In The Cellulite Cure
Dr. Bissoon is convinced that traditional underwear, the kind with elastic around the legs, is contributing to the modern cellulite epidemic.
In fact, he won’t treat a new client until she agrees to give up this kind of underwear (he mentions a few alternatives in the video below).
Here’s what the doc has to say about tight underwear.
Tighter underwear may offer a little lift, but when I see panty lines peeking through clothing, I can only imagine the severity of the compression across the wearer’s lymphatic tissues. Think of those microscopic vessels as a hose. The hose is turned on, and is efficiently draining toxins from the various cells. Suddenly, someone pinches the hose. The water backs up, and before long it’s leaking through the faucet. This is what happens when you wear tight underwear.
The following video is a short interview with Dr. Bissoon as he discusses the panty hypothesis. Do you think it’s a valid concern? I’d also love to know what you think about his idea of functional cellulite? Is it really cellulite at all?
photo credit
Are you battling the blight solo? Cellulite investigating is much more fun (and effective) when you're not going at it alone. Come join the conversation in our discussion forum.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow. Really? I'd never heard this before.
Dr. Bissoon's book is the first place I've heard of this, too, and I've read A LOT of cellulite research. I'm not sure what to make of it…
The underwear thing makes sense to me. If it's tight enough to leave marks, it's compressing that area of your skin. I'm not sure about what the host said about wearing underwear at night though….my mom always said to never sleep in underwear, so that part isn't an issue for me.
Mom's are so wise, aren't they?!?
I heard about a similar theory 3 or 4 years ago, and started wearing "boxer shorts" for women!
That, and losing weight seems to have helped quite a bit. But I can't say it was one or the other – maybe both!
Oops! Did I say ME? I meant to say someone who isn't me!
Awesome, Anne! It's always exciting to hear cellulite strategies that really work! When you say "boxer shorts" are you referring to something like this:
Barely There Breathe Boyshorts Panty
Btw, you're not the only one who is a little shy about discussing cellulite. But 90 percent of us have it, so it's not a big deal. Did you see the post I wrote today?
It's Okay to Talk About Your Cellulite!
Thanks for contributing to our investigation!
Close, but not the same boxer shorts.
They are more like a workout boxer-brief.
No open fly. Made with some spandex. Not too tight.
I just love them!
But the cool plaid boxer shorts are cool, too. Just for fun.
On those I sewed up the fly! Like "lounge"pants.
Got it. Can't wait to redo my underoo wardrobe
I will shyly admit that most days I don't wear underwear at all. *blush*
I actually first heard about underwear's bad side when I read Dr. Bradley's book on natural childbirth. Since I'm a SAHM, when I'm home I just wear yoga pants with nothing underneath. I noticed compression garments make my cellulite worse (so bad my husband actually noticed, too, ack). So out with those, too!
I do wear underwear when I go out, though.
Elizabeth, you are so funny. I admit I often do the same things on days I'm home all the time. LOVE the yoga pants (and no vpl to worry about is a bonus)! Interesting about the compression garments. Are you talking about a spanx type deal?
So now I'm curious what Dr. Bradley said about underwear and natural childbirth. Is he saying a similar thing about it blocking the lymph circulation?
I think a high quality compression garment that covers maybe from the top of the waist to the lower thigh might not be bad. But a lot of the compression garments I've seen still do some elastic squeezing and bulging. I can't imagine it would be good for lymphatic flow.
Dr. Bradley was more concerned about vaginal health (since he was talking about birthing babies), and was actually saying that wearing tight pants and underwear all the time causes more vaginal infections because the area can't "breathe" so to speak.
I know back in the day undergarments were more loose and usually made of cotton, unlike the tight-fitting spandex underthings we have today. Maybe it's some kind of conspiracy against feminine health…
Thanks for the info, Elizabeth. I can see how certain compression garments wouldn't be good for the cellulite. Probably most of them, unless they were designed for people with a real medical condition (instead of silly old cellulite!).
Dr. Lionel Bissoon could not be more CORRECT! I am in COMPLETE agreeance!!! I am so THRILLED that someone else is also instructing women to get out of tight panties. Boxer shorts are an answer but not suitable for some outfits.
If you can get hold of them in your area get the knickers that are seemless.
ALSO buy pants that are two sizes too big for you. This way the pants sit on your arse rather than squeezing it cutting off circulation.
Tight jeans and excercise gear also restrict lymphatic and circulatory functions.
So please do limit wearing tight clothing as much as possible.
Cheers, Broni
Since writing this post, I discovered the world’s most comfortable (AND sexiest!) thong underwear. I wrote about it here:My Favorite Anti Cellulite Panties and Lymph-Friendly Bras. They are available in the CI shop for anyone who wants to test them out for herself. Even if you hate wearing thongs, I am confident you won’t be disappointed in the Hanky Panky!