Summer is coming and it’s time to get in shape, or maybe panic over the fact that you haven’t worried about your body all winter.
Legs and arms can be instantly spruced up with a generous application of a good fake tan. But our butts can use a little more work.
Here’s how to lift, smooth, sculpt and transform a pert 50-something butt that’s been parked in a chair for too long…
Lucia Ferrari discovers that the effects of a butt massage to drain fluids can last a week
Brush your buttocks
Kate Shapland, the brains behind beauty brand Legology, which focuses on improving the quality of skin on legs and buttocks, is unequivocal. ‘Using a body brush will improve the quality of the skin. Daily brushing brings nutrient-rich blood to the surface, where it floods the tissues, filling them and adding tone and pinkness. Brush upward from where the bottom meets the thigh (buttocks) to above the hips every day. The Legology body brush is £16, legology.co
Massage the top of your muffin
“A really good massage therapist will be able to remove an inch of muffin top in a single session,” says Shapland, “since it’s mostly fluid buildup.” Her team of therapists always travel to Los Angeles before the Oscars, and this year numerous well-known female celebrities made reservations.
“Deep tissue massage on the buttocks is not particularly comfortable, but it works very well to expel fluid trapped around fat cells to help reshape the buttocks,” says Shapland. The effects can last for at least a week. Exclusive Derriere Shaping massage in the treatment rooms, costs from £115, thetreatmentrooms.co.uk
Yes, you need to exercise.
Online fitness trainer Caroline Idiens says squats are one of the best exercises for toning a flabby butt. ‘If you add a resistance band, placing it just above your knees, you will notice results even faster. Start with two minutes a day and you will notice and see the results in a week », she advises. ‘Try squatting while brushing your teeth. Then continue like this daily.’
Online fitness trainer Caroline Idiens says squats are one of the best exercises to tone a flabby butt
Copy French women
French women have been booking Endermologie sessions, a type of deep tissue massage performed with a suction device, since its inception in the 1980s.
It is one of the few treatments proven to reduce cellulite and water retention, and can do wonders for depuffing, smoothing and shaping your thighs or buttocks.
Endermologie.com. Clinics across the UK, from £60 for a 30 minute session.
Try injectables for roundness.
Surgical procedures such as BBL (Brazilian Butt Lift), which involve liposuction and fat transfer injections, have garnered unfavorable press. Injectable Sculptra is a safer option for those looking to lift, tone, or sculpt their butt. “Sculptra is not a filler, but is part of a collection of injectables called biostimulators,” explains Dr Wassim Taktouk, medical director of the Taktouk Clinic in London.
‘These stimulate the body’s collagen production, so it uses the body’s natural rejuvenation process to increase the roundness of the buttocks and at the same time helps reduce cellulite. The results can last more than two years.’ Prices from £795. drwassimtaktouk.com
Or cheat!
While Spanx will always be my go-to for tummy-flattening underwear, I’m impressed with Skims’ new butt-enhancing shorts, £60, Selfridges.com. They give a little oomph to flat-as-a-pancake middle-aged clothing and come in a stunning range of colors for all skin tones.