Everything You Need To Know About Cellulite
Maybe you have heard of cellulite. In technical terms, it is the herniation of subcutaneous fat within fibrous connective tissue that manifest topographically as skin dimpling and nodularity. In more layman’s terms it’s a lumpy substance that is commonly found on the thighs, stomach and butt. It is basically fat that pushes against the connective tissue beneath a person’s skin. This causes the lumpy appearance that is commonly seen.
Several things influence whether a person has cellulite and how much they have. These things include: your genes, sex, age, amount of fat, body type, and the thickness of your skin. It should be noted that even though cellulite is possible in both sexes, it is more prevalent in females than in males. This is because females are more likely to have particular types of fat and connective tissue that are related to cellulite. There a couple of grades which cellulite can be classified at:
- Grade 1: no clinical symptoms, but a microscope examination can detect these changes.
- Grade 2: skin shows degraded elasticity and anatomical changes are noted under microscopic examination.
- Grade 3: cellulite has visible roughness of the skin.
It has been reported that eating healthy, low fat food such as fruits, vegetables, and fiber can help one to avoid cellulite. Also maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and avoiding stress can help manage cellulite.
However if these management techniques do not fit your lifestyle, there is a new treatment called cellulaze that can supposedly “banish cellulite”. It has been reported to cost around 6k-7k and is a permanent solution. Cellulaze requires only one doctor’s visit and is based off of a laser technology. The laser technology is reported to attack all the problems associated with cellulite: the bulging fat, thin skin, and the connective tissue.
However, the clinical studies of Cynosure, the maker of Cellulaze, only has clinical data for about three months. This means that the claims of doctors reporting that this is a permanent solution is unwarranted and should not be trusted until further studies are performed. However, the FDA does not regulate doctor claims, so as a patient you should always research the claims that a doctor makes before continuing with a newly developed procedure.
The cost of the procedure can also vary, and since it is a newly developed technology some doctors maybe much more experienced than others. Patients should seek doctors who have performed the procedures successfully on more patients rather than ones who have only performed a few procedures.