Do massage guns help cellulite?

Why massage guns do not help reduce cellulite

In this section we will discuss:

1. Massage guns are poor at vibration therapy
2. The totally bogus claims

Massage guns are poor at delivering vibration therapy

As you will see in the next section vibration is very effective if used properly. However,

• massage guns deliver less vibrations than proper vibration massagers
• the vibrations are at the wrong frequency
• the way advocates recommend to use them is ineffective.

Massage guns are deliver less vibrations vibrations

Professionals have been using therapeutic vibration massagers (discussed later) for decades. In comparison massage guns are extremely poor at delivering these therapeutic vibrations. This is because they are designed to punch their heads into the muscles rather than deliver therapeutic vibrations.

The vibrations are at the wrong frequency

Because of this massage guns deliver far less vibrations. Also, in the section on effective therapy we discuss that the vibrations need to be at the right frequency. Because of the damage they can cause massage guns cannot safely be used at the effective vibration frequency. For more info please see: Are massage guns safe .

The way massage gun advocates recommend you use them is wrong.

1. The way massage gun advocates typically recommend you use a massager is generally very ineffective. For more info please see Common massager usage mistakes .
2. As we discuss in the next section massage gun advocate recommend cellulite treatment that is totally wrong and potentially very dangerous.

Bogus massage gun claims

We have seen massage gun advocates make false claims ranging from ineffective things through to those which can really hurt you.

In this section:

1. Breaking up or dispersing fat cells
2. Draining fluid
3. Increasing circulation with vibration

Helping drain excess fluids

Massage gun marketers sometimes claim their machines help the lymphatic system drain fluid. Because their primary action is “jackhammering” massage guns are poor at lymphatic draining, and fluids will seep back into the tissues so any improvements will be temporary.

Increasing circulation

As we will show you in the next section on effective cellulite treatment using vibration to increase circulation is an excellent idea. Massage gun marketers will advertise this, however, as discussed above massage guns are very poor at delivering effective vibrations and the way they recommend they be used reduces this effectiveness further.

The safe and effective treatment for cellulite

In this section:

• Overview
• How to do it yourself

Overview

How to make long term changes

Scientists have found that the main cause of cellulite is a reduction of circulation in those tissues (1). Because of the poor circulation, when your body needs energy it uses fat from parts of your body with better circulation, and leaves the fat in the cellulite tissues. The way the clinical trials successfully reduced cellulite was by using massage to improve circulation, allowing the excess fat to be gradually be reabsorbed.

An example of their results

This table of results is from one of those trials. It shows the measurements of hips, buttocks and thighs before and after four weeks of regular massages. The third column of figures shows the reduction in size (cm). We also have a summary of all the clinical trials below.

How to do it yourself

In this section we will give an outline of how you can do it yourself. If you do use this we recommend you check out our more detailed guide The practical guide to massage for cellulite . Standard disclaimer: this is general information to be discussed with your health care professional, not specific advice.

In this section:

• Overview of the process
• How they did it in the clinical trials
• Your optimum method
• How this differs from “massage gun treatment”

Overview of the process

Circulation in the cellulite tissues needs to be maintained for a long period of time to allow the excess fat to be reabsorbed. However, massage only increases circulation for a limited time. To achieve the results in the clinical trials the scientists maintained circulation by using very regular massages over a long period of time.

Making treatment economical and convenient

If using the services of professional massage therapists this would be very inconvenient and prohibitively expensive. However, several of the studies used vibration massage which you can easily do on yourself. Vibration massage is highly effective at increasing circulation. For more info please see our guide The scientifically proven effects of vibration massage- with clinical applications .

The scientists used equipment that many people already have, so we will show you how to do that, then in the following section show you the best way possible.

How they did it in the clinical trials

In the trials the scientists used massage chairs and vibration plates to apply the vibration massage. These are not optimised for increasing circulation, but if you have one they are proven to be of some benefits. If you have one the links below take you to the actual trial reports so you can see what they did.

Your optimum method to reduce cellulite

• Using the best equipment
• How to use a vibration massager
• What settings to use
• Where, when and how long for

Using the best equipment

Getting the appropriate massager

Most genuine vibration massagers are professional units that are expensive and designed for colleagues to use on patients rather than self use. As discussed in our guide Why most massagers are a waste of money , when we were looking for a personal use genuine vibration massager for our patients to use all we could find were massage guns and “consumer” massagers designed to look good on shop shelves rather than be serious therapeutic equipment. Because of this we built two excellent, very easy to use and effective personal use vibration massagers: our General Purpose Massager and our Quad Head Massager.

