BEAUTY Archives - Sparks and Roses

8 Cellulite Treatments that Actually Work

A lot of people have cellulite, but that might not stop you from cringing when you see its characteristic dimples on your legs, stomach, or butt. If you’re rocking your dimply thighs, congrats! But if you’re looking for a way to reduce the appearance of cellulite on your body, what should you try first?

There are hundreds of creams, procedures, and treatments out there promising to get rid of cellulite for good, but which cellulite treatments actually work? We’ve rounded up the top cellulite treatments recommended by dermatologists, so you can feel great in your skin again.

Laser Treatments

Contrary to what some people believe, cellulite isn’t caused by being overweight. In fact, most women have cellulite, no matter what their pant size is! Cellulite is caused by fat cells—which we all have!—pushing up against cords of connective tissue.

While decreasing the amount of fat in your body can help reduce the appearance of cellulite ( we’ll touch on this later), breaking up the tough connective tissue bands can too. That’s why most office procedures for treating cellulite aim to loosen and thicken skin cells.

Laser treatments involve inserting a laser under the skin which breaks apart the cords of connective tissue that cause cellulite’s characteristic cottage cheese-like appearance. Laser treatments reduce the appearance of cellulite in most people, and results can last for 6 months or more.

Acoustic Wave Therapy

Acoustic wave therapy works in a similar way to laser treatments, but it’s less invasive. That’s because acoustic waves are used to break apart tough connective tissue from outside the body. Your doctor will manually manipulate a device over the areas you’re hoping to reduce cellulite, and after a few treatments you should start to see results.

Weight Loss

While your weight doesn’t cause cellulite, losing weight can minimize its appearance. That’s because you’ll have less fat pushing up against your connective tissue, making cellulite less pronounced.

Vacuum-Assisted Precise Tissue Release

This cellulite treatment isn’t for the faint of heart, but for some people, it reduces the appearance of cellulite for up to 3 years! If you get vacuum-assisted precise tissue release, your dermatologist will use small blades to cut your connective tissue, releasing them.

Exercise

Losing weight through exercise is a one-two punch for cellulite—losing weight decreases the amount of fat in your body, and exercise increases your muscle mass, which can make your skin look more toned and firm. By doing targeted exercises for cellulite-prone areas, you can build muscle in your butt, thighs, and stomach, reducing the appearance of cellulite.

Subcision

Subcision is similar to laser treatment in that it involves inserting something small under the skin that breaks up thick tissue. Instead of a laser, subcism uses a small needle to break apart tissue. Subcism reduces the appearance of cellulite for most people for 2 years or more!

Cellulite Creams and Lotions

While every so-called cellulite cream isn’t equally effective, if you’re looking for an everyday cream that will minimize cellulite, look for creams containing 0.3% retinol or caffeine. Caffeine creams can dehydrate your skin’s fat cells, which makes them smaller and less visible. Retinol products can thicken the skin by promoting collagen production, and it’s harder to see cellulite on thicker skin.

Collagen

As mentioned above, collagen is important in keeping skin tight and firm. Some people find that taking collagen supplements can help reduce the appearance of cellulite.

No one needs to be ashamed of cellulite—it’s entirely normal, and most people have it. If you’re looking to reduce the appearance of your cellulite, give one of these treatments a try!

How To Tighten Loose, Sagging Skin

Our bodies handle a lot of change throughout our lifetimes—and extreme changes that occur due to weight loss or gain, pregnancy, or aging can cause skin all over the body to become loose or saggy.

Luckily, there are things you can do to reduce the appearance of loose skin, no matter where it is on your body. Try these 5 tips to naturally tighten your skin for a firm, youthful appearance.

Take Collagen Supplements

Collagen is the protein that binds skin cells together, making them appear tight and firm. While collagen is naturally produced in the body, many things, including aging, UV exposure, and a poor diet, can cause your body to underproduce collagen.

To boost collagen throughout the body and maintain tight, wrinkle-free skin, some people take collagen supplements. Using skin-firming creams formulated with retinol, an anti-aging product, can also help stimulate collagen production and produce firmer skin over time.

Firm With A Gua Sha

Gua shas exploded into the skincare market a few years ago, but they’ve been used to treat facial skin in China for centuries. They’re a little handheld piece of jade shaped like an oblong heart, and, when used properly, they can decrease inflammation in the face, stimulate collagen production, reduce dark undereye circles, and tighten skin.

To tighten skin using a gua sha, apply a few drops of facial oil and gently rub it in by running the gua sha over your face and neck in the direction of lymphatic flow (towards your hairline). Use your gua sha at least once a week to see results.

