The practical guide to massage for cellulite

What to expect

• The long term results achieved
• Typical short term improvements and bogus claims
• Reducing total weight

The long term results achieved

Whereas common cellulite treatments merely temporarily improve appearance the scientists were able to use regular massages to allow the body to re-absorb excess fat, giving a permanent improvement in appearance and a reduction in size.

We have summarised the results of several clinical trials below, but illustrate what is possible with the table below from one of the trials. These show measurements before and after four weeks of massages. The third column of figures shows the reduction in actual measurements, ranging from 1.25-2.3cm.

Typical short term improvements and bogus claims

Most cellulite treatments only give a temporary improvement in appearance, and if you have cellulite there is a massive industry motivated to sell you a lot of expensive products and services with little or no long term value. We discuss these in a section below

Reducing total weight loss

It is important to note that the massage provided by the scientists caused fat to be distributed more normally around the body. It did not cause a total reduction in fat (weight loss).

How the scientists reduced cellulite

• Cellulite is caused by poor circulation
• Using massage to improve circulation
• How the scientists did this

Cellulite is caused by poor circulation

The main cause of cellulite is that the cellulite tissues have reduced circulation (1)⁠. When your body needs fat it absorbs it from the parts of your body with normal circulation in preference to the cellulite tissues with poor circulation, leaving excess fat deposits. The way scientists successfully reduced cellulite was to improve circulation in these parts.

Using massage to improve circulation

Massage will increase circulation. However, this affect is just temporary so the way scientists have reduced cellulite in several trials is by regularly applying massage over time. If professional therapists were used this would be prohibitively expensive, but in some of the trials they used vibration massage which can easily be self applied.

How the scientists did this

Each of the trials used applications of massage ranging from daily to three times per week for a period of several weeks. While one used conventional massages by professional therapists the remainder used a form of vibration massage that you could easily do at home with the correct equipment.

How to apply this to your cellulite

In this section we will show you:

1. The convenient ways the scientists used
2. The optimum way using a proper therapeutic vibration massager

The convenient ways the scientists used

In most of the trials the scientists used equipment that was readily available and easy to use: vibrating massage chairs and platforms. These are not optimised for increasing circulation but still helped. If you have access to these we will give you a brief introduction, then you can look up the trials in the reference section below and see what they did. In the following section we will show you the best way to increase circulation with vibration using using a proper therapeutic vibration massager and an effective protocol.

The optimum way using a genuine therapeutic vibration massager

To best increase circulation you need a vibration frequency of approximately 50 hz (cycles per second). To illustrate this: one trial found that 50 hz gave an excellent increase that lasted for 30 minutes, while 30 hz only gave a smaller much shorter lasting increase. Genuine therapeutic vibration massagers are built to give strongly penetrating vibrations at the appropriate frequency, while chairs, platforms and most other vibration massagers only give vibration that is at the wrong frequency and/or is not strong and penetrating.

In this section:

1. How to use vibration massage
2. The equipment you will need

How to use vibration massage

How to apply the massage

We have precautions and optimisation instructions in our  Vibration massage usage guide  , but basically it is extremely simple. You just set the machine at about 50 hz and place the head of the massager on the part you wish to massage. The machine does all the work. There is no need to press in or rub as you would for conventional massage.

When and how long to apply the massage for

In the trials longer applications such as 30-60 minutes were used. However, it would be much more effective to uses several applications a day of a few minutes each. The reason we say this is that studies show that when 50 hz vibration is applied the circulation will rise to the much higher level in about two minutes. When the vibration stops circulation gradually decreases back to normal over about 30 minutes. Therefore, each time you apply the massager for a few minutes you will get 30 minutes of residual increase in circulation.

The equipment you will need

Vibration massage is very easy to use, but you need a proper vibration massager, and as discussed in our guide Why most massagers are a waste of money , most of the vibrating massagers you can buy are not suitable.

Personal use vibration massagers

When we were looking for a suitable vibration massager for our patients to use all the effective machines seemed to be "professional" products for therapists to use. These were expensive and not designed for self use. Because of this we built our own that pack the effectiveness of a professional unit into an economical one for self use. They are now used, recommended and sold by over a thousand clinics across half the world (some examples). For information about these and where to get them please use these links.
The General Purpose Massager
The Ultimate Quad Head Massager
Read what professionals say about DrGraeme massagers

Bogus claims and wastes of money

Marketing material and advice on massage for cellulite is full of bogus and misleading claims, usually designed to sell you some dubious overpriced treatment or product.

1. The blatantly bogus claims
2. Stretching the truth
3. A waste of money

Blatantly bogus claims

Reading through a selection of websites on massage for cellulite we saw many claims that were totally bogus. We list them here so you can recognise them as such.

• massage spreads cellulite out
• massage flattens out cellulite
• massage (and massage guns) break up fat cells so they can be reabsorbed
• massage guns can help obese people by reducing the excess fat under their skin
• massage guns redistribute fat cells

Stretching the truth

Some claims we read have an element of truth, but are presented in such a way to mislead or overstate benefits. Some examples include.

• Very small and temporary improvements being portrayed as much more significant
• massage gun marketers claiming their machines benefit by increasing circulation (they do, but are very poor increasing circulation and there are much better ways)

A waste of money

Massage wands

We have seen vibrating tools described as “massage wands”. We could not find any vibration specifications on their website, but they look very much like the gimmicky consumer massagers that do not deliver anywhere near effective massage. Don’t waste your money.

References

1. Table summary of trial results
2. List of trials and other scientific papers

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.

List of trials and other scientific papers

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. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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).
8. 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.
9. 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.