Cellulite is a common condition that affects 90 percent of post-adolescent women, according to the Consumer Guide to Plastic Surgery. The characteristic bumps or cottage cheese appearance of cellulite usually occurs in the thighs, abdomen and buttocks in women and the neck and abdomen in men. Weight loss and laser treatments may help reduce the bumpy appearance of the skin, although it may be impossible to completely remove cellulite.
Identification
Connective tissue, located just below the skin, helps cushion the muscles and organs. This tissue forms tough cords that help connect the skin to the muscles. When fat cells become trapped beneath the skin, the cells begin to bulge through the tight cords, causing the skin to look bumpy or dimpled. Cellulite occurs more often in women than in men, due to larger fat reserves in the buttocks, hips and thighs of women.
Risk Factors
Cellulite tends to run in families and can develop no matter how much you weigh. You may be more likely to develop cellulite if you don't get regular exercise, are overweight, smoke, use a hormonal form of birth control or feel stressed. Wearing tight clothing may contribute to the formation of cellulite. Cellulite is more common as people age and skin becomes less elastic.
Treatment
Tissue massage, combined with radiofrequency or laser treatments, may offer improvement for cellulite for up to six months following treatment. Endermologie, a technique that uses suction and motorized rollers, reduces cellulite by mobilizing the deep tissues. Ultrasound treatments may be used in conjunction with endermologie to increase effectiveness. Massage can be helpful in increasing circulation and drainage in the connective tissue and may break up adhesions that contribute to the formation of cellulite.
Home Remedies
Weight loss can help reduce the appearance of cellulite by decreasing the number of fat cells. Combining weight loss with exercises strengthens the legs and buttocks and may also make cellulite less noticeable, although it will probably be impossible to completely eliminate cellulite.
Warning
There is no shortage of creams, lotions and drugs available to treat cellulite, but most of these products are ineffective in reducing cellulite bumps. Several drugs, including those containing pentoxifylline, amino acids, alpha-antagonists and ginkgo biloba, are marketed as cellulite treatments, although none of these methods have proven to be effective in reducing cellulite, according to Medical News Today. Liposuction, a medical procedure that involves suctioning out fat cells from beneath the skin, is ineffective in reducing cellulite, according to the Mayo Clinic, and may actually make cellulite look worse.
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