Complexities of Cellulite
05/09/2012
Hey everyone! So when I go on vaca or a shoot I get many questions on how I stay ‘cellulite free’. And it’s not photo-shop, its actually possible. I know for girls especially its tough! So I’d like to talk about cellulite this week. The thing about cellulite though, is that despite the fact that everyone talks about it, there is actually very little knowledge available about the causes or treatments of cellulite, even in the medical community. However, here is some info on what our world today, and I, myself know about cellulite.
First off it’s really important to have an understanding of what cellulite is, and then the rest is easy! So what is cellulite? After puberty the skin of the lower limbs and abdomen becomes dimpled. It’s believed to be caused by damage to your capillaries, which are like tiny veins and arteries that carry blood through your body. The blood in our bodies has large amounts of water in it, and when your capillaries are damaged, some of this water can leak out and enter our fat cells. Once this water enters our fat cells, it changes the metabolism of that cell and causes it to grow. These bigger fat cells then attach together and form little “fat bundles”; this is what causes that orange peel look of cellulite. Once these fat bundles start to harden, the dimpled look of cellulite starts to show.
Cellulite tends to mostly be present in women and this is primarily due to the fact that estrogen is the most important hormone influencing the growth and proliferation of cellulite. Estrogen influences the proliferation of fibroblasts, which are like the framework on the outside of our cells, and it also provokes changes in collagen which is what keeps those “fat bundles” together and causes them to harden. Estrogen also increases the size of the fat cells which together with hardening of the tissues leads to cellulite.
There are also other hormones in our bodies that can help cause cellulite. Insulin, the hormone that makes our bodies store sugar, stimulates fat formation and inhibits fat breakdown. If our bodies get fatter, there is more fat available that can be aggravated into becoming cellulite. Adrenaline and noradrenaline stimulate either fat breakdown or fat generation depending on how much of them is present in our system. If their concentrations are low, they stimulate fat break down, if their concentrations are high, they stimulate fat generation. Prolactin, the hormone that produces milk in the nursing mother also influences fat generation.
Ok so this is a lot of insightful information that I am happy to share with you, so please read and don’t just skim through what I wrote, really try to make sense of it!!...When you understand the way things are and how things work, prevention makes more sense!
Now for the most important question...HOW DO WE PREVENT CELLULITE??? If you want to know make sure you check back here next week where I will discuss ways you can prevent cellulite
~Prestin xo