Tried a £20 high street treatment to eliminate my cellulite, now I’m facing a bikini for the first time in years

WRITER Nilufer Atik, 48, hid her legs in the summer because she hated her orange peel thighs. Could a cheap treatment loved by stars banish your cellulite come shorts season?

FOR decades I have enjoyed my perfectly smooth legs and an ass that could have given me Kylie Minogue a race for her money.

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I had no qualms about wearing spandex shorts to the gym or wearing a thong bikini to the beach.

But then I reached forty and got pregnant.

Suddenly, as my belly expanded and my hormones went haywire, crater-like dimples began to appear on my thighs and buttocks.

“It’s normal to have cellulite during pregnancy,” my midwife told me.

So I figured it was just a natural part of the bodily changes that come with impending motherhood and that things would go back to normal after I gave birth.

But that didn’t happen – they got worse.

Despite losing most of the baby weight after having my son Milo, now seven, my cellulite stubbornly remained.

And although I exercised daily, used exfoliants, applied expensive creams, tried specialized massages, and even dry brushed before showering—apparently something Geri Halliwell considers a cellulite buster—nothing alleviated it.

I went from proudly showing off my short but toned legs in miniskirts on sunny days to hiding them under maxi dresses.

curd skin

During the school run, I envied other moms who rocked cool onesies with not a trace of cottage cheese skin in sight, while I sweated alongside them in black leggings and an oversized sweater to hide my ugly tummies.

Desperate, I started doing some research online. There had to be something that minimized cellulite that didn’t mean resorting to invasive and expensive surgery.

That’s when I came across GLP endermology.

It is a type of lymphatic drainage developed by French doctors in the 1980s and has since been used by women in France. It was originally developed to help burn victims, until doctors realized it also improved the appearance of cellulite.

It eventually became so popular in France that women booked weekly sessions. Celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé and Penelope Cruz are also fans.

The technology can be used on both the face and body, with the aim of firming the skin, reducing double chins and smoothing wrinkles.

I discovered a medical and beauty clinic – Bodyvie in Richmond, Surrey, near my house – that did LPG endermology, with sessions from £20 for ten minutes. I made an appointment.

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“Endermology works by breaking down fat deposits, promoting lymphatic drainage and improving circulation to combat cellulite,” said Donna, my therapist.

She then showed me the handheld device used to administer the treatment, which had two metal rollers inside that moved in and out to create a vacuum effect.

Donna suggested I do two half-hour sessions a week for six weeks to address my problem areas on my thighs and butt.

I was sure it didn’t hurt, but I was nervous before the first one.

I was given a bizarre full-length white jumpsuit to wear to protect my skin from the rollers and make it easier to move around.

It felt like it barely fit over my little finger, but it was surprisingly stretchy and comfortable.

NextI was asked to lie face down on a massage table while Donna turned on the LPG endermology machine and got to work.

The sensation wasn’t unpleasant and definitely didn’t hurt, but I wouldn’t describe it as relaxing either.

It felt like there was a big, cold catfish moving up and down the back of my legs and stopping to suck on my skin every few seconds.

I berated myself for falling for yet another waste of time and money.

Nilufer Atik

This was an image I couldn’t get out of my head and I even laughed at one point, passing it off as “a little delicate”.

The machine signaled when it was time for me to roll, and after 15 minutes on the front and another 15 on the back, I was done.

Impatient to see the results, I jumped in front of the mirror, craning my neck to see if any of my terrible cellulite was gone. But Donna explained that I wouldn’t notice a visible difference until at least six sessions.

I wasn’t convinced, and by the third week I was disappointed to see that there was barely any difference. I berated myself for falling for yet another time- and money-wasting treatment that promised much more than it delivered.

But then, after the seventh session, I asked Donna to take some photos of the back of my legs and buttocks to compare with the ones I had taken at the beginning.

I was shocked when I saw them – the cellulite was practically gone.

Not only did the skin on the front and back of my legs feel smoother, but my butt was also firmer. I was delighted.

Best summer dress

I asked how long the results would last after I completed the course and Donna told me the average time was about three months.

But if I had regular recharge sessions throughout the year, I could maintain the improvement. I was sold.

Leaving the clinic, I began to imagine myself on vacation this summer, braving a bikini without a sarong for the first time in years.

I promised myself that if the weather was nice, I would go to school in my best sundress the next morning and give the exhibitionist mothers a run for their money.

Bye, orange peel – hello, sunshine!

• Endermologie GLP is available from Bodyvie from £20 for a ten minute session. More information at bodyvie. with.