What Cellulite Is, and How It’s Formed
According to statistics, 90% of women face such a thing as cellulite on their skin.
5-Minute Crafts found out what cellulite is and how it is formed.
What cellulite is
It’s a widespread dermatological phenomenon that affects about 90% of post-pubertal females. Cellulite is the fat that accumulates around the thighs and buttocks under the top layer of the skin and looks like dimples. It becomes more noticeable after mechanical action on the skin.
Not only people with excess weight are prone to the appearance of cellulite — everyone has a layer of fat under the skin. That’s why even slim ladies can have those dimples on the thighs and buttocks.
Some time ago, this phenomenon was perceived as a regular physiological condition of some skin areas and was raising concerns only from the aesthetic perspective. Today, cellulite is also referred to as a normal state of the female body, although there are opinions that equate it with pathology.
There is also an advantage that the body gets from those dimples on the skin — it maximizes subcutaneous fat retention, which provides access to calories during pregnancy and lactation.
How cellulite is formed
All people have fat cells under the skin that grow over time for various reasons. In this case, the rigid fibers that connect the skin and muscles pull the skin down, while the fat is pushed up. Collagen fibers can get stretched or pulled tight. All these lead to the formation of a bumpy surface.
Cellulite appears in less than 10% of men. This is due to the fact that these fibers are tighter in men and they manage to keep fat from being pushed up better.
Reasons for appearing
Reasons that contribute to the appearance of cellulite can be:
Known ways to decrease cellulite
Today, the process of getting rid of cellulite is still a difficult task, but it should be individual and, in most cases, combined.
There are different approaches:
- Changing one’s lifestyle
- Cosmetic procedures
- Procedures with special devices
As a rule, the reduction of cellulite comes down to 3 elements:
- Reduction of the subcutaneous fat layer
- Increasing the thickness and elasticity of the dermis
- Dissection of the septa that’s responsible for the appearance of dimples on the skin
It has been noted that fatty formations are removed from the dermis together with weight loss, which is why losing weight makes cellulite less noticeable.
However, in a study of 67 articles on various cellulite treatments, no method was found to be 100% effective. Some techniques can slightly improve the appearance of areas where dimples are present, but they are not able to remove them completely.
Tips for avoiding cellulite
Here are some tips that can help you avoid the appearance or the increase of cellulite:
- A balanced diet, consisting of fruits, vegetables, and fiber
- The correct drinking schedule to keep hydrated
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- The refusal of bad habits
- Regular athletic activity