Cellulite: The Media Madness
ENS Marylou Dryer, MS4
Journalist, BodyTek PT
What is cellulite? Thanks to the media’s promotion of thousands of remedies to help melt it away, surely almost anyone could offer a definition or at least point some out as a demonstration. It is the frustrating an unsightly areas of bumpy fat that stubbornly cling to almost half the population. And the suppliers of those countless pills, instruments, and treatments that claim to cure it are hoping you’ll be searching for a solution.
Really, there is no such thing as cellulite — at least as far as the medical community is concerned. As a normal feature of human anatomy, there exists a layer of fat under the skin through which bands of fibrous tissue course to anchor the skin to the underlying muscles and other tissues. In areas like the palms and soles, there is a great density of this connective tissue to keep the overlying skin tightly in place. Because of this, the forces of activities like jumping or twisting open a jar do not displace the skin so far that it tears. Other areas of the body such as the thighs, hips, and abdomen do not need this level of reinforcement, so in these tissues the connections running though the fatty layer are more spread out. Depending on the arrangement of these connections, the appearance of the surface either can be smooth like it is on the palms and soles, or more bumpy. The bumpy appearance of fat pushing up on the skin between the fibrous tissues is what is referred to as cellulite.
Generally, in men the fibrous bands or septae that anchor the skin run diagonally and thereby separate the underlying fat into relatively small, diamond shaped compartments. In women however, the septae naturally dive directly downward resulting in vertical compartments. The result, when looking at the surface, is that those who have vertically arranged connective tissue appear to have fluffy fat spots; it is just like looking at a mattress with the stuffing resisting the pull of the material which holds it all together. 4 Yet, just as a mattress cannot be without the stuffing, neither can a person exist and function normally without this subcutaneous layer of fat. And, while those who are overweight generally do have larger stores of fat, “cellulite” is not related to obesity. Those who are of average weight and even some people who are underweight can still get cellulite.
So, why do some people get cellulite while others do not? While the amount of fat in one’s body is determined by their lifestyle habits including diet and exercise, the distribution of fat is determined by heredity. Because of the effects of estrogen and other factors, nearly all women have cellulite to some degree. Ethnicity may also play a role as Caucasian women are more prevalently affected and Asian women get cellulite more rarely. Men can also get cellulite in circumstances that affect their normal hormone status; examples include “androgen-deficient states such as Klinefelter's syndrome, hypogonadism, post-castration states and in those patients receiving estrogen therapy for prostate cancer.” 5 Nevertheless, cellulite is not a sign of disease.
Even though cellulite has not been proven in any medical study to be different than fat in other parts of the body and is harmless, it is still of concern for some people because of cosmetic reasons. Many remedies exist including pills, creams, massage, laser therapy, infrared heat, radio waves, and vacuum suction all in hopes of moving the fat or water in the tissues or stretching the septae to give a smoothing
effect over the skin’s surface. A few of these treatments, such as Endermologie, have been FDA approved but are very time intensive and costly if the smoothing effect is to be maintained. 3
Even liposuction may not be able to improve cellulite on its own, for while it does permanently remove fat, it targets deeper fat layers. 1
For someone who has cellulite and is looking for a solution, the best advice is to adopt habits of balanced diet, hydration and exercise. Although dieting cannot get rid of the dimpled appearance, good nutrition may help. Remembering that fat is a living tissue, it is also generally considered that avoidance of drugs and toxins including caffeine and alcohol may limit additional stress on the body’s lymph and circulatory systems which are responsible for removing excess waste and water that may be trapped in the subcutaneous tissues.
Reference:
1. http://www.aboardcertifiedplasticsurgeonresource.com/liposuction/Cellulite.html
2. http://www.annecollins.com/cellulite-diet-problem-foods.htm
3. http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/cellulite.html
4. http://www.webmd.com/content/article/109/109137.htm
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulite
