What You Should Know About Cellulite
I’m sure many of you, like me, at one time or another have experienced the horror of seeing your butt in the mirror and thinking to yourself “Whose butt is that? Gads! It’s mine!” The dimpled, cottage cheese you see is cellulite. About 85% of women have some form of cellulite. Men get off the hook on this one – cellulite is rarely observed in males.
To better understand cellulite, a review of skin microanatomy is needed (see the figure below this paragraph). The outermost layer of skin is the epidermis. Immediately under this is the dermis, which is filled with hair follicles, sweat glands, blood vessels, nerve receptors and connective tissue. The next layer of tissue is the first of two layers of subcutaneous (beneath the skin) fat. Cellulite originates in the first region of the subcutaneous fat where, in females, fat cell chambers are arranged vertically. Cellulite is caused by small protrusions of fat into the dermis. This structural alteration of subcutaneous fat protruding into the dermis gives skin the bumpy appearance.
Men and women have different connective-tissue organizational structures in the first layer of subcutaneous fat. With females, fat (adipose) tissue is contained in chamber-like structures that favor the expansion of the adipose tissue into the dermis. Men have a network of crisscrossing connective-tissue architecture, forming smaller polygonal units that allow for subcutaneous fat deposits to expand laterally and internally, with little protrusion into the dermis. Men also have thicker layers of epidermis and dermis tissue.
Why is cellulite more prevalent in the thighs and buttocks of women? Women generally have a higher percentage of body fat than men. The average percent body fat values for adult men and women (aged 18–34) are 13% and 28%, respectively. The thighs and buttocks of women tend to store more body fat. There are five times more fat cells in the thighs, hips and buttocks of women than in other sites of the body.
What You Can Do About Cellulite
There is a plethora of medications, devices and diverse therapies that allegedly treat cellulite. Some examples include liposuction (which, in some women worsens the dimpling), injecting biological agents, Endermologie, massage, and topical ointments. Much of the evidence supporting the efficacy of these therapies is sketchy or nonexistent.
There is only one proven way to help with cellulite. Can you guess what it is? Yes, it’s our inescapable friend exercise! Improving diet and exercise is an excellent way to start improving cellulite appearance. Visible cellulite is reduced in women who lose weight. A nutritional plan combined with a comprehensive exercise program (cardiovascular exercise and resistance training) can reduce body fat. Histological research (examining the microscopic structure of tissue) shows that the fat cells do retract slightly from the dermis with weight loss.
You know who to contact to get fit (that would be me). My company, LifeStages Fitness, will soon be offering packages of personal training bundled with nutritional consultation, so stay tuned.
