Cellulite...help!

There's an article in the New York Times this week called "Zeroing In on Cellulite." It's about a new treatment called Cellulaze that would be the first evidence-based treatment for cellulite: it disrupts the connective tissue that causes the dimpled look. The study sample sizes are small, though, and it's really expensive.

Edited to add: Of course, the first thing to do is lose fat and build muscle. I just mention this treatment because it was in the news and may be of interest to people who have very noticeable, intractable cellulite. The article is also relevant because, as it points out the evidence for this treatment, it also points out the lack of evidence for other treatments.

Exercise is the number one key, and it really does need to be weights or something like high impact aerobics that challenge your muscles beyond just the big ones. Minor muscles, and even the muscle in the skin (that's what causes goose bumps, it's very different from skeletal muscle) will be what gives you the very firm, toned look and make a huge difference in keeping even skinny legs from jiggling when you walk. Creams with capsaicin, caffeine, or menthol just remove any retained fluids in the area, hence the temporary results. Dry brushing and kneading massage will do as much as the creams in most cases. Cellulite is caused by the fat in the skin, and it takes longer to come and go than other body fat, so you'll have to maintain a weight for a few months before you really know how much your cellulite has gone down.

I was a Licensed Massage Practitioner for six years here in Washington, and have gone through more training sessions about cellulite than I can count between school, product demos/training, and continuing education. There is no easy answer--otherwise we'd all be 'cured' of our orange peel legs. Kudos to your ladies who've been using coffee grounds in lotion, you just saved a ton of cash and got more active ingredient in your lotion! If you pre-mix a bunch of the coffee lotion, the caffeine will have released into the lotion better by the time you go to use it and you'll get even better results. I'm more than happy to answer questions if anyone has any.

I found my cellulite got a bit worse when I first dropped some pounds. Now that I am at my goal weight it is completely gone, even though I am over 40. I do not do any strength training, nor do I use any products specific to cellulite. I do a lot of walking, biking, running, hot yoga flow and I am generally very active. It think it is a function of bodyfat percentage and genetics, as well as exercise.