Perform Regular Exercise

Exercise can both prevent the development of loose skin and reduce its appearance once you have it. By maintaining a healthy body weight throughout your lifetime, you’ll minimize the potential of developing loose skin due to weight gain and loss.

If you already have loose skin, exercise can minimize its appearance. Exercise develops the muscles under your skin. Your skin has to stretch to cover bigger muscles, which makes it appear tighter.

If you’re dealing with loose skin on your face or neck, try specific exercises targeting this area to reduce the appearance of sagging skin.

Utilize A Daily Moisturizer Containing Hyaluronic Acid

While most anti-aging firming creams won’t give you an immediate face lift, using a daily moisturizer formulated with hyaluronic acid can help reduce the appearance of loose skin over time. Keeping your skin moisturized will help it to remain plump and hydrated, and hyaluronic acid makes moisturizers even more effective by attracting and preserving water molecules.

Try A Non-Surgical Dermatological Treatment

If creams, supplements, and exercise aren’t reducing the appearance of your sagging skin, you could try a non-surgical treatment at your dermatologist’s office. These procedures are great for loose skin throughout your body since they can be performed on any body part.

Ultrasound, radiofrequency, and laser treatments are non-invasive treatments that use heat to stimulate your body to produce collagen. They typically don’t show immediate results, but they do tighten your skin over several months, and the results can last for more than a year.

If you’re willing to try a slightly more invasive treatment, laser resurfacing is a great option for tightening loose skin. Laser resurfacing tightens skin and reduces the appearance of wrinkles within 2 weeks.

If you’re struggling with sagging skin, you have many options to reduce its appearance. Experiment with different skin-tightening methods to find the one that works best for you!

6 Lifestyle Habits that Cause Premature Aging

Do you examine your forehead for wrinkles each night or panic each time a clump of hair falls out in the shower? None of us want to age before our time, but for some people, unwise lifestyle habits may cause wrinkles, uneven skin tone, sagging skin, or hair changes prematurely.

Signs of aging are considered “premature” when they occur before age 35. If you’re noticing changes in your skin or hair, make sure you’re not contributing to premature aging by staying away from these 6 bad habits.

Tanning

Not only does tanning put you at an increased risk of developing skin cancer, it causes you to age, too! That’s because the sun’s UV rays (including UV light from a tanning bed) actually damage your skin cells. Even if you don’t get sunburned, the sun damages your skin when you spend time outside, which increases the likelihood you’ll develop sun spots and wrinkles.

UV rays damage your hair too—they can cause breakage in the cuticle, the outer layer of hair that protects fragile inner strands. When your hair gets damaged, it may feel brittle or frizzy, and you may develop split ends or dryness.

The best thing to do is avoid sun exposure as much as possible. Try self tanner instead, and use sun protection with SPF whenever you spend time outdoors.

Unhealthy Diet

There are tons of benefits to maintaining a healthy diet, but one is that it keeps your skin looking nourished and youthful! According to some studies, diets high in sugar and carbohydrates can cause the natural aging process to accelerate.

While the precise effects of diet on aging aren’t exactly clear, choosing a nutritious diet will help you maintain a healthy weight—and that’s always a good idea!

Smoking

Smoking increases your risk of developing lung cancer and other chronic conditions. Even if you manage to avoid these, it makes you appear older—that’s a lose-lose! Because cigarette smoke exposes your skin to toxins, smoking regularly can make your skin appear wrinkled and dry.

It’s never too late to quit smoking, and when you do, your skin will thank you for it!

Stressful Lifestyle

If you’re constantly stressed about work, your relationship, money, or something else, it might be time to try yoga, journaling, or another method of mindful stress relief. That’s because stress not only feels terrible, it makes you age prematurely, too!

When you’re stressed, your body releases the hormone cortisol. Some cortisol in your body is normal, but too much (or too much too often!) can damage the collagen in your skin cells. Collagen keeps your skin looking elastic and plump—damage to it causes unnecessary wrinkles and sagging.

Too Little Sleep

A good night’s rest can be hard to come by, but studies show that sleeping poorly can cause signs of aging to appear on your skin. Your cells need rest to repair damage from the sun, environmental pollutants, and dry air. A full night’s sleep gives your cells the time they need to regenerate before heading back out into the world.

Over Exfoliating

Exfoliating is an important step in any skincare regimen since it clears your pores of buildup and helps remove dead skin cells. But be careful not to overdo it, since over exfoliation can damage healthy skin. Exfoliate once or twice a week (no more!) and, if your skin becomes irritated, try a new method to protect your fragile skin.

With a few simple lifestyle changes, you can nourish your skin and protect it from aging before you do. Give these tips and try and witness your skin become firm, radiant, and glowing over time!

