About half the body's fat is deposited in the layers of cells immediately beneath the skin. Excess fat has to be stored somewhere and just where depends mainly on heredity and whether you are male or female. Men tend to deposit fat around the abdomen while in women, the breasts, hips, thighs and buttocks are the main fat deposit areas.

Strands of fibrous tissue connect the skin to deeper tissue and muscle layers. These strands also separate clusters of fat cells. When fat cells increase in size the clusters bulge and tug on the strands to the skin. This may give a waffled appearance to the skin-also known as the "mattress phenomenon".

Since fat, cellulite and common fat are one and the same thing, and since obesity is the major culprit in forming the so-called cellulite, it is not surprising that the only effective approach to this phenomenon is weight loss by means of a well-balanced reduced calorie diet and regular exercise. Studies indicate that people who lose weight lose some of the dimpling.

However, to be effective in lessening the dimpled effect, weight loss and exercise aren't easy solutions and many people are lured by unproven gimmicky remedies. These people are destined to be disappointed where no weight loss is experienced. Included among these unproven treatments are creams and lotions, hand-glove massagers, electrical muscle stimulating machines, bandage wraps and tablets.

Obesity experts agree that no equipment, exercise or treatment can remove fat exclusively from a single area of the body. In fact, spot exercises can sometimes make the exercised limb look bulkier instead of slimmer, e.g. tennis players have a similar amount of fat on each arm but the arm most often used is usually larger in circumference due to bigger muscles.

Exercises to lose weight are still to be encouraged. Exercise uses up energy and will use fatty tissue as fuel when there is insufficient energy from food. Exercise can also improve appearance by tightening and strengthening the muscles; for example, it can be easier to hold in your stomach when the muscles are in good shape.

Ultimately, the only way to get rid of fat from your thighs or any other problem area is to get rid of it all over your body - and that will only happen through sensible dieting and exercise.