Cellulite:
Cellulite is essentially excess body fat and body fluids
that gets accumulated within several layers of skin,
especially among women. This commonly happens in and around
the thighs, stomach and the buttocks area, and is not a
pretty sight. It is therefore not a surprise that
beauty-conscious women go to extreme distances to get rid
of these wrinkled and lumpy layers of skin that ruin their
streamlined looks.
In fact, it is women who complain more about cellulite than
men. They have a reason too. Cellulite looks uglier on
them than men for purely physiological reasons. This can be
better understood when a cross-section of a woman's thigh
is examined. It is found that the muscles are connected to
the skin by fibers that trap fat. The fat bulges out in
regions where the connections are absent, giving a wrinkled
appearance to the skin. This does not happen in the case of
men, where the fibers are connected in a criss-cross
pattern that doesn't allow fat to accumulate or bulge.
Cellulite can be caused by several reasons. These include
genetic reasons, age, gender and hormonal imbalances.
Cellulite deposits can also result from excessive intake
of fatty foods, especially among those men and women who
are too lazy to exercise. Stress too, in recent times,
has been blamed for cellulite deposition under the skin.
Medical science has come up with several treatments to
remove cellulite, but all these have had only limited
successes. Three of the common cellulite treatments are:
1. Liposuction: In this treatment, the excess body fat
is removed through surgery.
2. Mesotherapy: This treatment is non-invasive. Drugs are
injected into the body to dissolve the cellulite deposits,
and ensure better circulation.
3. Ionothermie: This treatment is offered at beauty salons
and uses small doses of electric current to remove
cellulite.
All these treatments, however, are very hard on the pocket,
and can remove only a small percentage of the cellulite.
There is also a degree of risk involved in the procedures
as sometime body fat mistaken for cellulite can be removed
thus doing more harm than good.
Doctors therefore recommend non-surgical or non-medicine
based procedures. According to them, the best way to
prevent cellulite deposition is to:
1. Undertake regular exercise like swimming or cycling.
Both these activities burn fat in the thigh regions, and
make them look shapely;
2. Reduce consumption of fatty foods and increase the
intake of fresh fruits and green vegetables;
3. Massage the area gently to ensure better blood
circulation, and reduce the deposition of cellulite.
The irony is that even thin and physically fit women have
cellulite. According to rough estimates, American women
spend millions of dollars to get rid of it, but fail to
do so. The expenditure especially goes up during summers,
when women slip into swimsuits. That is when they don't
want cellulite to show.
Beauticians now advise tanning as a good way to camouflage
cellulite. They quote the example of Baywatch star Pamela
Anderson whose thighs are specially tanned by studio
beauticians to create the streamlined effect.
Maybe, this is the wise way to treat cellulite. However,
till a proper treatment is found, women across the world
will consider cellulite as their greatest enemy.
