•  Weight Control •  Working Out

If you're a woman, you may be familiar with cellulite, that stubborn dimpling on your thighs that gives your skin the texture of an orange peel.

This unpleasant effect isn't produced by an especially lumpy kind of fat; instead, it's due to the way the tissue just under your skin traps the fat. The collagen fibers that connect your muscles to your skin are arranged in a honeycomb pattern, with fat stored in each of the chambers. When these chambers get too full, the contents bulge against your skin, giving it a quilted look.

If you feel self-conscious about it, you're not alone. At least 85 percent of women (the slender as well as the plump) develop cellulite, usually by their 30s. It shows up mostly in the hips, buttocks, and thighs because that's where fat tends to accumulate on women's bodies.

Even obese men rarely have cellulite because their skin is thicker than women's and their collagen fibers are arranged in a horizontal criscross pattern that holds fat firmly in check rather than letting it press against the skin.

If you're determined not to hide your cellulite forever, working out can help you take off some of the fat. By exercising and sticking to a low-fat diet, you can make the dimpling less pronounced.

But since thigh fat can be pretty persistent, even among vigorous exercisers, you might be tempted to turn to creams and techniques that promise to smooth out dimpled legs and thighs. Unfortunately, many people spend thousands of dollars trying to get rid of cellulite with little -- if any -- result. Many treatments are not only snake oil, they can be downright dangerous. Here's a rundown of what's out there.

Laser and radiofrequency treatments offer the most promising medical therapy to rid your body of cellulite, according to the Mayo Clinic. There are two devices available on the market to treat cellulite: one uses massage, radiofrequency, and infrared light, and the other uses massage and diode laser energy. The treatment goes on for several weeks and the results are temporary, lasting up to six months.

Many people believe creams help the appearance of cellulite, but no study has confirmed their effectiveness.

Anticellulite creams contain a small amount of aminophylline, an asthma drug, and they are touted as being able to break down fat molecules inside cells into fatty acids that can be carried away in the bloodstream. Preliminary trials did show some improvement after six weeks, but dermatologists speculate that this was probably due to temporary water loss. It's unlikely that much, if any, of the drug could have penetrated the skin, and at $10 for a small tube, it may be a waste of money. The US Food and Drug Administration warns that some people may be allergic to aminophylline and cautions asthma patients to avoid anticellulite creams with aminophylline because they may become sensitized to it.

Creams that contain retinoids (vitamin A compounds) may thicken your skin a little, making it somewhat less apt to show dimpling. Manufacturers generally suggest you rub these creams into the affected areas daily for five to six weeks in order to see results. But they also recommend exercising regularly and drinking plenty of water, which is probably the reason for any improvement in appearance.

Some treatments promise to squeeze out the fat, but you should be cautious about this procedure before you spend hundreds of dollars on it.

The manufacturer of the roller-suction massage device claims this treatment creates a smoother appearance by stretching and relaxing the connective tissue that pulls on skin and makes little indentations appear. The Food and Drug Administration has agreed that it can be temporarily effective, but dermatologists say that's because the vigorous kneading leads to swelling in the tissues that masks the dimpling.

In the roller-suction treatment, a technician kneads and massages your flesh with an electric device that sucks the skin between two rollers. If you schedule a session, you'll be asked to wear nylon stockings to decrease the friction.

Six to eight treatments are recommended at about $100 a pop, with regular followup sessions required to maintain results.

Routine liposuction can actually make matters worse by removing deep layers of fat, leaving the superficial layer to dimple even more. A new "liposculpting" procedure draws out surface fat, but the skin's basic structure isn't changed and you may regain the fat and find your cellulite has reappeared. The cost for liposuction in just one area is about $1,800 to $3,000, and it can take months to recover.

Moreover, some people who have gone through these procedures have been unhappy with the scarring, and some deaths have been attributed to the procedure.

Before you schedule any of these treatments, talk with your doctor first about a weight-loss plan. Toning your body through exercise and diet may take longer, but you'll reap other benefits from staying fit.

Further Resources

American Academy of Dermatology

930 N. Meacham Road

P.O. Box 4014

Schaumberg, IL 60168-4014

phone: (847) 330-0230

http://www.aad.org

References

First published May 27, 1999
Last updated October 28, 2008
Copyright © 1999 Consumer Health Interactive

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