Los Angeles Times columnist James S. Fell has been looking into whether losing weight, exercising, applying crèmes or other treatments can actually help reduce cellulite. His findings which he shares in a recent column, (see ref) may surprise some.
First of all, for those unfamiliar with the term, cellulite is the term for bumpy looking stuff beneath the skin, normally around the buttocks or thighs. In common vernacular, it’s often referred to as cottage cheese, due to its resemblance to the dairy product. Cellulite, as explained by Mayoclinic.com, is “clumps of fat cells pushing up against the skin that are interspersed with fibrous cords connected to the muscle underneath. The cords pull the skin down in places and the fat bulges up in between, creating a dimpling effect.”
Contrary to popular opinion, cellulite affects virtually all women to some degree, and some men, and isn’t necessarily caused by being overweight, though it does appear to become more noticeable in people who gain weight then lose it, especially as they age.
To find out if it’s possible to get rid of cellulite, Fell took a survey of all of the people that subscribe to his eNewsletter, which corresponded to 100 volunteers that had lost at least ten pounds due to dieting and exercise during the previous few months. By adding and compiling the results he came up with the very unscientific results: 47% had lost 10 to 20 pounds, 39% had lost 20 to 50 pounds, and 14% had lost more than 50 pounds. Of those 20% had exercised one to three hours a week, 52% had worked out for three to five hours per week, and 28% did so for more than five hours. This all resulted in 22% of the volunteers reporting no change in the cellulite they had, 48% saying there was a minor decrease and 26% saying they’d had a major decrease.
Based on this simple test it would seem that the answer is, yes, no, or maybe. Doctors, such as those on WebMD say that the reality is, you can’t get rid of cellulite with creams, though you can reduce how much you have by both losing weight and exercise, though there is no guarantee as it appears it’s all in your DNA. Some people are more susceptible to it, while others seem practically immune.
The bottom line for most people is that it seems the best approach is to avoid doing things that tend to cause it in the first place, such as gaining weight or being inactive causing muscles to lose tone and definition.