Cellulite. Just a mere whispering of the word is enough to make every woman in the room collectively gasp, drop whatever it is that they were doing, and run away screaming as if this were some B-horror movie from the 1970s titled, “Attack of the Cottage Cheese Thighs!”
While this might be a slight exaggeration, the fact remains that cellulite affects 85 to 98% of women: straight and narrow or curvy, it doesn’t matter. If you are a woman, chances are, you’re going to develop cellulite at some point in your life (Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy). Even though this is quite the prevalent problem, many women spend a lot of money each year to rid their hips, buttocks, and thighs of this so-called “cottage cheese” problem, so it’s no wonder that at-home remedies are very popular among this set. One of the most popular is applying coffee grounds and olive oil to the problem area, which is then wrapped in plastic wrap. But with such a common and hard-to-treat problem, will coffee really be the cure-all? Read on to find out more.
First Things First… What is Cellulite, Anyway?
The reason it’s been difficult to find a cure for cellulite is that we haven’t exactly figured out what causes it. One of the biggest myths is that it’s caused by excess fat; in all actuality, anyone can have cellulite (see above statistic), no matter the amount of junk you have in that trunk. Well, not anyone; cellulite rarely occurs in males and targets only post-pubescent women (Dermatologic Surgery). But why?
To be quite honest, no one is really sure why we get it, but it appears that genetics plays the largest role. Basically, it’s all about how your fat cells arrange themselves under your skin, rather than how many are there. Your skin becomes distorted and strained due to the uneven distribution of fat cells, causing that dimpled look we all know and love. So yes, excess fat will exacerbate the issue, but it’s not necessarily the cause (Simple Skin Beauty).
[Related: 3 Cellulite Treatments That Actually Work (Find Out Which One Kim Kardashian Uses!)]
So How Will Coffee Help?
Coffee contains caffeine and theophylline, both of which are members of the methylxanthine family. Drugs found in the methylxanthine family will inhibit phosphodiesterase, which in turn activates ß-adrenergic receptors. These receptors perform lipolysis by breaking down triglycerides into glycerol and fatty acid components (Dermatologic Surgery). Additionally, coffee acts as a diuretic, enabling it to dehydrate fat cells (Skin, Inc.). So in theory, coffee will stimulate the burning of fat cells while simultaneously dehydrating them. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple.
[Related: What Should You Eat to be Beautiful?: Why There’s No “One Size Fits All” Diet]
But Why Won’t It Work?
First, theophylline can be absorbed into your skin, especially when it’s involved in a liposome-encapsulation system. Basically, you’d need a penetration-enhancer to get the proper amounts of the drug into your system, and it’s unclear how much of that job would rest upon the shoulders of the olive oil (Journal of Investigative Dermatology).
Next, coffee might thin the dermis over time as increased caffeine intake has been shown to thin the skin. And since your skin already decreases in thickness by about 7% every year due to natural aging, caffeine could accelerate that process, therefore exacerbating the problem (JAAD). Plus, it has been shown that topical creams containing methylxanthines, including caffeine and theophylline, take at least two months to achieve results, and the effects stop once you stop treatment (Dermatologic Surgery).
[Related: Will VelaShape Really Get Rid of Cellulite?]
Verdict: TRICK
Unfortunately, this is one home-remedy that’s not going to do much, at least not permanently. It’s unclear how the methylxanthines in coffee will penetrate your skin or whether the olive oil is the proper vehicle for them. Caffeine has been known to work on skin before, but this is in properly formulated preparations made by cosmetic chemists to ensure that the drugs can be absorbed into your skin. Additionally, the plastic wrap used will help you lose temporary water weight when left on long enough, as demonstrated by Natalie here, but it doesn’t come without the potential of dehydration or overheating. Until there’s more research available on how to fix cellulite, this is just one beauty remedy on which you shouldn’t waste your time.