How to Stay Fit & Healthy Even if You Are Lazy

Are you interested in stepping up your fitness game but don’t have a lot of time and energy to invest? Creating a new fitness routine can be confusing and draining, but it doesn’t have to be! If you’re feeling lazy, and you don’t have a lot of time, we’ve curated a list with our top 5 tips for you to get started on your health journey today!

1. Try an at-home workout!

From yoga to Zumba, a huge variety of at-home workouts popped up during the pandemic, and they’re the perfect replacement for those who don’t want to go to the gym. If you don’t know where to start, you can search for individual virtual events on Eventbrite, or subscribe to an online workout library and play workout videos on demand.

2. Get more sleep

While easier said than done, getting at least eight hours of sleep a night can have great health benefits, including increased attention span, energy, reduced stress, and heightened immunity. A good night’s sleep also helps us to navigate the day and overcome challenges, while maintaining more control over our mood and actions. If you are struggling to get a good night’s sleep, a few basic ideas you can try are reducing all screens and bright lights one to three hours before bed, reading or journaling before bed, trying lavender or chamomile tea and scents, and making sure to get some time outdoors in the sun each morning when you wake up.

3. Take 5-10 minute exercise breaks

If you work remotely, consider taking short 5-10 minute breaks throughout the day to stretch or do other short exercises instead of staying seated at your desk for hours. Even if you don’t work remotely, you can still practice this by pairing exercise with a typically static activity. A few examples are stretching in the shower and doing squats or other exercises while watching tv (another favorite: watching tv as you clean your room or put laundry away).

4. “Take the stairs”

While suggesting that you take the stairs is a total cliche, it is really valuable to try to look for healthier swaps to your normal routine. For example, if you usually Uber home from work, but it’s possible to walk or take the bus, try to switch it up sometimes to get your body moving a little more. You can also try going for a short walk during your lunch break and swapping out an abundance of junk food for a moderation of different types of food, including vegetables and fruits.

5. Pair new changes with old habits

It can be difficult to follow through with a new fitness routine, but you’ve got this! When making any of these changes, just keep in mind that it’s best not to try to make too many changes at one time. Try pairing each change with a preexisting habit because research suggests this makes it easier to remember and follow through.

And remember, be patient with yourself! Change doesn’t happen overnight, so it’s totally natural to fall back into old habits or forget new commitments. The important thing is making a commitment to your health goals and trying your best to follow through. What do you think of these tips? Leave a comment below and let us know!

The Best 12 Tips to Get Glowing Skin

Having a natural glow is something a lot of people strive for. But, factors like stress, age, lack of sleep, and poor health can all make your complexion appear less radiant.

If your skin is looking dull and tired, there are ways to make it look more luminous. Here are some of the best home remedies to get glowing skin:

1. Daily cleansing

Over time, dirt, oil, and pollution particles can start to clog up your pores, and this leads to a dull appearance. To avoid this, make sure you thoroughly cleanse your skin every day.

2. Exfoliate

Exfoliating can brighten your skin by removing dead skin cells, which leads to a smooth, glowing skin surface. For the best results, exfoliate two to three times per week.

3. Keep your skin hydrated

A lack of moisture is one of the main causes of tired-looking skin. So, always moisturize when your skin is feeling dry using a lotion, serum, oil, or hydrating gel, to replenish its hydration.

4. Vitamin C skin products

When you’re buying topical skincare treatments, some ingredients will give you a more even skin tone. One of the best ingredients for this is vitamin C, which has a brightening effect

5. Use a face mask

Face masks can instantly plump your skin and give it a boost, so they’re great before a special event. Go for a hydrating or brightening face mask, or you can make your own using natural ingredients like honey, ginger, berries, and oatmeal.

6. Hyaluronic acid products

If your usual moisturizer isn’t working as well as you had hoped, look for products with hyaluronic acid. It’s super-hydrating and will give your skin a healthy glow.

7. Face massage

Not only is facial massage amazing for relaxation, it can also improve circulation and make your skin look more vibrant. A few upward and downward strokes should be enough to see an effect.

8. Eat the right foods

The food you eat can have a huge effect on your skin. Make sure you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially berries, citrus fruits, and green vegetables.

9. Drink more water

Proper hydration is also essential for health and is directly related to your skin. Aim for at least eight glasses of water a day to make sure your skin is healthy and glowing.

10. Exercise

Your circulation will also have an impact on how good your skin looks. Regular exercise can improve blood circulation, and this can help you look more radiant.

11. Apply daily SPF

Exposure to UV damage is one of the most damaging things for your skin. It can cause visible signs of aging and dull looking skin. To avoid this, make sure you wear a daily SPF.

12. Get more sleep

Lastly, getting enough sleep helps to prevent stress and promotes better healing. This can benefit your skin, so make sure you aim for at least eight hours each night.