in this series, dr. rohan bissoondath, founder and medical director of preventous cosmetic medicine & preventous collaborative health, answers your questions about skin health.q: i am 42 and fit, yet i have cellulite on my stomach. why? how? and what can i do about it?let’s start by talking about what cellulite is. cellulite is a skin irregularity that primarily affects women and occurs when pockets of fat push through fibrous tissue and muscle under the skin, causing the appearance of dimpling, or what some call “orange peel skin.” the most common places we see cellulite is on the thighs and buttock, but it can also less commonly be found in the lower abdomen area as well.most women start developing cellulite after they go through puberty, and as such, there is a suspected hormonal component to the development of cellulite. this also explains why we don’t commonly see cellulite on men. with that being said, men still can develop cellulite, but we typically only see that when men suffer from a few rare medical conditions, or if they are taking medications that affect hormone levels.
so if cellulite has to do with fat, why does this affect women with low body fat?we as a society need to normalize cellulite as a part of the female experience – 85 to 98 per cent of all women have cellulite, regardless of shape, size, diet and exercise habits. diet and exercise certainly promote a healthier body weight, which can reduce the appearance of cellulite (fat build-up exacerbates the look of cellulite), but through weight loss, cellulite is not completely eliminated. the cellulite you are born with is the cellulite you will have throughout your life — at least until there’s further scientific breakthrough.some women naturally have more cellulite than others, and again, it comes down to genetics. you can have some thinner women who are genetically predisposed to have lots of cellulite, and curvier women who genetically don’t have much to start. it all depends on the distribution of fat behind the fibrous tissues and muscles, and how much of it herniates through.the same is true for age — we don’t develop more cellulite overtime, but as we age, the appearance of cellulite becomes more prominent, as skin becomes more lax.
does cellulite affect my health?the short answer is no. as far as science and doctors know, cellulite is a normal condition, not a medical condition, and there are no health problems associated with it.
what can i do to combat cellulite?in terms of getting rid of cellulite, the science isn’t there yet. there are some topical creams on the market that claim to treat cellulite, but the clinical evidence to back these products isn’t conclusive. there is even a theory that the act of massaging the cream into the skin is what helps reduce the appearance of cellulite.liposuction is another common cellulite “solution” that i get inquiries about, but liposuction is a fat reduction procedure, not a cellulite treatment. there’s a chance that in reducing the amount of fat in affected areas, the appearance of cellulite may be reduced, but it is not a guarantee, and not a treatment i would recommend for cellulite as it’s quite invasive.similarly, some patients inquire about
coolsculpting as a less-invasive treatment for cellulite. similar to liposuction, coolsculpting is a fat reduction procedure, and may only reduce the appearance of cellulite as a side effect, but it is not getting rid of cellulite.the best way to reduce the look of cellulite? leading a healthy lifestyle and taking care of your skin health. as we’ve
discussed before, that includes getting a good amount of sleep, eating a healthy diet, exercising and taking care of your mental well being. all of this plays into your overall health, as well as maintaining a healthy weight, and reducing the appearance of cellulite, naturally.until there’s a scientific breakthrough (and believe me, there’s a lot of research being put into eliminating cellulite), we have to normalize that it’s a part of the human condition.for now, there’s no silver bullet, so embrace it and focus on leading a healthy life.
dr. rohan bissoondath, md, is the medical director and founder of preventous collaborative health and preventous cosmetic medicine. he is an executive board member of the canadian association of aesthetic medicine and is certified by the college of family physicians of canada and licensed through the college of physicians and surgeons of alberta.don’t miss the latest on covid-19, reopening and life. subscribe to healthing’s daily newsletter covid life.
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