Cellulite

Cellulite is a term used to describe the chain of wrinkled fat cells and subcutaneous connective tissue beneath the skin and which seems to be more prevalent in women than men; the affected areas are normally from the waist down. This is not a situation purely confined to those who carry excess weight; the lumpy substance that looks more like cottage cheese beneath the skin can affect slim, even sporting women as well.

You see as the collection of fats push against the connective tissue, it tends to cause the surface of the skin to dimple or pucker and visually look lumpy; giving you what is referred to as cellulite. After many years of research, scientists still cannot determine the exact reason for its formation or why some are affected more than others but there may be some connection between toxins that enter the body and how certain fat cells store them.

One thing is certain though and that is as a persons age increases, the amount of this fatty tissue increases in the same way that wrinkles also form which is probably due to the reduction of the two components that keep the skin looking young; collagen and elastin. Whilst many would disagree, this condition is often referred to a hormone imbalance problem as men almost never have this happen to them.

Cellulite often goes unnoticed for the majority of the time for most people and is only seen when a person has their thigh muscles compressed in the case of squatting for example or when the skin is pinched in the thigh area and the puckered skin becomes apparent; when the fatty tissue can be felt but most women suffer with this. Although it may not be known what causes, some factors seem to contribute to its build up including age, sex, extra fat carried and skin thickness all seem to aid the formation.

One thing for sure is that technology has not as yet devised a miracle potion or treatment that can eradicate it completely. One method that hides the cellulite quite well by puffing the skin is deep massage and an increasing number of clinics are now offering this therapy.

Another technique used to remove the fat cells, but not that successfully, is liposuction which is used to remove excess fat in the body but a method called mesotherapy which injects chemicals into the fat cells is still too expensive for most people who desire it. However, these are only temporary measures so do not provide permanent relief and liposuction is really only efficient for deeper based fats and not those close to the surface as with cellulite.

For people who are prone to the problem, there are no magic treatments for selective removal but there are now a number of creams on the market which are designed to help hide the effect it brings. It can only really be reduced as part of an overall weight reduction program through adopting a healthy eating and living plan, together with increasing exercise, so that body fat is reduced rather than connective tissues.

Many of the toxins that aid cellulite formation in the cells can be removed by drinking plenty of water every day not to mention the other health benefits of drinking water which include weight reduction.