The practical guide to massage for cellulite

What to expect

There is a lot of misinformation and dubious claims made about massage and cellulite, so we’ll give you a summary of what science says you can expect.

Long term improvement

Scientists in clinical trials have successfully reduced the size and improved the appearance of cellulite by using repeated applications of massage over time to improve the circulation in the cellulite tissues. In this guide we will show how this was achieved, and some practical ways you can do this yourself.

Temporary changes

There are many forms of massage that temporarily improve the appearance of cellulite by doing things such as temporarily changing the amount of fluid in the tissues. However these have no long term effects on the problem fat cells or fat stores so all improvements will be lost withing a short time. We will not be showing these.

The bogus claims

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.

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)

Reducing total weight loss

It is important to note that even when used correctly massage will only allow your body to re-absorb fat more normally (rather than only from the areas with good circulations). It will not change the total amount of fat.

The scientific way to reduce cellulite with massage

How cellulite was successful reduced in clinical trials

Scientists have identified that the main cause of cellulite is reduced circulation (1)⁠. What happens is 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. The way scientists have reduced cellulite in several trials is by regularly applying massage over time to improve or normalise circulation in the cellulite tissues. This has allowed the fat to be absorbed normally.

The main things you need to do

From these trials we learn that to reduce cellulite massage:

• should be done to increase circulation, and
• needs to be repeated over time to allow your body to re-absorb the fat deposits. Researchers often applied the massage daily over several weeks.

How to applying this to your cellulite

To reduce cellulite you need to regularly apply massage that increases circulation. We’ll show you the main options. We’ll start with an overview including some useful ones you may already have access to, and the ones we don’t recommend. We conclude the section by using the science of massage and increasing circulation to give you what should be your best solution.

Professional massage options

Three types of conventional professional massage were used in the clinical trials. Each gave roughly the same results (2)⁠. Likely a professional therapist would use a combination of all three, and therefore give you very effective massage. Keep in mind that the trials typically used daily applications over several weeks, and likely therapy would need to be continued to maintain the circulation. This would become very expensive and time consuming.

Self massage options

Recommended

A genuine vibration massager (the best option)

This will be by far the best way to regularly apply massage to increase circulation. We will discuss these in the following section on the ideal solution.

Not recommended

Foam rollers

We see a lot of claims about foam rollers such as that they help flatten cellulite. If they do the effect with be very temporary at best. Also, as discussed in our article Do foam rollers work  using them is generally no where near as effective as massage by a professional therapist. They are also difficult, often painful, and 27 years in practice as a chiropractor saw a lot of people hurt themselves using them.

Massage wands

One trial used a tool marketed as a “massage wand”. We could nor 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.

Your best massage for cellulite

In this section we will use the science of increasing circulation with massage to give you the best possible cellulite massage solution.

You will need self massage

Most of the clinical trials used daily massage for several weeks, and likely more massages would be needed for further improvements and maintenance. Therefore for most people the massage will need to be self massage.

Vibration massage is the only realistic option

Self massage using conventional massage (including foam rollers) is hard to do and not that effective. On the other hand with the right equipment vibration massage is extremely easy to self apply and very effective.

What equipment will you need

From the science of vibration massage we know that the most effective way to apply vibration is by using a tool that applies vibrations directly to the tissues. We also know that the best frequency to increase circulation is around 50 hz (cycles per second) (3)⁠. The best way to apply this is with a purpose built profession standard vibration massager capable of delivering 50 hz vibrations.

Choosing a massager

Unfortunately a lot of massagers marketed to consumers are very poor, and as discussed percussion massager (massage guns) are not appropriate and potentially unsafe. To help you choose an effective machine we have a separate article How to choose a massager. However, to help you out we’ll illustrate a few machines we believe would do a good job, then show you the machines we developed for the purpose.

Some examples of professional vibration massagers

The massagers we built for the purpose

We make two hand held massagers that are easy to use and give excellent therapeutic vibrations. These are our General Purpose Massager and our Ultimate Quad Head Massager

Read what professionals say about DrGraeme massagers

How to apply the massage

We have a few hints and precaution in our article How to use a hand held massager, but basically is 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.

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. 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.