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The Truth About Cellulite

This handout is a service of IDEA, the leading international membership association in the health and fitness industry, www.ideafit.com.© 2010 by IDEA Fitness Journal. Reprint permission is granted to IDEA members by the copyright owner, IDEA Health & Fitness Inc., (800) 999-4332.

Cellulite, a "dimpling" appearance on thethighs, buttocks and sometimes lower ab-domen and upper arms of females,ismanywomen's enemy.Unfortunately, about 85%of postpubertal women have a form of it(Avram 2004;Rawlings 2006). The condi-tion, however, is rarely observed in males.

Below,Len Kravitz, PhD, program co-ordinator of exercise science and a re-searcher at the University of New Mexico,Albuquerque, and Nicole J. Achenbach, agraduate student in physical therapy, giveanswers to several questions about cellulite.

What Is Cellulite?Skin 101: The outermost layer of skin isreferred to as the epidermis. Immediatelyunder this is the dermis. The next layer oftissue is the first of two layers of subcuta-neous fat-fat beneath the skin (Rawlings2006). Cellulite originates in this first re-gion of the subcutaneous fat (Rawlings2006; Avram 2004). According to the sci-entific explanation, cellulite is caused bysmall protrusions of fat into the dermis.

Losing CelluliteWant to improve the look of your cel-lulite? Consider these suggestions.1. Healthy eating and exercise are excel-

lent ways to start improving celluliteappearance (Avram 2004); visible cel-lulite is reduced in females who lose

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weight (Sadick &Magro 2007). Imple-ment a calorie-restricted diet plan anda comprehensive exercise program(cardiovascular and resistance training)to reduce some underlying body fat.

2. Subcutaneous fat is layered on top ofmuscle. Therefore, if the muscles inyour hips, thighs and buttocks areweak and soft, this will contribute tothe "uneven" view on the skin surface(Rossi &Vergnanini 2000). Therefore,resistance training can help minimizethe appearance of cellulite.

3. Don't invest your hopes and money inliposuction, sub cision, injectables,skin kneading and manipulation tech-niques, thermotherapy, topical oint-ments and herbals for cellulitemanagement, as there is little evidencesupporting their effectiveness.

4. Laser therapy is noninvasive, has fewside effects and shows great promisefor reducing the appearance of cel-lulite (Avram 2004).

ReferencesAvram, M. 2004. Cellulite: A review of its physiology and

treatment. Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 6.181-85.

Del Pino, E., et al. 2006. Effect of controlled volumetrictissue heating with radiofrequency on cellulite and thesubcutaneous tissue of the buttocks and thighs. Journalo/Drugs in Dermatology, 5 (8), 709-17.

Fink, /.5., et al. 2006. Use of intense pulsed light and aretinyl-based cream as a potential treatment for cellulite:A pilot study. Journalof CosmeticDermatology,5, 254-62.

Rawlings. A. V. 2006. Cellulite and its treatment.International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 28, 175-90.

Rosenbaum, M., et al. 1998. An exploratory investiga-tion of the morphology and biochemistry of cellulite.Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 101, 1934-39.

Rossi, A.B.R., & Vergnanini, A.L. 2000. Cellulite: A re-view. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatologyand Venereology, 14, 251-62.

Sadick, N., & Magro, C. 2007. A study evaluating thesafety and efficacy of the VelaSmooth - system in thetreatment of cellulite. Journal of Cosmetic and LaserTherapy, 9, 15-20.

September 2010 IDEA Fitness Journal

fitness handout

1. Doslender woman have cellulite?Yes.Rosenbaum and colleagues (1998)

explain that cellulite is often present inslender women; however, the researchersadd that weight gain worsens the condition.2. Why is cellulite more prevalent inthe thighs and buttocks offemales?

It is well established that women gen-erally have a higher percentage of body fatthan men. Plus, there are five times moreadipocytes (fat cells) in the thighs, hips andbuttocks of women than in other sites ofthe body (del Pino et al. 2006).3. Is cellulite hereditary?

Yes.Rossi and Vergnanini (2000)anddel Pino et al. (2006)state that there is aclear genetic predisposition for cellulite todevelop. This inherent tendency will affectfat distribution and deposition.4. Will smoking worsen theappearanceof cellulite?

Yes.Cigarette smoke has been shownto weaken the formation of collagen, thechief structural protein of connective tissue(Fink et al. 2006).Weakened connectivetissue may allow for easier protrusion of fatinto the dermis.

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