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Whether you’re a fitness freak, a teenager or a mother, you’re bound to have even a sprinkle of unwanted cellulite. It took us a while to realize that the appearance of cellulite in women is as common as owning a lipstick, as statistics show that 9 out of 10 women develop the orange-peel effect on their skin. This is the time of the year when we commonly start to freak out about how we’re going to expose our bare thighs on the beach with the occasional undesirable dimples. Can we actually strip our thighs free of cellulite?

Cellulite is characterized by a local increase in fat and a difficulty of blood and lymph circulation, that in turn lead to a circulatory stasis and water accumulation in certain areas of the body. The connective tissue loses its elasticity and the skin begins to adopt an orange peel look. As you may have noticed, you don’t get to pick whether you want cellulite or not – it picks you! It can appear on any woman, regardless of age and weight, and is associated with hormonal changes. As an adolescent, you will begin to see the first telltale signs of cellulite that will worsen with pregnancy and menopause. This ‘disease’ has no mercy as it can affect the buttocks, thighs, the inner sides of the knees, the abdomen and the arms.

Cellulite can be classified or categorized into compact, soft and edematous. Compact cellulite is rare as it is often accompanied by pain, due to compression of the nerve endings. It is usually visible -with few exceptions- in young women with good physical health and even in athletes. The soft type of cellulite is movable and it is spread over large surfaces. This kind is commonly visible in obese women with a lack of physical activity. Moreover, the edematous kind is associated with poor venous and lymphatic circulation of the lower extremities and increased fluid retention.

The factors responsible for the development of cellulite are genetic, hormonal or organic and are exacerbated by the daily stress, poor eating habits and lack of exercise in our lives. Thus, cellulite can be a result of a sedentary lifestyle, reduced physical activity, a poor diet, heredity, smoking, and frequent and large amounts of alcohol consumption.

Combating and tackling cellulite requires continuous and systematic efforts, a change in lifestyle and diet, cosmetic skin care, and specialized treatment for the more difficult cases.