Cottage cheese, orange peel, hail damage – it’s a condition so despised that no one wants to call it by name. Cellulite, the dimpled, lumpy fat deposits often found on a woman’s thighs and backside strikes up to 90% of women – and it’s becoming more prevalent worldwide, even in countries where obesity is not a problem.
The medical community has yet to determine the exact cause of cellulite, but new research points to the notion that environmental toxins contribute to this condition. Fat cells are the primary storage sites for all types of toxins – and most of those storage cells are located in the bottom and thigh area. The fat is stored in honeycomb-like structures – drops of fat cells trapped by vertical strands of collagen that run beneath the skin. Over time, the strands criss-cross, stiffen, contract, and squeeze the fat droplets, like squeezing peanut butter in your hand. Cellulite happens when fat bulges out between the fibers.
Other factors that contribute to the formation of cellulite are medications, ethnicity (it is more common in Caucasians than in African-Americans or Asians), heredity, diet, posture, depression, exercise, tight clothing, and smoking.
When my patients ask me what they can do to get rid of cellulite, as a physician, my first suggestion is always to have a healthy lifestyle: eat a balanced, healthy diet and exercise as much as possible. Unfortunately, while diet and exercise can help you lose weight, nine times out of 10, you will still see the dimples after weight reduction. Once you get them, they stick around. A size 0 Hollywood starlet can just as easily have cellulite as a size 12 mother from Houston Everyone has fat cells, which means everyone has the potential to fall victim to cellulite. And the “hail damage” look isn’t the only problem.
Cellulite can be associated with life-altering symptoms: pain, cramps, heaviness, restless legs, cold feet, dry skin and skin discoloration. This is probably due to the localized inflammation, ischemia, and scarring.
The honest truth is that there is no silver bullet for curing cellulite. Studies have shown that oral and topical medication, mesotherapy, electrostimulation, radiofrequency, lymphatic massage, infrared exposure, detoxification, and Smartlipo™ and VASER Liposelection can all be effective at minimizing cellulite’s appearance. In my practice, I have personally achieved success with Smartlipo and VASER LipoSelection.
Smartlipo and VASER LipoSelection remove the fat cells and break up the fibrous cages. Both techniques tighten the skin, which improves the overall appearance. Smartlipo and VASER LipoSelection take one to four hours, depending on how much fat removal is desired and how many areas are involved. You can normally resume most routine activities in 24 hours.
If the only dimples you want to see are on your cheeks, come visit with me. Together we can design a treatment plan to regain your smooth, healthy skin.
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