Cellulite Explained

The word "cellulite" (pronounced cell-u-leet) was first used in European beauty salons in the early 1900's to describe the bumpy looking fat on women's thighs and buttocks.

Although cellulite does not appear in any medical dictionary, some people theorize that it is different to ordinary fat and thus requires extraordinary treatments. However, these people are usually owners of beauty salons or entrepreneurs who manufacture special cellulite products, both of whom are willing to exploit the gullibility of the public in order to make money.

Nicole Ronsard, a New York beauty salon owner, popularized the cellulite theory in 1973 with her best-selling book titled Cellulite: Those Lumps, Bumps and Bulges You Couldn't Lose Before. According to the theory, cellulite is a combination of fat, water and toxic wastes. The connective tissues holding the fat cells just beneath the skin's surface accumulate water and waste products that aren't properly eliminated by the liver, kidneys or intestinal tract.

These connective tissues then supposedly harden and combine with fat and water to form pockets of a gel-like substance - cellulite - that bulges out to produce the characteristic "orange peel" appearance on the skin.

In short - no. There is absolutely no medical evidence that the connective tissue of the fat cells is exposed to toxins as a result of the liver or other organs not functioning properly. Any person retaining wastes or toxins would be very ill and could die of not treated. It is a distortion of science to present cellulite as a disorder of the liver, and by confused association, of the kidneys, intestines and skin.

Furthermore, studies confirm that cellulite is not a special type of fat. There is no biochemical or structural difference between the fat from cellulite areas and common fat. Whether you call it cellulite or any other name, it is still plain old fat!

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.