How to use a vibration massager

We have an excellent guide with full precautions and optimisations, but basically you just sit the machine on where you need to massage and let the vibrations soak in. Please see our Vibration massage usage guide .

The best settings to use

The increase in circulation depends on the frequency of the vibrations. 50 Hz (cycles per second) gives an excellent increase in circulation with a residual increase lasting over 30 minutes. In contrast 30 Hz gives a smaller increase that does not last as long.

Your guide to 50 Hz

• With our general purpose massager and quad head massager 50 Hz is approx. 85-90% of full speed.
• The massage chairs and vibration platforms used in the clinical trial generally gave less than 30 Hz. Because of this they gave some improvements, but were far from optimal.
• Because they drive their heads in like jackhammers massage guns with significant power cannot be comfortably or safely used at the optimum frequency.

Where, when and how long for

Where

Apply the vibration massage direct to the cellulite tissues

When and how long for

In the clinical trails using the chairs or vibration platforms the scientists used long applications (eg. 30-60 minutes), typically daily. As mentioned above, if you use a genuine vibration massager at 50 Hz an application of vibration will have a residual effect lasting over 30 minutes. Because of this you can use a shorter application of a few minutes and get 30+ minutes of increased circulation. Therefore the most efficient and effective therapy is using several applications of a few minutes each every day.

How this differs from “massage gun treatment”

While massage gun marketing usually mentions that vibrations are every effective for cellulite:

• as we have seen massage guns are very poor at applying therapeutic vibrations
• their marketing and advocates typically advise usage designed to give temporary improvements, or worse still those dangerous and bogus uses.

Grading cellulite

For research or description cellulite is graded as follows. Where the grades were reduced in the trials that means that the cellulite improved.

• Grade 1 – you can’t see cellulite with the naked eye, but the changes on your skin are still going on microscopically.
• Grade 2 – the skin shows paleness, lower temperature, and decreased elasticity after compression or muscular contraction. There is no visible “orange peel” roughness to the skin.
• Grade 3 – this is when the lumps and bumps are starting to make themselves visible. Thin granulations in the deep levels of the skin can be detected by palpitation. All Grade 2 signs are present.
• Grade 4 – more visible, palpable, and painful lumps are present, adhering to deep structures in the skin. The skin has a noticeable dimpled, wavy appearance. Additional microscopic changes are detected. Grade 4 signs are present, and cellulite is constantly visible to the patient.

References

1. Piotrowska A, Czerwińska-Ledwig O, Stefańska M, Pałka T, Maciejczyk M, Bujas P, et al. Changes in Skin Microcirculation Resulting from Vibration Therapy in Women with Cellulite. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(6).
2. Maloney-Hinds C, Petrofsky JS, Zimmerman G. The effect of 30 Hz vs. 50 Hz passive vibration and duration of vibration on skin blood flow in the arm. Med Sci Monit. 2008;14(3):CR112-6.
3. Piotrowska A, Czerwińska-Ledwig O. Effect of local vibrotherapy in sitting or lying position in two time protocols on the cellulite grade and change of body circumferences in women with cellulite. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2022;21(5):2130–9.
4. Pilch W, Czerwińska-Ledwig O, Chitryniewicz-Rostek J, Nastałek M, Krȩzałek P, Jȩdrychowska D, et al. The Impact of Vibration Therapy Interventions on Skin Condition and Skin Temperature Changes in Young Women with Lipodystrophy: A Pilot Study. Evidence-based Complement Altern Med. 2019;2019.
5. Sadowski T, Bielfeldt S, Wilhelm KP, Sukopp S, Gordon C. Objective and subjective reduction of cellulite volume using a localized vibrational massage device in a 24-week randomized intra-individual single-blind regression study. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2020;42(3):277–88.
6. Piotrowska A, Czerwińska-Ledwig O. Effect of Three-Week Vibrotherapy on Selected Skin Parameters of Thighs and Buttocks in Women with Cellulite. Cosmetics. 2022;9(1).
7. Pilch W, Nastałek M, Piotrowska A, Czerwińska-Ledwig O, Zuziak R, Maciorowska A, et al. The effects of a 4-week vibrotherapy programme on the reduction of adipose tissue in young women with cellulite – a pilot study. Rehabil Med. 2018;22(4):18–24.
8. Cristovam DN, Botelho S, Andrade MF, Marques J, Sousa L. Whole-body vibration in the reduction of the cellulite. J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2019;21(5):278–85.
9. Bayrakci Tunay V, Akbayrak T, Bakar Y, Kayihan H, Ergun N. Effects of mechanical massage, manual lymphatic drainage and connective tissue manipulation techniques on fat mass in women with cellulite. J Eur Acad Dermatology Venereol. 2010;24(2):138–42.
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