People tell you: Don't eat fat, don't eat sugar. It's really more than that. It's hormone balance—you need to eat healthy, you need activity. How big a role do genes play in cellulite levels? There is a genetic component or predisposition to cellulite. But just because you have the genetic component doesn't mean you have to develop it if you do the right things: eat a healthy diet , exercise, and skip restrictive underwear.
Do creams—thigh creams, caffeine creams—really work? Most all creams will only address the fat. Caffeine creams will help by blocking the making of fats by the alpha receptors. Some creams have aminophylline, a compound in some respiratory drugs which, like caffeine, works by blocking the alpha receptors. In most creams, you find some way of targeting only the fat cells [and not addressing the connective tissue or circulation aspects of cellulite].
What other treatments are there for cellulite? There are three treatable components of cellulite: You have to address the collagen; you have to reduce the fat, and you have to increase circulation. But it depends on the grade of cellulite you have. There are four grades, ranging from zero to three: Grade zero is no visible cellulite. If you pinch the skin and see a cottage cheese—like texture—that's grade one. Grade two is if cellulite is visible on the legs of someone standing. Grade three is if you see cellulite when you look in the mirror or lie down.
I call grade three "terminal," because it's very hard to treat, although the good news is that I don't think anyone's ever died of it. Machines to treat cellulite include vacuum rolling and radio waves to break up the fat. The first one of them on the market was Endermologie.
When you're vacuuming and rolling [the skin], you're increasing circulation, and the heat helps to break down the fat, which smoothes out the skin. The downside to the machines is you have to go once a month [for at least several years].
What about lasers, injections and surgery? Laser treatments are combined with massage and rolling; they either do suction or rolling and use radio waves and heat up the fat—put fat on a stove in a frying pan, and it melts. For subcision, you anesthetize the area, then you take a special needle—a Nokor needle, which looks kind of like a little hatchet—so you can make a small incision and, moving it back and forth, you can cut the skin from the tissue holding [it] down, getting rid of the dimples.
I've see women who have had fat injected into their thighs, buttocks, bellies and anyplace else they have cellulite in an attempt to even out the texture—and it was like a bump sticking out of the leg. Other injections you have to have every few months. The bad thing about silicone [and fat-transfer] injections [that aim to fill in the dimples] that they can move and can get absorbed—and you can't get rid of it. As for liposuction [when plastic surgeons literally suck out the fat through a tube], you'll find tons of women who complain that the procedure actually made their cellulite worse.
Liposuction has only been proven to work for body sculpting [changing the body's contours by removing excess fat from some areas of the body, which doesn't have much—if any—effect on the texture of fat that will remain below the skin]. If you have a doctor telling you that you can get rid of cellulite with liposuction, run out that door and don't ever look back. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options.
Go Paperless with Digital. Times are changing. To me, the answer is clear: Yes — cellulite is non-threatening, common and not a problem you can fix or a problem at all.
But the question lingering on my mind is: Which is bolder: showing it, loving it or forgetting about it altogether? Follow her JulissaTrevino. By Team Repeller. By Mallory Rice.
By Michael Gonzalez. By Beth Sacca. Search Clear Search. Nearly every woman has cellulite. Next story Archive. Close Newsletter Modal Giving us your email is the coolest! All yum, no spam. As discussed earlier, collagen supplements do have some scientific backing as cellulite reducers. Topical products like creams and lotions may have some value when it comes to smoothing out the appearance of your skin, depending on their ingredients.
Ingredients believed to work include:. Studies indicate that these ingredients may work by stimulating circulation in the skin, promoting the breakdown of fat, and increasing collagen production. When you start using a new topical product, be sure to test it on a small patch of skin in case you're allergic to any of the ingredients.
Some people have reported anxiety or a racing heart while using topical products that contain aminophylline.
Testing on small areas is recommended with these products. If you have asthma and use an inhaler, don't use products containing this ingredient, as the combination could result in breathing problems. Medical procedures for cellulite are considered cosmetic, not medically necessary, which means they're often not covered by insurance. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the following three minimally invasive procedures, which are performed by dermatologists, are shown to have generally good results that last for at least several months after a single treatment.
Laser Treatment. Vacuum-Assisted Precise Tissue Release. A couple of other treatments have had some positive results in studies, but they require multiple sessions to achieve the desired results and may not be as long-lasting as the above treatments. Two other treatments that might be effective but take more treatments and have shorter-lived results are:. Several other procedures have been found ineffective or are too new to be thoroughly evaluated, including:.
Some spa treatments, such as endermologie and ionithermie cellulite reduction treatments, claim to reduce the appearance of cellulite. Thus far, none have had enough adequate or consistent study results to be recommended. Because cellulite is caused by uncontrollable factors and is so common in women, you shouldn't feel guilty about having it or consider it an indictment of your health or fitness.
At the same time, if you believe minimizing it would make you look or feel better, you should talk to your healthcare provider and figure out the safest, most likely methods to work for you given your overall health, budget, lifestyle, and treatment goals.
Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Cleveland Clinic. What is cellulite anyway and can i get rid of it? Updated March 23, Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Cellulite: a review with a focus on subcision.
Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. Cellulite: a cosmetic or systemic issue? Contemporary views on the etiopathogenesis of cellulite. Postepy Dermatol Alergol. Structural gender dimorphism and the biomechanics of the gluteal subcutaneous tissue: Implications for the pathophysiology of cellulite. Plast Reconstr Surg.
University of Rochester Medical Center. What does estrogen have to do with belly fat? Published May 1, Leszko M. Cellulite in menopause. Prz Menopauzalny. Effects of testosterone treatment on body fat and lean mass in obese men on a hypocaloric diet: a randomised controlled trial. BMC Med. Adiponectin expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue is reduced in women with cellulite. Int J Dermatol. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. PMID: Stavroulaki A, Pramantiotis G.
Hormonal modulation of connective tissue homeostasis and sex differences in risk for osteoarthritis of the knee. Biol Sex Differ. National Institutes of Health, U. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus. Aging changes in skin. Updated November 3, Image analyzer study of the skin in patients with morbid obesity and massive weight loss.
American Academy of Dermatology Association. When it comes to skin health, does diet make a difference? Published July 26, Anti-inflammatory diet in clinical practice: A review. Nutr Clin Pract. Water, hydration, and health. Nutr Rev. Effect of shock wave therapy associated with aerobic exercise on cellulite: A randomized controlled trial.
J Cosmet Dermatol. Can alternating lower body negative and positive pressure during exercise alter regional body fat distribution or skin appearance? Eur J Appl Physiol.
Ortiz A, Grando SA. Smoking and the skin. Environmental influences on skin aging and ethnic-specific manifestations. Connective tissue diseases. Updated December 15, Dietary supplementation with specific collagen peptides has a body mass index-dependent beneficial effect on cellulite morphology. J Med Food. Skin anti-aging strategies. The best way you can get more collagen.
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