Cellulite,the Hidden Disease

The usually unsightly condition known as cellulite is suffered by woman around the world and is universally hated; most areas of the body can experience its effects but sufferers mainly have it below the abdomen. Although additional fat is normal in women, this is not just a problem exclusive to overweight women; the cottage cheese appearance so familiar with this condition can affect slim women as well.

Cellulite forms just below the surface of the skin in the thighs and buttocks region, where areas of fat collect and force themselves against the tissue creating a puckered look to the surface of the skin. The real cause of is unknown so is the reasons why some women are more prone to suffering with it than others but scientists believe that it could be due to the way the cells are structured beneath the skin of each individual.

This problem usually comes naturally with aging and similar to wrinkles that form in the face, it is actually the result of lower levels of collagen and elastin in the skin. It is classified as a hormonal imbalance experienced by women and seldom appears on males as normally fat stored in the thighs and buttock is the same as fat stored all over the body so no difference is observed.

The presence of cellulite is not always prominent, unless one tries to pinch the upper skin of one's thigh; should it feel lumpy then you most certainly have it but a woman should not feel bad about having it, since most have this condition to a certain degree. Although it may not be known what causes, some factors seem to contribute to its build up including age, sex, extra fat carried and skin thickness all seem to aid the formation.

Currently there isn't one single treatment that can rid a person of this condition because the cause has remained elusive despite considerable research into the area. Massage has been found to help hide the indications of cellulite even though it cannot remove it; but is does reduce it's visibility for a temporary period and is available from some beauty clinics.

Liposuction is sometimes used to remove fats generally from the body and can be attempted for this condition as well but the use of drugs injected into the cells to remove it is costly and out of reach for most women. However, these are only temporary measures so do not provide permanent relief and liposuction is really only efficient for deeper based fats and not those close to the surface as with cellulite.

Whilst the creams that claim to burn the fat deposits away may not be very successful, the latest generation is designed to hide the condition although once again this is a short term answer. It can only really be reduced as part of an overall weight reduction program through adopting a healthy eating and living plan, together with increasing exercise, so that body fat is reduced rather than connective tissues.

In addition, increasing the intake of water will help cleanse the system and flush out damaging toxins plus smokers should stop smoking or at least reduce it which will also be beneficial as smoking impacts negatively on the capillaries in the skin and reducing stress will help reduce the amount of cellulite.