A curse to many women, cellulite is formed close to the skin surface and produces a number of wrinkled fat cells intermixed with the connective tissue and produces that strange orange peel effect most of us have witnessed. Although additional fat is normal in women, this is not just a condition that is exclusive to overweight women and the cottage cheese look can affect slim women as well.

Fat beneath the surface of the skin pushes against connective tissue causing it to give that dimpled look commonly known as cellulite. After many years of research, scientists still cannot determine the exact reason for its formation or why some are affected more than others but there may be some connection between toxins that enter the body and how certain fat cells store them.

What is certain though is that the older you become the greater the likelihood of this type of cell forming as the elastin and collagen, that help stop aging lines, becomes less effective. The condition is almost exclusive to women and has been attributed to hormonal changes that take place as a woman gets older as the fat in the thighs and buttocks of men is the same as fat found in other parts of their bodies.

Even women who do not appear to have cellulite may have them and sometimes this is visible when the skin is compressed as in the case of squatting or when it is pinched between the thumb and forefinger; however as most women suffer with at some stage it seems to be a perfectly normal condition. Just how much a person has will depend on a number of factors like, age, gender, genetics and even the thickness and type of skin they have will affect how easily it can be seen.

One thing for sure is that technology has not as yet devised a miracle potion or treatment that can eradicate it completely. One method that hides the cellulite quite well by puffing the skin is deep massage and an increasing number of clinics are now offering this therapy.

Perhaps the most drastic therapy is liposuction where fat is literally sucked from the body or the more expensive procedure of injecting certain chemicals in a process called mesotherapy. Only temporary relief can be gained from both these procedures and liposuction despite its success at removing deep fat from large areas of the body, is not designed for the fats close to the surface as in the case of cellulite.

There isn’t one single therapy or treatment that can rid someone of these fat deposits and even special burning creams provide dubious results; however the most recent creams available seem to just hide the effects or offer a temporary fix. It can only really be reduced as part of an overall weight reduction program through adopting a healthy eating and living plan, together with increasing exercise, so that body fat is reduced rather than connective tissues.

If this is also followed by the adoption of drinking plenty of fresh water every day; unwanted toxins which can help in the formation of cellulite in the tissue are gradually removed.