Cellulite Facts

Cellulite is a condition that is found in both men and women of various ages; however, it seems to be most common in women. Cellulite occurs when the skin of your lower legs, abdomen and pelvic region become dimpled after you have passed puberty. You may have heard cellulite called other names such as orange-peel syndrome or cottage-cheese skin, maybe even hail damage.
Cellulite occurs when a person gains weight and the fat cells expand. The fat cells tend to bulge up towards the surface of the skin. Keep in mind that men not only have less fat on their thighs but the outer skin on a man’s body is thicker and slows what is happening to surplus fat. Much to our surprise, cellulite is not caused by being overweight but can be caused by a poor diet or changes in your metabolism and physiology. Other causes are from disorders such as that of water metabolism, also abnormal hyper-polymerization of connective tissue, as well as chronic venous insufficiency.
Other contributing factors to cellulite include hormones and genetic factors. Diet has been proven to affect the development of cellulite in the body. Large intakes of fat, carbohydrates, or not enough fiber all contribute to cellulite. Even your lifestyle contributes to cellulite: Smokers, people who don’t get enough exercise, and people who are standing or sitting in a certain position for long periods of time or suffer with a high level of stress.
Did you know what you choose to wear can affect the amounts of cellulite in your body? The underwear you choose can contribute to cellulite. If you wear tight elastic underwear, it limits your blood flow, allowing cellulite to form. Clothing such as thongs, boxers, or sleeping naked will aid in reducing the problems underwear can cause in developing cellulite.
There are three grades of cellulite. The first grade is when you show no clinical symptoms. With grade 2, your skin shows lower temperatures and decreased muscular contraction, however cellulite is not visible on the skin. With grade 3, the cellulite is visible on the skin and thin granulations are detected in the deep levels of your skin.
The good news is while there are no proven therapies, a good diet and controlling stress and anxiety are very beneficial in preventing and reducing cellulite in your body. You do have the options of cosmetic creams, cosmetic lasers, and other cosmetic procedures such as mesotheropy. Some people even try liposuction; however, this has not been proven to reduce cellulite.

What is Cellulite?

Cellulite: We all know that word and we all dread the day we will look in the mirror to find unsightly dimples where we once had smooth thighs. And while we all know that cellulite is a bad thing, many people have no idea what cellulite really is. Let’s take a look at some cellulite facts and discuss some of the best known ways to prevent it, get rid of it, and keep it off forever.

The sad truth is that 90 to 95 percent of women ages 18 and older will develop some degree of cellulite at some place on their body during their lifetime. The development of cellulite has nothing to do with weight. Heavy and thin women alike can, and very likely will, suffer with it at some point. Why? Because cellulite is fat, and even extremely lean women have at least some percentage of body fat.

Underneath your skin are three layers of fat. The second layer of fat is called subcutaneous fat. This type of fat is "compartmentalized," a factor that makes it unique in form and different from fat that is stored in other areas of the body. When excess fat begins to accumulate in this subcutaneous layer, your skin begins to look dimpled, and thus, cellulite (the pockets of trapped fat) is born.

There are lots of factors that can contribute to the formation of cellulite under the skin. Hormones play a major role in fat storage, as does metabolic rate. Because metabolism and hormones play a major role in the body’s lymphatic drainage, cellulite is often found in women during life phases wherein hormone levels and metabolic rate make constant changes. For example, women of child bearing age who are pregnant, have recently had a child, are taking birth control pills, or have reached menopausal age.

The good news is that you don’t have to live the rest of your life with unsightly cellulite on your legs, buttocks, and thighs. There is a wide range of products that have been designed to help reduce the appearance of cellulite. These products typically contain ingredients that are specially formulated to plump the connective tissues in the skin, thus creating a smooth appearance. Still other cellulite treatment products are formulated to shrink fat cells by eliminating excess fluid.

And while many of these products are successful and true to their claims, they work best in conjunction with proper nutrition and exercise. After all, cellulite is fat…so burning fat will help you to burn cellulite.