How to get rid of cellulite like the Kardashians, according to the inventor of the Fascia Blaster

Khloe blasts Kourtney's thighs with the FasciaBlaster: Keeping Up With The Kardashians
Khloe blasts Kourtney's thighs with the FasciaBlaster: Keeping Up With The Kardashians

First off, let’s be clear: cellulite is an entirely normal thing.

In fact, 90% of women experiencing the skin dimpling effect ( which is caused by a build-up of fat under the skin) at some stage in their life.

Linked to oestrogen, it's more common in women than men. “Our metabolism is lower, we are designed to have more fat than men,” says Chartered Physiotherapist Lucy Macdonald Bsc (Hons) MSCP. “It's a completely normal part of a woman's body. It’s just not realistic to expect not to have any cellulite after the age of 18.”

However, although it’s perfectly normal, most women will admit they’d like to see their orange peel skin gone for good.

The best way to reduce the appearance of cellulite is through a good cardio and resistance-heavy exercise regime, a healthy diet and drinking lots of water. But for those looking for a quick fix, there are a whole host of tools and treatments on the market - from body brushes to high-strength cellulite creams - which promise to make cellulite disappear. The latest such treatment, just launched in London, is an at-home tool called the FasciaBlaster, invented by Texan sports therapist Ashley Black.

The slightly scary looking hand-held device, which hit UK stores this month, comprises a bar with plastic claws on, which are designed to be rubbed, using oil, on problem areas. it claims to ‘reduce pain and improve flexibility, joint function, circulation, muscle definition and performance, nerve activity, and enhanced beauty including the reduction of cellulite.’ Black first sold the device to actors, members of Major League Baseball and the National Football League. Since then, the tool has gained a celebrity following, with actors like Debra Messing (Will & Grace) and Patty Heaton (Everybody loves Raymond), and models Toni Garrn and Molly Simms posting about it.

At the recent FasciaBlaster London launch event, Black demonstrated the tool on Love Island stars Gabby Allen, Tyla Carr, and Laura Crane.

(@ashleyblackguru)
(@ashleyblackguru)

Her biggest claim to fame however is that the FasciaBlaster features in the trailer for the new season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, when Khloe is pictured blasting the back of Kourtney’s thighs.

The endorsement, which Black insists was not paid for, is responsible, at least in part, for brand’s recent explosion on Instagram.

So how does it work?

As the name suggests, the FasciaBlaster claims to work by massaging – or blasting – the fascia, which is the fluid-filled system of connective tissue that exists throughout our body, encasing every muscle, organ and system. It’s a stringy, cobweb-like structure that allows our muscles to move freely, interprets messages (such as pain) to send to the brain, and maintains a fluid around our organs.

An image of fascia in the shoulder
An image of fascia in the shoulder

“The fascia is a thin layer of tissue made up of predominately collagen fibres that wraps around all the muscles and organs of the body, acting like a kind of inner skin,” explains Lucy Macdonald.

Ashley Black, who trained as a sports therapist but is not a qualified physio, asserts that “cellulite is caused by fascial recoil, adhesions and distortions below the skin. So if you restore the fascia, you reduce cellulite.”

“The FasciaBlaster whisks and massages through layer by layer to restore the fascia and muscle tissue,” she continues. “You cannot roll out fascia, you have to comb through the adhesions and dysfunctions.”

Macdonald is however less convinced of the connection. “I can’t see how cellulite could be effected by fascial tension,” she says. “The concept of ‘fascial tension’ is debated in the medical world, it is a theoretical model thought by some to contribute to pain but is not supported by scientific research.”

“The way the layers of the body are stuck together are by little adhesions, which are totally normal. You can’t go and break those adhesions, they’re normal."

The results of a 90-day study carried out by Ashley Black in which participants were told not to change their diet or lifestyle, but to start using the FasciaBlaster
The results of a 90-day study carried out by Ashley Black in which participants were told not to change their diet or lifestyle, but to start using the FasciaBlaster

So when and how should you use it?

Black recommends you use the FasciaBlaster when you have increased your body temperature – whether yoga, cardio, sauna or shower. “Pre and post workout FasciaBlasting sessions will help maximize your training,” she says. “A lot of people do it in the shower because you’re already stripped down and warm. I personally FasciaBlast first thing in the morning in my sauna, because it loosens my body for the day.”

The tool can cause bruising, which Black says is a sign it’s working. “As fascial adhesions release,” she says, “blood flow will be re-established, causing the appearance of bruises. The bruising is actually a sign of the healing process, like “cupping”. You are bringing blood to the surface and allowing the body to naturally restore itself by blood flushing to the area to move out toxins and fat and deliver vital nutrients.”

The treatment looks more than a little uncomfortable, and Macdonald cautions that “anything that causes pain should only be used under the guidance of a doctor, physiotherapist or other trained medical professional.”

(Keeping Up With The Kardashians)
(Keeping Up With The Kardashians)

Other than the FasciaBlaster, how can you reduce cellulite?

In addition to using the FasciaBlaster, Black advises that “cutting sugar, proper nutrition and hydration, regular exercise, proper supplementation, and a healthy, well rested and low stress lifestyle will all contribute to cellular health and therefore, less cellulite. Also, being symmetrical with your posture and lifting weights to fill out the skin will help.”

For the physiotherapist we spoke to, Lucy MacDonald, it’s these things that are most likely to fight the signs of cellulite. “If you want to reduce the amount of cellulite you have, you need to reduce the amount of fat in your body. And the way to do that is to go back to the basic principles of exercise and diet. You need a combination of cardiovascular exercise to control calories, but also, and probably more importantly, you need resistance training to increase the muscle percentage of your body. In doing this you reduce the amount of fat in your body in general, and thus the appearance of cellulite will be less.”

“If the fat’s there, it’s going to look like fat. So you just have to reduce the amount of fat that’s underneath the tissue.”

So, while the FasciaBlaster could reduce the appearance of cellulite, there is, surprise surprise, no shortcut to looking smooth-skinned and toned.

Blast.