What causes Cellulite?
Yes, like it or not, cellulite is a diet & lifestyle condition. The formation of cellulite is caused by a combination of factors and we mustn’t confuse what cellulite is with what causes it.
Many women think they cannot ever get rid of their cellulite because they’ve been told by some ‘expert’ that it won’t go because it’s caused by unrepairable tissue damage or that it’s ‘hereditary’ therefore only expensive salon treatments will help reduce it but it’ll never go altogether.
Well, these are partly but not entirely true. For example, tissue damage isn’t necessarily permanent (only if you refuse to do anything about it) and there is no evidence to suggest which comes first. Does the cellulite cause the tissue damage? Or is the tissue already damaged, therefore when combined with bad diet, little exercise, poor circulation and lymphatic flow then create the cellulite appearance. Evidence indicates a combination of these and a few other influences.
In my 20 years body sculpting experience, I have seen amazing body transformations take place. I’ve seen women who have bad cellulite and had 3 or more children, only have it totally disappear after embarking on a strict healthy diet and exercise regime (as well as revealing a six-pack that Madonna would be envious of).
Their goal of course was nothing necessarily to do with ridding cellulite but wanting a lean healthy body. Of course they were delighted when their cellulite disappeared after a few months on the regime. What does this tell you about ‘eat clean, look lean’?
I have read many articles (either from lazy women wanting an excuse, Dr’s with an invested interest (Liposuction/Lipo sculpture etc) or salon owners claiming the answers with their salon machines) explaining theories on what causes cellulite, each of which I shall address further on in this chapter.
What I do want to say here though is; regardless of what causes it, the real secret to getting rid of it truly lies in your diet (you truly ‘are’ what you eat), and your lifestyle; are you a couch potato? or have an active job but too tired to exercise as well? Do you expect your body and natural detoxification system (put simply; the body’s way of getting rid of the crap building up in your body) to work well at keeping cellulite at bay on little protein, insufficient essential fats, low water intake (no, coffee does not count as water measure equivalent) and little or no exercise?
I have to say, many women I speak to are full of excuses when it comes to cellulite. Upon saying that, its quite astonishing that the women I have helped in the gym, that have come to work out and serious about getting fitter, healthier and leaner have a better attitude to taking responsibility for themselves and tend to follow advice to get results much more readily than most clients I have as a Naturopath, regardless of age, career, economic status or if they’re mums.
I have come to the conclusion that this may be that as a practitioner, I’m expected to do all the hard work for them but when they come to the gym, they know they have to do as they’re told and are ready for business so to speak or they wouldn’t have come to a gym.
To put it bluntly (and I say it like it is – you may have noticed) those women who follow the healthy eating/lifestyle and exercise programme that I give them, not only lose body fat and cellulite but end up much healthier as a result. There are no shortcuts just a few tools that may speed up the process.
There are many accompanying factors that cause cellulite. Here I have broken them down.
Genetics:
It has been suggested that genetics play a role in cellulite development, though the genetic background being unclear. A genetic study was carried out examining the gene variants in oestrogen receptors, fat metabolism, inflammation, adipose tissue biology and endothelial function/adipose tissue hypoxia (reduced oxygen supply to the tissues) with the risk of cellulite.
The study demonstrated that 2 of the 25 polymorphisms (ACE & HIF1A) were associated with a cellulite predisposition. More research is required but offers an area for more research. (Emanuel, E et al. 2010)
I’m certain that genetics play a role in a predisposition to cellulite, the same as any disorder/ailment (i.e. diabetes or hypertension).
This does not mean that you will get it; it just means that you have to work harder to prevent it. I do agree though that if you know you have a predisposition to something then you can act before it’s too late.
Hormone harmony:
It is widely believed that cellulite is contributed to having too much oestrogen in the body alongside other hormone imbalances such as low progesterone which mostly come hand in hand. Most oral contraceptive pills contain high levels of oestrogen which is great for doing their job but no good for your bum & thighs!
Oestrogen can cause softening and weakening of connective tissues in the body therefore the connective tissues in the skin become weaker and unable to hold the fat cells as neat in the fat chambers. Oestrogen also increases the permeability of lymph and blood vessels. This causes leakage of fluids into interstitial spaces resulting in swelling of the tissues and fluid retention.
