I have Sharon Stone to thank for helping me to summon the bravery to show these pictures of my thigh.
The 68-year-old star recently posted an Instagram snap of herself in a bikini by the pool. She looks great, but the reason the picture inspired me is because Stone is making no effort to cover up her cellulite, which the midday sun is accentuating (in that cruel way it does to all of us).
As someone who’s skulked around beaches since the age of 17 trying to hide her dimples, this to me is an act of bravery. I’ve always despised my ‘orange peel’ (which I have despite being slim and sporty, proving it’s largely genetic and specific to women), and have never been able to get on board with the ‘body positivity’ movement when it comes to my less-than-flawless thighs.
As far as I’m concerned, they were meant to stay under wraps, so as not to scare the horses.
Cellulite is fat, fluids and toxins trapped under the skin – a result of sluggish lymph function and circulation, female fat distribution and atrophied, hardened under-skin tissues, compounded by age-related skin laxity.
As a beauty journalist of 25 years, I’ve had access to every ‘solution’ for the tell-tale pitted skin, which most often shows up on our thighs, bums or upper arms. My conclusion after trialling 100-plus lotions and treatments is that there isn’t a real solution at all. Indeed, cellulite creams can’t affect a condition this deep-seated.
Slim and sporty, Inge was frustrated at her inability to shift her unsightly cellulite
It took less than 90 minutes for the treatment to work on Inge's stomach
As for the many ‘miracle’ in-clinic treatments, only a rare few ever made a significant difference, in my experience. CoolSculpting ‘fat freezing’ (from £800 per body area; it’s now largely out of favour due to the model Linda Evangelista having had an adverse reaction) did significantly and permanently reduce the localised fat pockets that were part of my cellulite.
Professional massage devices Endospheres and LPG Endermologie (from about £100 per session), after multiple treatment sessions, reduced its bloat and lumpiness temporarily.
The injectable Sunekos Cell, which combines hyaluronic acid and amino acids and costs from about £1,500 for a course of treatments, also proved to be good at reducing lumpy texture – if you can stand having multiple injections across large body areas. But pretty much everything else failed at making a dent in my dimples (despite the lot over a quarter-century adding up to a shocking £20,000).
Until I came across two state-of-the-art devices combined in a new treatment named the Geneviv Gravity-Defyer, the brainchild of Viviana Botoaca, founder of London medical longevity clinic Geneviv.
Inge was delighted the treatment left her 'knee areas less saggy'
The double-whammy procedure starts with a machine called Tesla Former, which uses functional magnetic stimulation to make muscles contract 50,000 times in half an hour (it feels weird but not painful). You simply recline on a treatment bed while two (in the case of thighs or arms) paddles the size of ping pong bats, fastened in place with straps, vibrate and pummel away at your specific ‘problem areas’.
It creates contractions that stimulate the muscles’ nerve fibres, which results not just in sculpted contours, but helps burn fat, tighten skin and drain bloat as well. The device is used by physiotherapists for rehabilitation, recovery and pain relief and will tone muscles fast – but also smooth and lift skin.
Each 45-minute session is followed by 45 mins of Rexonage quantum molecular resonance (QMR) to optimise cellulite reduction and improvements on a skin level. This machine delivers a unique type of electrical energy that re-boots skin cell function, dramatically boosting circulation, detoxification and collagen regeneration to make skin plumper, smoother and more even-toned.
The tweet from a 68-year-old Sharon Stone that inspired Inge
The treatment has worked on all areas of Inge's body - and should last for up to eight months
Having seen great results on my facial skin, I was excited to see if it could have a similar effect on my body. The QMR currents are administered first with gentle suction paddles before Botoaca dons special gloves wired into the Rexonage machine. With these, she massages skin while, like a Jedi knight, infusing it with QMR energy (which flows from the machine, via the gloves, into your tissues); it’s so relaxing, it entirely belies the power of the treatment.
Botoaca adjusts the machines’ multiple settings to suit the needs of each patient, resulting in a largely bespoke six-treatment protocol. Within two sessions, I could see progress. The dimples in my skin looked less deep and my knee area less saggy, while my blotchy, mottled skin tone was replaced by even-looking colour, a result of much healthier blood circulation.
Results progressed over the six-session course and should continue to do so even after treatment, thanks to the healthier cellular conditions induced by the two devices. Botoaca reckons they’ll last 7-8 months, or longer if maintained with a healthy diet and regular exercise.
The cellulite isn’t eradicated – but for the first time ever, I can just about stand sharing the before-and-after pictures of one of my blobby-thigh treatments, thanks to improvement that’s too good not to show. Plus, if Sharon Stone has the grace do it…
A six-treatment course for thighs, bottom, arms or tummy is £6,000 at Geneviv Clinic (genvivclinic.com)