7.10.17 – Fascia Blaster. Cure or Con? And how to really get rid of your cellulite.

I’ve put off writing this post for a long time, as I know the gargantuan machine that is “Ashley Black Fascia Guru” probably wouldn’t take very kindly to it. But this week the subject came too close to home and now I feel compelled to share my humble opinion on the ever more infamous “Fascia Blaster”.

I bet you’re wondering what got me ‘all fired up’ all of a sudden? Well, this week I had the pleasure of meeting a beautiful young lady, who, like me, has struggled with cellulite for most of her formative years. She, like me, had done a tonne of research about cellulite over the years, had a pretty sound knowledge of anatomy and was clever enough to understand that there are no quick fixes for the problem. And, yet still, during a visit to Peninsula Endermologie this week she brought into my clinic her very own ‘Fascia Blaster’ to ask my opinion on it!

Cue awkward silence.

When I’m faced with a choice between telling people what they want to hear (i.e. in this case, I probably ought to have said something along the lines of; “I’m sure it has merits and your hard-earned money has been well-spent”… or telling the truth as I feel it, then I just can’t help myself, the truth will always win over!

So, I had to be honest and advise her that I consider it a poorly thought-out instrument of torture. Now, I know there are heaps of testimonials on Ashley Black’s website claiming it’s efficacy in getting rid of cellulite and even helping people cope with chronic pain disorders, but let’s face it, her website isn’t exactly neutral territory is it? It’s worth noting, that many independent reviewers were not as impressed: https://www.influenster.com/revi…/ashley-black-fasciablaster. The Fascia Blaster is marketed in a clever and relentless fashion, but in my humble opinion, it could harm both wallet and skin.

First of all, the thing HURTs. Even its advocates admit that. Apart from the odd quirky soul, most humans are programmed to avoid pain. And there’s a good reason for that. Pain means injury to the body and although the human body is remarkably good at healing, it’s still a process that creates inflammation and stress. In the short term, inflammation means extra fluid in your interstitial tissues, causing an increased workload for what may already be a sluggish lymphatic system. So, in essence, it’ll just make the problem worse. And in the long run, we know that inflammation and stress are two prominent factors in early morbidity.

The theory behind the Fascia Blaster is that it “opens and loosens” fascia to “lesson the look of cellulite”, “make muscles function better”, “break up fat”, “improve soft tissue pain” and “increase blood flow”. Sounds great right? Almost too good to be true? And you’d presume such lofty claims would be backed by science and approved by the American medical governing body the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wouldn’t you? But, nope, there’s no science here. No approval by the FDA. No scientific studies whatsoever and no proper factual evidence at all that the thing does what it says it’s supposed to.

Recent studies (proper clinical ones), do show the benefit in maintaining a healthy, supple fascia (or connective tissue as it’s known in the medical field). And all of the benefits listed above are associated with a healthy fascia. However, what hasn’t been proven is that Ashley Black’s instrument has had any benefit whatsoever on any of these conditions. Now, I love a good testimonial and even better, seeing the evidence for myself, but I also value the rigour and accuracy of a decent clinical study. Without this evidence, these claims simply become marketing tools, spouted only to sell more product and no doubt make Ashley Black a fine profit.

While I have no problem with anyone making an ‘honest’ living, my concern is that in the wrong hands, the Fascia Blaster can injure people’s skin and might even cause permanent damage. At its very essence, the Fascia Blaster is designed to make you bruise your skin. Now, the odd bruise here and there is not very problematic. But significantly bruising your skin on an ongoing basis can cause numerous problems. Think broken blood vessels or spider veins, poor skin tone (yep, that’s right, saggy skin) and skin pigmentation (haemosiderosis). If you really want to scare yourself, take a look at this rather dramatic account of what might happen if you severely damage your fascia: http://www.collectivewizdom.com/MassagingYourFascia-Top7Hea…

The very idea of causing injury to skin in order to improve a condition is not a new one in the cosmetic and beauty world. However, if there is a non-invasive, painless, clinically-proven alternative, surely we owe it to ourselves to treat our skin with the care it deserves?

If you’re struggling with the appearance of cellulite and are after some tips to help lessen its appearance, then you’ll find a heap of info on this page: https://peninsulaendermologie.com/?page_id=508. There are 11 tips to help you make a real difference to your skin and most of it won’t cost you a cent. If you’ve tried these and you’re still not seeing a great difference, then I urge you to try Endermologie. It’s safe, respects the skin, is scientifically proven to work by over 140 clinical trials (many published and peer reviewed in respected clinical journals) and has over 30 years of expertise behind the technology.

If you have any more questions about cellulite or are tempted by some of the ‘miracle cures’ that are promoted to treat the condition, please have a chat with me first. I’ll do my best to steer you in the right direction, and you’ll always be guaranteed an honest answer!