The Truth About Cellulite

By Tresanna Hassanally

      It's a natural phenomenon, but still the appearance frightens us. Cellulite, a girl's nightmare.

The term "cellulite" was coined by salons and spas to describe the deposits of dimpled fat many women experience around their thighs and butt. Dr. Stephen Barrett says, "Cellulite is alleged to be a special type of 'fat gone wrong,' a combination of fat, water, and 'toxic wastes' that the body has failed to eliminate." Medical professionals consider cellulite to be ordinary fatty tissue. "Strands of fibrous tissue connect the skin to deeper tissue layers and also separate compartments that contain fat cells," Dr. Barrett explains. "When fat cells increase in size, these compartments bulge and produce a waffled appearance of the skin."

The supposed remedies to this "problem" vary from loofah sponges to creams and liquids to rubberized pants. Salons offer treatments with electrical muscle stimulation, vibrating machines, inflatable hip-high pressurized boots, hormone or enzyme injections, heating pads, and massages. Many of the salon procedures require several treatments and can cost hundreds of dollars.

Body Wrapping
Anyone who has ever been in spa has heard of a body wrap. It's claimed that body wrapping can trim inches off the waist, hips, and thighs, along with other various body parts. It works rather simply and much the way it sounds. Garments are applied to parts of the body or the entire body, usually with creams. Clients are dressed up as mummies and the results are said to be miraculous. Dr. Barrett contends that wrapping may cause temporary water loss, resulting from the perspiration or compression, but as soon as the client eats, water would again be retained. He says, "The idea that herbal wraps detoxify the body is absurd."

Endermologie
Endermologie is a handheld massage tool that was approved by the FDA in 1998 to improve the appearance of cellulite. It consists of a two motorized rollers with a suction device that compresses the tissue between the two rollers. The procedure usually takes 10 to 20 treatments to get the best results and at least one maintenance treatment a month. Without the maintenance the benefits of the treatment are easily lost. Results from studies on endermologie appear to be inconclusive about the success of the treatment.

What it all boils down to is that the fat on one's body is determined by the person's eating and exercising habits. Distribution is determined by heredity. Spot reduction is impossible; results come only from an overall program of exercise and healthy living.