Fascia Blasting: How It Works to Reduce Cellulite
Raise your hand if you have cellulite. Come one, come all, welcome to the club. Cellulite, that pesky, dimpled-looking skin—we’re coming for you today. It forms when fatty tissue deep in the skin pushes up against connective tissue known as fascia. As a massage therapist, I know there are many techniques in bodywork that I can do to help my clients reduce the appearance of cellulite, but I was looking for a treatment that I can do on myself as well. Enter: fascia blasting.
To help you better understand this process, let’s start with a brief explanation of fascia. It’s your body’s connective tissue that surrounds muscles and organs. Fascia is very densely woven (it’s like the white, fibrous layer of an orange peel). It surrounds our muscles and is found throughout our body. It’s also believed that fascia plays a role in cellulite, which happens when parts of the skin are pulled down by fibrous connective bands, which attach the skin to muscle. The skin becomes dimpled as fat cells collect between the bands.
Before suggesting any treatments, I always try them on myself first to ensure they work and are worth recommending. I decided to give the FasciaBlaster a try and am sharing my six-week results. Full disclosure: I was exercising, eating well, and taking care of myself as I usually do, and added this into my normal routine. For me, the FasciaBlaster worked and reduced the appearance of cellulite, improved my recovery time from workouts, and enhanced my muscle tone in the areas treated. Keep in mind that you will likely bruise and may get sore—this is part of the treatment process (beauty is pain, they say). If you do bruise, take a break and resume once bruising starts to heal. I recommend doing it once a week in the beginning if you have significant bruising, and start off lightly.
There are several ways to do fascia blasting, but here is the routine that worked best for me:
1. Warm up your body internally (a quick workout is an easy way) and the treatment area externally (a hot bath or heating pad is effective). You want to get your body warm and ready for the treatment by bringing more blood and oxygen to the area. You can also lightly massage your skin with the FasciaBlaster.
2. Apply your favorite massage oil to the area you want to work on. The FasciaBlaster is meant to be used on your skin with oil, not over clothing.
3. Gently rub the FasciaBlaster device on your skin in up-and-down and horizontal motions, never in circles. Continue for three to five minutes in one area.
4. Repeat on other areas of your body as needed. If you are doing a leg, you should repeat on the other leg, ensuring both sides get equal treatment.
5. Finish by massaging the area or using the flat back of the FasciaBlaster in an upward motion. You can also apply arnica to help with bruising if desired.
It’s recommended to drink plenty of fluids before and after treatment to stay hydrated. You can also take a cold shower or use cold packs to reduce any swelling. Enjoy the process, and I hope if you try it you also have great results like I did.
Watch the below video for my full tutorial: