Do anti-cellulite creams work? Answers to your most-asked body care questions

Ever lighter restrictions should make socialising this summer extra special. These body care questions may crop up as you swap trainers and leggings for something less comfortable. Hopefully the answers are a bit useful.

Do anti-cellulite creams work?

Paula's Choice Skin Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment, €31 at paulaschoice-eu.com

Like any body moisturisers, anti-cellulite creams can improve the look of the skin by plumping it up but no topical skincare can get rid of or prevent cellulite. It occurs too deeply below the skin’s surface, down where fatty tissue pushes through skin’s connective tissue to create dimples. You cannot reshape sub-cutaneous fat tissue by applying cream to the epidermis, they don’t touch. The best way to prevent skin losing elasticity (thereby making connective tissue weaker and cellulite more pronounced) is to protect it from UV radiation. Retinoids promote collagen growth (which contributes to smoother skin), so you would think there’d be more retinol body lotions about but I’ve only found a couple. Paula’s Choice Skin Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment, €31 at paulaschoice-eu.com, has pure retinol, shea, Vitamin E and lots of other wonderful ingredients.

How often should I buff my feet?

This Works Perfect Heels Balm, €18.45 at lookfantastic.ie

Sarah Jessica Parker reportedly filed her soles every day while working on Sex and the City, which you would think made them super-sensitive to high heels. It is certainly inadvisable behaviour if you run. Dry heels are unsightly but it is possible to over-buff, the skin underfoot is tougher for protective reasons and is more vulnerable to verrucas and other gross things if broken. I recommend using foot cream with an active exfoliant, both to smooth your soles’ appearance and to minimise the time you need to spend filing. This Works Perfect Heels Balm, €18.45 at lookfantastic.ie, is a urea-based softening cream with replenishing cotton thistle and shea butter. The London-based College of Podiatry says to check your feet regularly, to gently rub and rough areas with a file or stone when you are in the bath and not to use any foot cream between your toes, as it increases your risk of fungal infection.

How can I make hair follicles on my legs less visible?

Sol de Janeiro Bom Dia Bright Cream, €41 at cultbeauty.com

Pores and hair follicles are there to stay, no matter how efficiently we depilate, and they can show through fake tan. I apply liquid foundation (the kind meant for the face) to my legs and the tops of my feet with a flat makeup brush and go over it with transfer-proof makeup setting spray. I use Urban Decay All-Nighter Spray, €31 at arnotts.ie. It always works, the makeup never comes off on my dry-clean-only clothes (which is more than can be said for many self-tanning products), on a car seat or a chair. It’s also easy to get very even (I apply it in natural light) and it washes off with shower oil and water before bed, so there are no sheet or towel disasters. I can use a shade that matches my skin and even a foundation with SPF, both of which I prefer. My tips are to test your setting spray of choice is truly transfer-proof before you begin (try pressing a sprayed area against a napkin), and to make sure your body is extremely well moisturised so you don’t have to spend much time blending. Applying moisturiser while skin is damp after a shower traps moisture on skin’s surface, boosting the product’s effects. If you don’t have as much time to spend on your legs as I clearly do, an exfoliating body lotion is the best way to even skin’s texture gradually. Sol de Janeiro’s new Bom Dia Bright Cream, €41 at cultbeauty.com, smooths skin with fruit-based alpha hydroxy acids and boosts its moisture content with cupuaçu butter and other comforting plant extracts.

Should I dry brush my body?

Dry brushing can feel good and I won’t dismiss anything you enjoy sensorially. However, from a skincare perspective there are a few reasons it is a bad idea. New York dermatologist, Dr Whitney Bowe, points out that repeatedly scratching the skin with bristles can cause lichenification (skin thickening) — and leathery skin probably isn’t what you want. There is also a risk of bacterial spreading, as well as increased redness and sensitivity. What interests me is why you think you should be doing it? If it is to boost circulation, there are ways to do this that don’t involve distressing the skin. The most obvious is a workout, though you could also use a massage tool that does not scratch the skin. Dry brushing cannot detoxify you, there is no evidence that any topical skincare can detoxify the bloodstream and your skin is not somehow steeped in toxins.