I tried a £20 treatment to get rid of my cellulite, now I dare to wear a bikini

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

For decades I’ve enjoyed my perfectly smooth legs and a butt that could have looked better. Kylie Minogue a run for her money.

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I had no problem wearing lycra shorts to the gym or a string bikini to the beach.

But then I turned forty and got pregnant.

Suddenly, as my belly grew and my hormones went crazy, crater-shaped dimples appeared all over my thighs and buttocks.

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

So I thought it was just a natural part of the physical changes that come with approaching motherhood, and that everything would go back to normal after I gave birth.

But that didn’t happen. It got worse.

Although I lost most of the weight from my pregnancy after the birth of my son Milo, who is now seven, I continued to suffer from cellulite.

And despite exercising daily, using scrubs, applying expensive creams, trying special massages and even dry brushing before bathing (something Geri Halliwell swears by as a remedy for cellulite), nothing helped to lighten it.

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

Cottage cheese skin

While dropping my kids off at school, I envied the other moms who showed up in cool playsuits, without a trace of cottage cheese skin, while I was sweating next to them in black leggings and an oversized sweater to hide my ugly belly.

Desperate, I started doing some research on the internet. There had to be something that would minimize cellulite without me having to go through expensive, invasive surgery.

Then I came across LPG endermologie.

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

It eventually became so popular in France that women signed up for weekly sessions. Celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce and Penelope Cruz are also said to be fans.

The technology can be applied to both the face and body and is said to tighten the skin, reduce a double chin and smooth out wrinkles.

I discovered a medical and aesthetic clinic — the Bodyvie in Richmond, Surrey, near my home — that did LPG endermology, with sessions starting at £20 for ten minutes. I booked a consultation.

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

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

Donna suggested that I exercise twice a week for half an hour for six weeks to target the problem areas on my thighs and buttocks.

They assured me it wouldn’t hurt, but I was nervous about the first time.

I was given a strange white bodysuit to wear so that my skin was protected from the rollers and they could move more easily.

It looked like it would just barely fit over my pinky finger, but it was surprisingly stretchy and comfortable.

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

It didn’t feel unpleasant and it certainly didn’t hurt, but I wouldn’t describe it as relaxing either.

It felt like there was a big, cold catfish as I moved back and forth over the backs of my legs, pausing every few seconds to suck on my skin.

I blamed myself for falling into yet another treatment that wasted time and money.

Nilufer Atik

It was an image I couldn’t get out of my head and at one point even made me giggle, dismissing it as ‘a bit ticklish’.

The device indicated it was time to roll. After 15 minutes on my stomach and 15 minutes on my back I was done.

Impatient to see the results, I jumped in front of the mirror and craned my neck to see if any of my horrible cellulite had disappeared. But Donna explained that it would take at least six sessions before I would see a visible difference.

I was not convinced and after week three I was disappointed that there was hardly any difference. I blamed myself for once again falling for a waste of time and money treatment that promised much more than it delivered.

But after my seventh session I asked Donna to take some pictures of the backs of my legs and buttocks so they could compare them to the pictures I had taken at the beginning.

I was shocked when I saw them: the cellulite was almost gone.

Not only did the skin on the front and back of my legs look smoother, but my buttocks were firmer. I was happy with it.

Best summer dress

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

But if I had regular top-ups throughout the year, I could maintain the improvement. I was sold.

When I left the clinic, I could already see myself going on holiday this summer, for the first time in years in a bikini without a sarong.

I promised myself that if the weather was good, I would take the children to school the next morning in my best summer dress and give the boastful mothers a hard time.

Goodbye orange peel, hello sunshine!

• LPG Endermologie is available from Bodyvie from £20 for a ten minute session. Find out more at bodyvie.com.