Overall skin health is decreased and the skins ability to repair is reduced due to impaired blood flow causing microcirculation damage and this is most likely to occur near the surface of the skin where blood vessels are fragile and small.
Being overweight will aggravate cellulite partly due to the fact that fat cells produce some oestrogen (along with ovaries). The more fat cells, the more oestrogen.
There are many other hormones that may play a part in cellulite build up too such as cortisol and catecholamines (stress hormones), thyroid hormones, adrenalin etc.
Major life changes such as puberty, pregnancy and menopause upset the hormones and will make you more prone to cellulite also. Oh the joys of being a woman!
Oedema (fluid retention) & Inflammation;
When research into what cellulite is has been carried out it has been evident that it is mostly made up of excess fat & water. Many of the factors listed here may contribute to classic fluid retention and inflammation of the tissues seen in cellulite.
Poor lymphatic flow and circulation:
Many European researchers have contributed substantially to the theory that cellulite is the consequence of a primitive dysfunction of tissue microcirculation. But if we look further into that, then what is the cause of the dysfunction?
Poor microcirculation can have many causes such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol, poor nutrition and little exercise which is everything I’ve been talking about.
A study done by Terrance Ryan, MD, a Professor of Dermatology at Oxford University
Too fat:
Yes, cellulite is made up of fat as well as other matter, but to put it bluntly, you’re more likely to have it if you’re too fat. Yes and even skinny girls can be too fat. It’s about your muscle to fat ratio as I’ve mentioned before. You may be skinny but do nothing to tone up the body and eat poorly, therefore producing a skinny fat body, these types very often have cellulite due the aforementioned and the fact that this body will more likely have poor circulation, imbalanced hormones, possibly sluggish skin condition among many other traits.
As for just being too fat. Well, you may be generally healthy and eat well, exercise and just be overweight due to overeating (or a very small minority may have accompanying health issues that may hinder your perfect body) and just being overweight alone can also produce cellulite.
There are also those who were once very overweight without much cellulite then went on a diet, lost lots of kilos then noticed their cellulite get much worse.
This is likely to be due to the fact that some very overweight people are very compact, by that I mean that their excess fat has stretched the tissues and skin, therefore creating less of a cellulite appearance while they are fat. They lose the weight being left with the stretched skin & saggy tissues leaving the rest of the fat/water and previously stretched & damaged tissues to create the unsightly cellulite.
Some large women may already have a fair amount of muscle tissue in the lower body due to carrying all the weight around, then when they lose weight, the combination of the weight loss causing the loose skin (especially if lost quickly) and a few other factors such as insufficient nutrient intake give the ‘orange peel’ effect of cellulite.
Little or No exercise;
I have mentioned many times already how doing little or no exercise will contribute to the appearance of cellulite.
Insufficient diet;
Specific foods in our diet are also responsible for regulating hormones, including oestrogen. If we eat insufficient nutrients on a daily basis then how can the body repair itself? How can we detoxify excess hormones without the specific carbohydrates, fats and proteins necessary to do the job? Healthy nutrition is essential for keeping the body balanced in all areas.
There are foods that are anti-inflammatory, immune enhancing, hormone balancing, detoxifying, naturally diuretic, those that are full of vitamins & minerals, and then there are those that do the opposite and may leave your body full but starved of nutrients, contributing to not only cellulite but anything from fatigue to some cancers. I can’t emphasize healthy nutrition enough.
Alcohol, smoking, drugs galore;
There are many drugs and medications on the market that may contribute to cellulite by either being high in oestrogen, cause fluid retention, muscle wasting or put a strain on the organs required for optimal detoxification processes.
Smoking and chronic alcohol consumption has been shown to cause poor circulation and inflammation. Smoking is also known to cause oxidative damage, which also impairs the circulation, degrading collagen & elastin production.
Ageing:
As we age our hormone levels decline, we go grey, be more likely to put on weight; wrinkles appear as well as cognitive, eyesight, hearing and other deteriorations. Collagen & elastin fibres weaken (contributing to wrinkles and tissue bulging seen in cellulite) so as you can see as we get older its easy to see why it gets a little harder to keep cellulite at bay.
Tissue Breakdown:
Caused by some or all of the above.
Debbie Taylor BHS.Nat
This post is an adaptation from a chapter in my proposed book on fat loss & cellulite.
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