Cellulite is a troublesome and unsightly problem experienced by almost all women, and many men. It is indeed fat, and is surrounded by many myths and urban legends regarding its causes and possible treatments. The biological makeup of cellulite is hard to fight. Good dietary habits and frequent consistent exercise to reduce body fat and improve muscular strength are the sure-fire, long-term, painless and free method of somewhat controlling the appearance of cellulite.
What Causes Cellulite?
Dermatologist Robert A. Weiss, M.D., Associate professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine says that cellulite is, "caused by a herniation or rupture of fat through the fibrous tissue and the subsequent pulling back of this tissue that creates dimpled areas" that are the unsightly visual of cellulite.
Can Thin People Get Cellulite?
Because cellulite is caused by this rupturing of the connective tissues allowing fat cells to bulge through, it is a problem with people of all levels of body fat. The cellular structure is to blame, not the body fat percentage. The reason people of higher body fat seem to have more cellulite is that their fat cells are larger and more pronounced, not that there is necessarily more fat.
Can Men Get Cellulite?
Men can have cellulite, but the structure of their skin layers makes it much less prominent than in women. Not only are the outer layers of skin thicker in men, the male hormones actually form cellular structures differently in men during fetal development, which causes cellulite to be less noticeable. Men with decreased male hormones often do show more signs of cellulite, much like a woman.
Simple Treatment Options
Certainly with the appearance of cellulite such a self-esteem diminishing issue for so many people, the prospect of treating it creates a huge window of opportunity for false claims alongside the fewer truly effective treatments. One effective treatment method is the dreaded but common answer to so many things--improved diet and exercise. Dr. Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise physiology at University of New Mexico, specifically recommends increasing resistance training to improve muscle strength, as the fat will appear less "jiggly" if it rests upon strong, firm muscle tissue.
Alternative Treatment Options
Cosmetic procedures are also plentiful in the fight against cellulite. These tend to be expensive, often are invasive and painful, and are also usually only temporary solutions. There are methods that include injection of chemicals and vitamins to break down the fat cells, types of massage that improve circulation, skin tightening and thickening procedures and even radio frequency treatments. Even though liposuction is thought to be a treatment for fat, it is actually not considered a good treatment for cellulite because removing fat could actually make the dimpled appearance worse.
Many creams are offered up as cellulite miracle cures. Most of them contain substances, such as caffeine or aminophylline. These serve to help the body's process of breaking down stored fat, but due to insufficient concentrations, prove to be minimally or only temporarily effective on cellulite, and not a long-term solution.
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