Most reviews of BelleCore’s HoneyBelle Bodybuffer are positively glowing, which is exactly what your skin will be doing once you’ve tried this. I can’t speak to whether or not it “breaks the bonds of cellulite,” but when I tested it out at the store, I ended up looking as buffed up as a showroom car. This is thanks to the terry cloth cover (when I forget to bring an exfoliator on a trip, I often use coarse hotel towels to lightly buff my skin) and oscillation. The device is electric, so you don’t have to buff yourself per se. Since it’s handheld, though, the vibrations can tire your hands and arms within a few minutes to the point of numbness (ironically, the Bodybuffer helps muscle soreness). This strength is vital for getting the blood flowing and breaking up cellulite. Beauty is pain, right?
If you’re going to invest in this little gadget, make sure you understand why cellulite appears in the first place. There are many causes, and the one the Bodybuffer treats is the hypoxic body fat in your lower body. Hypoxic means oxygen-deprived, which explains why some people find that no amount of diet or exercise can remove cellulite. Belly fat, on the other hand, gets good oxygen flow, so it’s generally the first weight to go when you start losing (unless you’re me!). Basically, even though the device will help improve circulation and oxygen flow, it won’t work alone – you have to lose the fat deposits, as well.
Another cause of cellulite involves the collagen fibers in your skin, also located mostly in your lower body. For women, these are vertical and form what are referred to as “picket fences,” where the skin puckers and traps fat. Men luck out – have you ever noticed that they rarely seem to have cellulite? Only 10% do, compared to 90% of women. This is because their collagen is crisscrossed like mesh, rather than straight up and down. That’s why I’m skeptical about the Bodybuffer. This kind of exfoliation and even deep tissue massages supposedly “remodel collagen.” How could you make your collagen grow in a totally different formation, though? I’m not quite convinced. If you have severe cellulite and want to smooth it out a bit, go ahead and give this a try. The guarantee is that it will improve within a month, so if you test this, be sure to let us know how the promise holds up! Either way, it’s a lot cheaper than going to the doctor’s office (although, at least your arm wouldn’t go numb there !). Available at Bergdorf Goodman for $395.