May 14, 2021
Spider veins, bumps, cellulite – a tribute to connective tissue
by Lena Severin
- What does connective tissue actually do for us?
- Connective tissue “weakening”
- Spider veins
- Stretch marks
- Cellulite
- How can we support our connective tissue?
- Let's forget the shame! Let's set ourselves free!
1. What does connective tissue actually do for us?
If you look at it closely, "connective tissue" is a general term for many different types of tissue that encompass various organs and, in addition to many other functions, ensure that they can move. When it comes to the connective tissue around our muscles, or our nerves, blood and lymph vessels, it also serves as a supportive stabilization. So if it starts to weaken, the skin can become less taut and lose its smoothness.
Our connective tissue holds us together in the truest sense of the word. On the outside, it holds us together with our largest organ, the skin, which we take care of every day here at JUNGLÜCK. This makes it all the more important to look a few layers deeper to find out how we can best support our connective tissue as well as our skin. Especially when we can already see the marks on our skin and don't feel comfortable with it at all.
For the three most common "weaknesses", I have collected some tips on how we can best support our connective tissue and our skin, either preventively or when we have already discovered some signs of weakness. But this is not about giving out insider tips and 100% guarantees. This is my homage to our connective tissue, which does amazing things every day and for that reason alone deserves an extra portion of care. Perhaps this will help us to accept and love ourselves a little more, just as we are.
2. “Weakening” connective tissue
Spider veins
Spider veins are small or larger blue-purple veins that mostly appear on the legs and feet, but can also be found on the face. They are actually completely harmless, but if they develop into real varicose veins, it can be quite unpleasant. While spider veins are usually only small visual changes, varicose veins can be raised and also painful. If they do, you should go to the doctor as a precaution, ideally to a specialist, because varicose veins can quickly lead to phlebitis, which in severe cases can even lead to thrombosis, i.e. a blood clot in the vein. Many people who have already discovered varicose veins therefore go for regular check-ups. Varicose veins can be removed in various ways, for example surgically or by sclerotherapy. Depending on the size of the varicose vein, a liquid or foam is sprayed into the vein to close it off.
Do:
Horse chestnuts.
The active ingredient aescin improves blood circulation through the vein. Various studies have shown that constant use stabilizes the vein walls and thus reduces the outflow of fluid into the tissue. Ointments, tablets or extracts for mixing with your own lotion are available over the counter in pharmacies or well-stocked drugstores.
Personal tip: Mix it with our squalane before applying it to your skin. Squalane has the property of transporting active ingredients more quickly into the skin layers due to its skin-like structure, where they can work even better.
Basil.
A study by the University of Maastricht has shown that daily consumption of basil provides enough vitamin K to the body to cause a visible reduction in spider veins after about 6 weeks.
Cold showers.
Showering your legs with cold water every day promotes blood circulation, which really gets your veins moving.
Put your feet up.
Putting your legs up from time to time is also a wonderful way to stimulate blood circulation in your legs. If you want (and can sleep this way), you can sleep with your legs slightly raised at night to better activate blood circulation through your veins.
Don’t:
Don't be ashamed of your spider veins and varicose veins: a big don't! They belong to you, are completely normal and deserve to be cared for and treated with love, just like the rest of your body.
Stretch marks
I don't think the lovely zebra stripes, as a friend once called them, need much explanation. Most people know that they don't just appear as a result of pregnancy. But how exactly they form might be new to you, so here's a quick crash course: Stretch marks form in the subcutaneous tissue when the connective tissue is overstretched. This can happen as well as during pregnancy, for example when you gain weight or build muscle quickly. What many young women experience when they decide to take the pill or other hormonal contraceptives is a sudden growth of their breasts, often accompanied by stretch marks. On top of the unusually blocked view downwards, they often develop complexes about the "zebra stripes".
Do:
Tip: Pregnancy oil , even without being pregnant.
If you know that your skin has to do the extra work because you are training, pregnant or about to take the pill, you can help your skin to grow preventively. I recommend our pregnancy oil here, regardless of whether your baby bump, biceps, breasts or legs are growing, because it was developed for exactly that purpose.
Water.
Speaking of elasticity: Drinking a lot, i.e. about 2-3 litres of water a day, also keeps your skin well moisturised – its elasticity also benefits from this!
Don’t:
To repeat: Don't be ashamed of your stretch marks! They belong to you, are completely normal and deserve to be cared for and treated with love just like the rest of your body.
Cellulite
That nasty, nasty word! We all know what it looks like and what it is, but for anyone who isn't sure how it comes about, here are the facts again: It starts with our connective tissue naturally starting to weaken a little. It becomes a little looser and the layers of skin, which are often a lot thinner and finer structured in women than in men, lose their shape. Dimples appear in the skin. What now?
Do:
Moisture makes the difference! Drink plenty and give your skin plenty of moisture: Aloe Vera gel is a good example – moisture in a pump dispenser, so to speak. Often mixed with squalane or rosehip seed oil to create a rich supply of moisture.
Don’t:
And once again: be ashamed of your dents - a big don't! They belong to you, are completely normal and deserve to be cared for and treated with love just like the rest of your body. Your mantra!
3. How can we support our connective tissue?
Movement.
As a preventative measure, we keep our connective tissue strong and supple by getting enough exercise. Endurance sports in particular promote the health of the veins, as the tension in the muscles puts pressure on them.
Massages.
When used regularly, they help the skin to remain elastic and flexible and to care for existing stretch marks. You can use a dry brush, for example, to stimulate blood circulation. Then apply the pregnancy oil to damp skin. Otherwise, just enjoy this extensive massage.
Alternating showers.
They stimulate blood circulation! Simply shower your legs slowly from bottom to top, alternating between cold and warm water.
Nutrition.
A healthy and balanced supply of nutrients is important for a functioning body. This includes sufficient vitamin C (e.g. kiwi, broccoli, peppers), amino acids for collagen production (e.g. eggs, soy, lupine), whole grain products and vitamin E (e.g. nuts).
Nutrition sets the tone for the music in our body. For the sake of your connective tissue (and actually the rest of your body), you should eat the following things in moderation and only rarely:
- Saturated fatty acids slow down the metabolism
- Refined sugars accelerate the breakdown of collagen
- Salt binds water in the body
- Carbonic acid promotes the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin
- Coffee has a venous constricting effect and thus slows down blood circulation
- Sweetened drinks and juices accelerate the breakdown of collagen
- Alcohol and cigarette consumption promotes water retention and inhibits fat loss
But I have to honestly admit that I don't want to completely give up my occasional glass of wine, my morning coffee and the odd sweet treat. So as long as I don't have any really critical health problems, I stick to the rule: everything in moderation, even unhealthy things are allowed once in a while if you want. Much more important than abstinence is feeling good about yourself and being able to reward yourself in this way and enjoy it! The next day comes the balance, with exercise, the right diet and a little self-love with an extensive connective tissue massage.
4. Let’s forget shame! Let’s set ourselves free!
However, whether and to what extent our connective tissue neglects its functions over the years depends largely on genetic predisposition.
First of all, remember that you are not the only one struggling with these issues. Almost every woman (one in three worldwide for cellulite alone!) and many men have one or more of these connective tissue “weaknesses”. So if we start to normalize it in our own minds, we can create a general change in thinking!
Sources:
https://www.apotheken-umschau.de/krankheiten-symptome/herz-kreislauf-erkrankungen/was-kann-man-gegen-krampfadern-tun-734539.html
https://medlexi.de/Bindegewebe
https://medlexi.de/Dehnungsstreifen
https://medlexi.de/Cellulite_(Orangenhaut)