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What is it exactly?
Cellulite occurs when fat accumulates under our skin, pushing against the strands of our connective tissue fibres - also known as subcutaneous fat. So yes, cellulite is made up of fat, but it’s the connective tissue (septae) between our skin and our muscles that create that lumpy and dimple ‘orange peel’ effect.
There are three kinds of cellulite:
• Hard cellulite is seen in younger women who exercise regularly.
• Soft cellulite is seen in inactive women and those who’ve recently lost weight.
• Oedematous cellulite occurs when women are overweight.
You are likely to get more cellulite as you age. According to Huffington Post, older women lose the thickness and integrity of their skin, which may result in showing accumulated sun damage and an increase in body fat.
READ: The new 'Normal Barbie' comes with cellulite and acne stick-ons
So, why is cellulite more prominent in women?
According to Livestrong the answer lies in our hormones. Estrogen gets secreted by our ovaries, which stimulates the storage of internal fat, or fat that lies between the tissue and the muscle.
Professor of Dermatology at the University of Melbourne, Rodney Sinclair, told the Sydney Morning Herald that cellulite is less commonly found in men, as they have a low level of estrogen circulating in their bodies, thus making a thinner layer of internal fat stored in their body. And thanks to their testosterone levels, men produce protein-rich connective tissue within their skin, leading to a thicker skin layer and reducing their tendency of getting cellulite.
If you’re looking for an effective way to remove it, you better stop now, because there is no sure-fire treatment to successfully remove it from your body. Cellulite is mostly out of our control and no amount of cellulite-blasting creams could ever efficiently remove it, although they could reduce it. Liposuction might work for the time being, but it could worsen the appearance since it’s not removing the top part of the fat.
But why are we so obsessed by it?
Unlike belly fat that can lead to diabetes and heart disease, or visceral fat (the fat that is stored around your organs) cellulite is perfectly harmless. In fact, the reason why women generally live longer than men is because we tend to store fat around our hips, thighs and buttocks (which is completely harmless) as opposed to storing it around our organs and above our navels (which is very dangerous).
So let's do ourselves a favour and end this obsession with cellulite now. The only people this is helping, is the pharmaceutical companies who are making billions off our insecurities.
GIF: Garve
What do you think about cellulite? Do you embrace it or are you ashamed of it? Email us and let us know what you think.
