Cellulite - Julie's suggestion

Q - If I blend fennel in baby oil into my thighs will it cure cellulite?! Martha Jones, by e-mail

A - An interesting question! Firstly, from a clinical point of view massage can help with lymph drainage and it can help improve the circulation. It is particularly good for the period after extreme exercise for helping disperse lactic acid but it is no more effective than the action of your own muscles when you are doing rhythmical sustained activity.

In terms of cellulite there is nothing clinically proven to help - despite what the beauty industry may have us believe. I massage a lot of women and I generally find their mental picture of it is far in excess of the reality.

Using a carrier oil such as almond oil is much better than baby oil because it has much smaller molecules so it sinks in and allows the masseur to really manipulate the muscles. It allows some slippage i.e. it prevents any drag on hairs etc but not so much slippage (as with baby oil) that your hands just end up sliding around the skin and tickling the recipient, which is irritating rather than soothing.