The word cellulite is inseparable from fashion. It appeared at the end of the 1920s when clothes became shorter and sport become a more generalised activity. Women became more visible and the stars of the time (Louise Brooks, Alice White, Mistinguett…) were the ambassadors of a new, slender body shape.
Cellulite was seen as poison for the body and it was at that time that a new skinny stereotype appeared in a society that was for the most part averse to fat. In varying degrees, this has lasted until today…
We should be aware that this obsession with thinness lead to a plethora of bullying, angst and guilt… It is therefore vital to play it down and celebrate self-acceptance loud and proud, even more so given that cellulite concerns almost all women (90%) and not all of them are overweight. Finally, the reason why cellulite forms is primarily due to hormones. The main responsibility lies with oestrogen rather than some kind of unrestrained greed.
WHAT IS CELLULITE?
Cellulite is the name given to the visible fat that amasses beneath the skin’s surface. It is likely to be more apparent in subcutaneous tissue on the thighs, bottom and hips. The skin can have a dimpled effect.
The cause is an imbalance between the storage and consumption of fat and the compression of blood vessels, leading to the development of unsightly “orange peel”:
• Adipocytes that store a mixture of fat, toxins and water and do not release much. In the end they expand and can reach up to 60 times their initial size. The weight they bear on tissue creates the honeycomb orange peel effect on skin. • In addition to this phenomenon is bad circulation of the lymph nodes (compressed by the adipocytes, they cannot carry out their function of eliminating the body’s waste) leading to them storing toxins and water under the skin.
Age is also a factor to take into account: looser fat cells, like all cells in our body, create cellulite. The elasticity of our cells ensure good skin support but with age they lose their elasticity and cellulite appears.
3 TYPES OF CELLULITE: How to identify them.
There are three distinct types of cellulite that look different:
• Aqueous cellulite: often caused by bad circulation and insufficient lymph drainage.
• Adipose cellulite: this causes inflammation which affects fat cells. When inflamed, the adipocytes disrupt the collagen fibres to create the “orange peel” or dimpled effect. This is the most superficial type of cellulite.
• Fibrous cellulite: this is characterised by the hardening of collagen fibres (fibrosis) which will imprison the adipocytes. This type of cellulite feels hard and is often painful.