PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

BUMPS BE GONE
By COLETTE BOUCHEZ

July 12, 2005 -- It hits the thighs, buttocks and tummy — and sometimes strikes the upper arms as well.

The culprit? Cellulite — lumpy, bumpy-looking skin that can make even a well-shaped female body flabby and old.

Often viewed as an inevitable sign of aging, cellulite resists dieting and even exercise. That's because it's a skin problem — caused by the layer of fat below the dermis that sneaks its way up toward the surface of the skin and wreaks rippled havoc.

Lately, a host of treatments — lasers, radio waves and topical creams — have been aimed at cellulite, turning mushy skin back to its firmer, younger days.

And one of the newest approaches suggests the solution may lie as close as your refrigerator.

Dr. Howard Murad, a Los Angeles dermatologist whose clients include Brooke Shields, Uma Thurman and Cheryl Tiegs, says the best way to defeat cellulite is to "feed" the skin with nutrient-dense foods and supplements.

"Cellulite is not a fat problem, it's a skin cellular problem," Murad says. "You can have total liposuction and get rid of every bit of your regular fat and still have cellulite — you can exercise until the cows come home, it isn't going to help."

What does help, he writes in his book, "The Cellulite Solution: A Doctor's Program for Losing Lumps, Bumps, Dimples and Stretch Marks" (St. Martins Press, $24.95), is eating foods rich in nutrients like lecithin, essential fatty acids, amino acids and antioxidants. These are the foods, he says, that reduce cellular inflammation, squeeze out excess fluids and, most important, increase circulation, which prevents fat cells from migrating to the surface and looking like cottage cheese.

WHY CELLULITE?

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, cellulite is primarily a female problem because a woman's body is designed to store extra fat cells, ensuring adequate calories for pregnancy and lactation. Those cells are stored primarily in the buttocks, thighs and sometimes the stomach and upper arms — all the places where cellulite is most apt to appear.

Just how much your skin dimples is largely due to genetics, since that's what determines the number of elastic, collagen-rich fibrous bands called septa that naturally surround fat cells and keep them in place — at least when a woman is young.

The problem is, with aging, the septa can become rigid and hard. A drop in collagen and other natural chemicals can decrease that elasticity, so the bands can no longer keep fat cells in their place.

Eventually they push up through spaces in the hard septa, landing just below the surface of your skin.

And there it is — that cottage cheesy-looking surface we call cellulite. And it's spawned a veritable industry to fight it.

Last year, the Food and Drug Administration approved TriActive, which attacks cellulite with a combination of radio frequency energy and infrared light to melt away the underlying fat, allowing top skin to lie smoother.

Just this June, the FDA approved VelaSmooth, a similar device that emits a higher level of energy. Ten treatments cost around $2,000, and results are said to last about six months.

Murad argues a dietary approach works better because it attacks the problem at the source. By restoring microcirculation to skin cells, helping the body build more collagen and deliver key nutrients like glucosamine to skin cells, septa bands start behaving more the way they did back when you were young and cellulite-free. The end results, he claims, last longer than other treatments.

He says independent labs confirmed that his regimen — a combination of diet, nutrient supplements and exfoliation treatments totaling about $215 — yielded a 78 percent increase in firming, as well as a 47 percent reduction in stretch marks within 12 weeks. Visible results were apparent in eight weeks.

Dr. Amy Newburger, a dermatologist and director of Dermatology Consultants of Westchester, agrees that the dietary approach makes sense. But she says you can get similar results for less money with a good multivitamin and over-the-counter caffeinated creams instead of Murad's more costly supplements and serums.

"Just eat more fruits and vegetables and reduce junk food, which will reduce fluid retention, immediately improving cellulite," she says. "[And] take a good multivitamin like Centrum and an essential fatty acid supplement to keep connective tissue and skin healthy."

She recommends a caffeine-rich cellulite cream, which she says has been proven to work by aiding in fat burning and reducing fluid retention.

If all else fails, never underestimate the power of a good beach cover-up.

IF you want to eat your cellulite away, as Dr. Howard Murad suggests, fill your shopping cart with the following:

* Lecithin: eggs, soy, cauliflower, peanuts, peanut butter, oranges, potatoes, spinach, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes.

* Essential fatty acids: flax seed, olive and canola oils, ground flax, sunflower or hemp seeds, raw nuts like walnuts, almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, pistachios, tuna, salmon.

* Amino acids: berries and citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits.

* Polyphenols: raspberries, strawberries and pomegranates.

* Antioxidants: all fruits and vegetables, especially fresh or dried goji berries (also called wolfberries). A powerhouse of vitamins, goji berries (which look like tiny grapes and, when dried, red raisins) are available in most Asian markets and health-food stores.