SOPHIE SAYS
Our beauty director puts your skin-firming woes to bed once and for all
…or are they just moisturiser in sheep’s clothing? The answer is yes. And no. First off, I can relate; I have to go to a wedding in a very hot country and I am inordinately anxious about what to wear. The temperature dictates sleeveless, but I dislike my upper arms more than anything else about me. Add to that the fact I’ve just had an operation, which put me out of commission – exercise-wise – for 12 weeks, and I did the only thing left to do: trawled the internet for an old-school Slendertone arms firmer (true story – I found one for £1OO all-in. Am yet to see any results but I remain hopeful). Also, I called in all my PR favours and requested any skin-tightening creams I could get my hands on. You know, to ‘work out’ that way. Of course, I do all these things in secret because if anyone came across me wearing nothing but a black muscle-spasming device, my professional integrity would be in the bin, along with the instruction manual. Word of advice: don’t try to multi-task (aka drink red wine) while you cheat-tone. Your arms involuntarily flex out straight, making glass-to-mouth coordination very difficult. At least those calories ended up on the sofa rather than on the thighs.
Skin-tightening is possible. In clinics – with non-to-minimally invasive procedures (Cellfina being the most reputable); in the gym – with hard work and sweat; and yes, at the hands of certain creams, but only to a point. That being-
slightly firmer skin. Sadly, no amount of miracle cream – or spasmodic muscle-currents – will do anything for the fat underneath. (Or will it? I have 11 weeks to go on that sofa experiment.)
No one knows what causes cellulite. It’s nothing to do with excess fat, rather normal fat cells pushing up through the connective tissue to the skin, so anything that helps with lymphatic drainage or circulation-boosting – like exercise, say – is going to help. Plus, toning muscles can help decrease the appearance of cellulite. Legend has it that Sisley Cellulinov Intensive Anti-Cellulite Body Care is the best ‘bottled solution’. I’ve tried it and my skin was smoother and a little more taut after a few weeks. Is that because I was religiously applying it twice a day so I was benefitting from a regular moisture boost, too? Or is it because of my additional dry body brushing (which also does the circulation-boosting/ exfoliating/resurfacing job you’re looking for)? Actually, it’s the effective ingredients that stimulate micro-circulation in the skin, but it certainly is no cure. Still, I go back to this method every summer in a sleeveless-dress panic because I’m in denial that I need the gym.
The fact is, no one has proven the efficacy of caffeine or collagen in your body cream to a satisfactory level for me to endorse it wholeheartedly. I endorse eating well and walking up escalators, body brushing, tricep dips on the edge of your bed and, yes, adding a cream to your regime because the ingredients will benefit skin, regardless of whether or not they banish cellulite. And Slendertone? Um. Jury’s still out.
“IF ANYONE CAME ACROSS
me WEARING A MUSCLESPASMING
DEVICE, MY INTEGRITY WOULD BE IN the BIN”