People would do anything to get rid of their cellulite or at least hide it from the public eye. TV, radio and internet sites would discuss ways on how to remove those unsightly skin bumps. An American study suggests that almost 9 out of 10 American women and 1 out of 10 men have cellulite. Thankfully, this condition is not a disease but more of a social stigma.
Nevertheless, cellulite may indicate that the existence some medical conditions causing it. Eliminate those conditions and it might disappear. Unfortunately, there are a lot of myths about cellulite. Here are the top five misconceptions about it:
First Myth: You don’t get cellulite if you are thin.
This is a misconception that needs to be corrected. Weight does not matter since even athletic and thin people can get cellulite. The main causes of this skin dimple are aging, overexposure to the sun, and fluctuating weight. Avoiding the sun and keeping a healthy diet is the sure way to keep that cellulite at bay.
Second Myth: Cellulite is composed of excess fat.
Excess fat is not the cause of cellulite but rather your skin’s structure. Imagine a layer of fat wedged between your skin’s surface and muscle. The connecting tissue between the skin and muscle hide the fat from view. But once the tissues get loose, the fat swells underneath the skin which causes the cellulite to appear.
Third Myth: Genetics causes cellulite.
This is partly true but there are other causes as well. Elements such as poor diet and lack of exercise, stress, hormones, aging and sun damage are also the main contributors. Losing weight will not make all the cellulite disappear. But exercise that focuses on the affected areas can help a lot.
Fourth Myth: There’s a magic cure for this condition.
No doubt, you have encountered a lot of advertisements and claims of a miracle cure against cellulite. Unfortunately, a lot of them don’t work at all. The ones that appear to work are expensive and any improvement takes a long time to show up. The effect is not permanent either.
But there are cheaper remedies that could achieve the same effect as the expensive creams. An hour of deep tissue massage stimulates the connecting tissue and pushes back the fat. A massage therapist can do this for you. But you can do it yourself by using a rolling pin to massage the affected area. You can see the result after a few weeks or months.
Fifth Myth: Only females get cellulite.
It’s rare but men do get cellulite. Women are more susceptible because their connecting tissues are weaker than the men. To makes matters worse for women, estrogen produces fat while testosterone burns it up. Estrogen also plays a key role in supplying collagen to the connective tissues. As you get older, estrogen production slows down which makes it likely for cellulite to appear.
Cellulite has no permanent cure even if tons of advertisements are claiming otherwise. Overweight and thin people like can get cellulite since there are other factors in play as well. This includes aging, sun exposure, stress, hormones, and unhealthy diet. Excess fat and genetics are not the main cause of this condition. There is no miracle cure but there are cheaper alternatives that can hide the cellulite.