"Allure" magazine lists cellulite on its list of most embarrassing beauty problems for good reason. The lumpy, bumpy fat deposits with the distinctive dimpled appearance occur in as many of 90 percent of women, according to "Fitness" magazine. "O, The Oprah Magazine" reports that women spent $11.8 million on cellulite-fighting skin care products in 2008.
Identification
Cellulite gets its dimpled appearance because of the way it forms. Beneath your skin is a protective layer of fat that contains thin threads of muscle. If those bands become brittle and rigid--usually because of hormones or inflammation--the resulting tightening causes lumps and bumps in your skin where subcutaneous fat gets squeezed by the tissue band and bulges around it.
Misconceptions
Many people associate cellulite with being overweight, but that's simply not true, says dermatologist Ranella Hirsch in "Allure" magazine. Dr. Hirsch says gaining weight won't cause you to develop cellulite and losing weight won't make it go away. If you're overweight, shedding pounds may make your cellulite less noticeable, but it's never going to vanish, because it's not caused by excess weight, notes the Mayo Clinic.
Treatments
There's no cure for cellulite, so cellulite treatments can only minimize its appearance. Some cellulite treatments improve blood flow to the affected area, temporarily smoothing it out.
Other treatments stimulate collagen production, which can help with filling in dimples in the long-term so cellulite eventually becomes less noticeable. Other treatments try to break up fat deposits so these are more evenly distributed beneath your skin.
Remedies
Gels with caffeine in them are one of the quickest and most effective ways to make cellulite temporarily disappear, says Dr. Hirsch. Just be prepared to reapply during the day since the effects are short-lived.
A technique that uses vigorous massage, called endermologie, temporarily rearranges subcutaneous fat so that it doesn't bulge, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Laser therapy is emerging as a possible long-term solution for some cellulite, according to "O, The Oprah Magazine." Targeted lasers liquefy and expel fat while loosening up tight tissue bands. Research in laser therapy for cellulite is still in its early stages.
Expert Insight
One of the quickest and least expensive ways to make your cellulite less noticeable is regular exercise, according to Howard Murad, dermatologist and author of the book "The Cellulite Solution," which is noted in "Fitness" magazine.
Dr. Murad says exercise increases circulation in your body, making lumps and bumps less obvious. He recommends doing deep leg stretches three times a week to make cellulite less noticeable.
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