of new collagen and make the skin smoother.

Two treatments a week for eight weeks is recommended, so you are usually locked into a commitment from the very beginning. To ensure that it works, your practitioner will no doubt advise you to follow a healthy diet, without too many fatty foods, drink plenty of water and keep up a good exercise regimen. What a novel idea - and recommended by Oprah.

But Does it Work?
Whether VelaSmooth really works is up for discussion and, as is the case of many med spa treatments, what works for one person may not work for you. The cost can be prohibitive for many people, and it rarely comes with a no-quibble guarantee. You are, literally, taking the fate of your cellulite into your own hands – or the hands of someone you barely know!

Here are some comments from women who have had VelaSmooth:

• A 48-year-old woman from Ohio who was not overweight and exercised regularly but still had “saggy and dimpled skin on my thighs” recently wrote on a health website that she had spent over $4,000 on VelaSmooth with no effect. Her verdict? “Don’t waste your time and money.” In fact, 80 percent of women writing in said VelaSmooth was not worth it, while 20 percent said it was.
• QE of Colorado had 20 treatments and said she saw a “10 percent improvement, not enough to make a difference… the nurse who performed the treatment was great, the results were practically non-exsitent [sic]. I could not recommend this treatment, it was expensive and extremely disappointing.”
• “Kikitom” from California spent $1,900 on a series of treatments and said it was definitely worth shelling out the cash. ”Did 10 treatments on my butt and behind [my] legs and my legs look GREAT,” she wrote on the same site. However, she added that you “shouldn’t expect good results if you continue to eat fatty food.”

Please keep in mind that you may want to try VelaShape instead, which is costlier but has reported better results. In 2005, VelaSmooth was cleared by the FDA for temporarily reducing cellulite. Two years later, VelaShape was cleared for the same claim – and for reducing thigh circumference at the same time.

VelaShape is considered an improvement to VelaSmooth, with more power and better technology, and as treatments take less time you need fewer of them for the same effect. Better results and fewer costs – what have you got to lose? Perhaps some cellulite, definitely some money.

All About Cellulite
To understand methods of reducing cellulite, it’s important to fully understand what cellulite is in the first place. That dimpled orange peel effect is really just fat deposits trapped in pockets of connective tissue underneath the skin, causing it to dimple, and rough estimates claim that about four out of every five women over age 20 have it.

The main reason we get cellulite is because we do, regardless of whether we are fat or thin, drinking loads of water or are dehydrated, eating six servings of fresh fruit and veg every day or existing on donuts, chocolate and Twinkies, exercising regularly or maintaining a sedentary lifestyle.

Some people find those fatty dimples kind of appealing. But because getting rid of them has become an obsession for many, here are some myths and facts about cellulite:

• MYTH: Eating a diet rich in saturated fats will cause more cellulite to appear.
• FACT: Diet seems to have little to do with cellulite, although fatty food may make you somewhat more prone to it.

• MYTH: Too little exercise will make your thighs even more dimpled.
• FACT: While exercise is good for you, even the most fit women often suffer from cellulite.

• MYTH: Becoming dehydrated contributes to cellulite production.
• FACT: Theoretically, water helps to flush out unhealthy toxins that are in the body and clean out the lymphatic system. But it cannot really remove congestion that can build up in fat layers.

• MYTH: Weight gain results in more of an orange peel look in problem areas.
• FACT: Cellulite may appear more apparent if you are larger – sometimes a LOT more apparent - but weight gain doesn’t play much more of a role in cellulite than that for most people.

While women are most affected by cellulite, it’s interesting to note that the condition does, on occasion, affect men. They get it less often because male skin is thicker than female skin, which can protect them from getting it. Also, in women the fat is stored directly underneath the skin while in men it’s deeper down, therefore making cellulite less apparent.

Men also have more muscle than women, as a rule, and more body hair, as a rule, which together make cellulite harder to see. Interestingly, the most common places for cellulite to appear on men is their stomachs and – wait for it – their necks (gross).

If you suffer from cellulite, blame it on genetics. Healthy “cures” such as proper diet and regular exercise may make you look a bit better, and even if your cellulite doesn’t improve you’ll feel better and be healthier from the inside out. If you want to try other options to get rid of cellulite that just won’t budge, then VelaSmooth and VelaShape may be the answer for you. Then again, they may not!

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