Cellulite: What It Is, Causes & Treatmen

Cellulite is a very common, harmless skin condition that causes lumpy and dimpled flesh on the thighs, hips, buttocks and abdomen.
Cellulite is the herniation of subcutaneous fat, within fibrous connective tissue that manifests as skin dimpling and nodularity.
Almost 90 % of women experience cellulite.
Cellulite is not considered pathology, because of its high prevalence and no specific harm it can cause to human.
You can see mild cellulite only if you pinch your skin in an area where you have cellulite, such as your thighs.
There are 3 grades of cellulites:
Grade 1, or mild: There is an “orange-peel” appearance, with only several superficial depressioned skin.
Grade 2, or moderate: There are between five and nine medium-depth depressions, a “cottage cheese” appearance.
Grade 3, or severe: There is a “mattress” appearance, with 10 or more deep depressions, and the skin is severely draped.

The exact cause of cellulite is unknown.
But in women fat cells and connective tissue are arranged vertically.
When fat cells protrude into the layer of skin it gives appearance of cellulite.
In men, the tissue has a criss-cross structure, which may explain why are less likely to have cellulite than women.
There are some risk factors for developing cellulitis.
Cellulite is much more common in women than in men. In fact, most women develop some cellulite after puberty. This is because women's fat is typically distributed in the thighs, hips and buttocks — common areas for cellulite. Cellulite is also more common with aging, when the skin loses elasticity.
Hormones can play role especially estrogens, female sex hormone.
Cellulite also has genetic bases.
A high-stressful lifestyle causes an increase in the level of catecholamines, which have also been associated with the development of cellulite.
Weight gain can make cellulite more noticeable, but some lean people have cellulite.
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has reviewed a number of techniques that may be successful in reducing the appearance of cellulite by breaking up the bands of connective tissue under the skin’s surface.
Topical agents are most common combined with vigorous massage.
Methylxanthines (aminophylline, theophylline, and caffeine) and retinoids have been the most extensively evaluated ingredients used in topical formulations for cellulite.
Methylxanthines are hypothesized to improve cellulite by stimulating lipolysis and inhibiting the enzyme phosphodiesterase, which increases the concentration of cyclic adenosine monophosphate. Retinoids, on the other hand, are thought to reduce cellulite by increasing dermal thickness, increasing angiogenesis, synthesizing new connective tissue components, and increasing the number of active fibroblasts.
Studies on these ointments have been small with no long-term follow-up. So, their effectiveness under the question marks.
Energy-based devices that harness power from various sources such as lasers, light, radiofrequency, and acoustic waves have been extensively tested for the treatment of localized adiposities and/or skin laxity.
Radiofrequency
Radiofrequency devices deliver thermal energy to the dermal, subcutaneous plane via electrodes. By elevating the tissue temperature at the target area, collagen denaturation, remodeling and neocollagenesis is stimulated, but lipolysis is also triggered.
Venus Legacy devices were used to evaluate their efficacy to treat abdominal cellulite in 25 healthy adult women who underwent eight weekly treatments. A reduction in subcutaneous thickness in the axial and sagittal plane of the abdomen was observed at 1 week after treatment initiation, and assessments by a blinded investigator at 1, 4, and 12 weeks after the final treatment demonstrated a significant improvement in cellulite appearance. No adverse effects were reported, and the treatment was well tolerated
Laser and light devices, depending on their wavelength, emit energy to the dermis/subcutaneous plane; by heating the local tissue they can stimulate collagen remodeling and increase microcirculation, which can improve the appearance of cellulite.
The impact of these devices is not very substantial in terms of adipolysis or even disruption of the fibrous septa that characterize cellulite, but they can improve the appearance of the skin and smooth the surface.
The main laser technology that has been proven effective to treat cellulite is a minimally invasive side-firing fiber 1440-nm Nd:YAG laser.
Acoustic wave therapy

[zoeymelhem]

I have been using dermalmd cellulite reduction serum every day in the shower for 6 months. It has significantly reduced the cellulite on my thighs. I highly recommend it!!!!

[takawcoachtetsuo]

Have to love our body.. cellulites and all