Tuesday Topic, with Christine Rutter

MANY women have cellulite from as early as their first kiss and spend a lifetime trying to tackle the problem.

Figure-conscious women who have the time and money to keep in slimline condition, such as Pamela Anderson, Princess Di and supermodel Elle "The Body" Macpherson, have all fallen victim to the dimple look. So what chance do the rest of us have of escaping the curse of cellulite?

Doctors the world over deny the very existence of any medical condition called "cellulite" yet this type of fat can be easily identified by the pinch test, revealing the characteristic "orange peel" skin on thighs and buttocks.

Lyndel Constain, a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association in Birmingham, said: "It is biological. Some women get it, others don't. It depends on the structure of the connective tissue which holds fat together under the skin. It can cause an orange peel effect worsened by weight-gain or ageing, when the skin is thinner and the fat cells can be seen more easily.

"Cellulite can be temporarily reduced by weight loss, exercise, creams or machines but it can never go away completely. "

However, despite the fact that cellulite is a natural phenomenon, there is no need to take it lying down.

There may be no complete cure for the condition but with a little help from a machine at Blackburn College's beauty department, combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise, it is possible to beat the forces of fat, reduce cellulite and rediscover the slimmer, trimmer you.

Countless women are beating the curse with a machine which treats nearly 300 people a month, so I tried it out myself.

It sounded like my idea of heaven - a no-sweat work-out taken lying down on a couch, letting an electronic machine do the work. But I suspected the catch may be a generous helping of pain as compensation for the privilege of watching years of fast food and take-aways melt away.

After checking my medical history, I was placed in a type of climbing harness used to hold conductor-pads which transferred a current to the problem area.

The current tenses and relaxes the muscles to exercise and tone them and in just five minutes I got the equivalent of a one hour gym work-out.

College beauty lecturer Sue Egan said: "Women are embarrassed by cellulite and find it hard to shift. The machine breaks down the build-up of fatty tissue, which is flushed away by the lymphatic system - the waste drainage system of your body."

The sensation is painless and relaxing, yet it is working hard on stubborn areas of unwanted fat.

Named Body Galvanic, it costs £3 per session and tones, refreshes and detoxifies hips, legs, abdomen and buttocks.

The treatment is most popular with women in their early 40s and is most in demand after Christmas and just before holiday breaks. You're left with a gentle tingling sensation on the treated area for about 30 minutes and results are visible after one 15 minute session.

Best results are achieved by a course of treatment, taken within a month, which will zap the skin right back into shape in time for your holiday when you can hit the beach with a proud cellulite-free body.

The machine can also help you lose inches and improve circulation, general body tone and posture.

But how long do the results last?

Sue added: "Exercise and a healthy diet are vital for the results to last indefinitely. If you fall back into bad eating habits and become a couch potato then obviously the cellulite will eventually return."

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