Your skin is also prone to various health problems, including the development of cellulite much to the frustration of people trying to keep weight under control. There’s a lot people tend to get wrong about this substance in your skin, so let’s try to get to the bottom of this by looking at defining what cellulite is, how it’s graded, and the myths and facts about it.
Residents of Arlington, Virginia looking to get rid of their cellulite can get help from Drs. Talal Munasifi, James Economides, and their experienced staff at Advanced Plastic Surgery Center.
Defining cellulite
As fat builds up in skin, it moves against the connective layers and the tough fibrous cords in those layers pull down on it which causes the appearance of dimples, uneven shaping, and lumpiness on the affected skin. This often happens in your thighs, hips, buttocks, breasts, and abdominal area, and the amount of it you get is affected by:
- Fat accumulation: how much fat you have is a big factor in where the dimpling and lumpiness of cellulite forms, and is more common with obesity
- Age: as you get older, your skin thins and becomes less elastic, which makes this easier to appear in parts of your body
- Hormones: changes in hormone levels can lead to weight gain and causes skin changes, causing cellulite
- Lifestyle: bad diets and inactivity play a role in both how much weight you gain and how much cellulite appears
- Pregnancy: a common issue while you’re pregnant as weight gain is both normal and necessary during this time
Women develop this more often than men, but no matter what size or sex you are anyone can have cellulite.
Grading
Having fat doesn’t mean having cellulite, and while the actual cause isn’t well understood, the dimpling, lumpiness, and uneven appearance develops on a grading system:
- Grade 0: evidence of fat with no traces of cellulite
- Grade 1: smooth skin while standing, with mild dimpling when seated
- Grade 2: moderate dimpling whether standing or seated
- Grade 3: severe dimpling in any position, with deeply raised and depressed areas
Myths and facts
Now let’s separate the truth from fiction about cellulite:
Myth: Toxins cause cellulite
Cellulite is not pleasant to look at, and may make you feel embarrassed, but it’s not a toxic substance and is harmless. Lipidemia is a condition where fat accumulates and causes pain, swelling, bruising, and can affect how you move, but cellulite is just unpleasant looking fat accumulated under your skin.
Myth: the right clothing can help reduce cellulite
While tighter clothing and compression style leggings can reduce its appearance, the cellulite is still underneath. Worse, tighter clothing can also damage your circulation.
Myth: Only people who don’t take care of themselves get cellulite
As already mentioned, anyone can get cellulite regardless of your weight or overall health. Being out of shape certainly raises the risks of dealing with it, but it isn’t exclusive to heavier people that don’t exercise.
Myth: Skin creams cure cellulite
Skin firming creams do just that, help your skin look firmer which can help you look younger. It has no effect on cellulite, which is not specifically due to aging, though getting older increases your chances of seeing it. Some over-the- counter types of retinol have been known to hide bumps associated with cellulite, but doesn’t make it go away.
No one likes cellulite, and if you have it, I’m sure you’d love to be rid of it. Make an appointment with Drs. Munasifi, Economides, and their staff at Advanced Plastic Surgery Center today to find out what we can do to treat cellulite.
