Cellulite is a condition where the skin has a dimpled appearance due to more than normal fat accumulation beneath the skin. It is also known as 'orange peel syndrome' or 'cottage cheese skin'. Cellulite is more common in females than males. One of the primary reasons is that women have a higher percentage of body fat than men which is mainly stored in the hips and thighs. In men, fat is mostly stored in the abdomen. These reasons along with the fact that a man’s skin is thicker than a woman make cellulite more pronounced in women.
Causes of Cellulite
Besides an enlargement or overgrowth of fat cells, other reasons for cellulite are:
- Reduced microcirculation
- Edema
- Oxidative stress
- Low grade inflammation
- Changes in the extracellular matrix
- Abnormality in the elasticity and resilience of the skin
Cellulite risk factors
- Women are more likely to develop cellulite than men on account of having more fat around their thighs, hips and buttocks
- Loss of skin elasticity due to ageing
- Heredity
- Cellulite can affect lean and heavy people but it’s prominent in fat people
- Stress
- Hormone Imbalance
- Distribution of subcutaneous fat
Treatment of Cellulite
Laser Treatment: The
non-invasive laser treatment delivers thermal energy into the deep dermis and hypodermis and generates a wound-healing response. The result being that new collagen is formed that compresses fat and improves cellulite appearance.
Acoustic Wave Therapy (AWT): This technique uses focused or radial waves and is supposed to improve local blood circulation and increase cell proliferation and of collagen and elastin fibres to increase skin elasticity. They break up the septae bands that pull down the skin.
Cellulite Creams: Cellulite creams contain like
caffeine,
retinol, carnitine, forskolin and other botanical derivatives. Caffeine could be substituted by aminophylline (a prescription drug to treat asthma) or theophylline. The broad therapeutic effect of cellulite creams is through adipocyte tissue lipolysis, peripheral microcirculation stimulation that facilitates lymphatic drainage, and edema reduction.
Liposuction: Liposuction removes excess fat underneath the skin (on hips, abdomen, thighs, buttocks and face) through tiny incisions. This could be combined with a laser technique that also tightens the skin. Many people with cellulite might undergo a
liposuction surgery to get rid of the unwanted fat but should realise that they may not necessarily benefit from liposuction as it does not remove cellulite.
Radiofrequency: This technique causes a thermally mediated reaction (dependent on the resistance level of the tissue) in the dermis. The heat produced is absorbed by the adipocytes that causes break down of fat cells through membrane lysis. It also causes collagen denaturation resulting in tightened tissues.