Skip to main content

Myths and Facts About Cellulite

Let’s start with this overriding fact: Cellulite is a true opportunist, striking people of all ages, sizes, and ethnic groups. This dimply, lumpy skin pays little heed to your circumstances, making it one of the more frustrating cosmetic issues to deal with.

To help you understand cellulite a little better, we’ve pulled together the following list of myths and facts about the condition, because here at McHugh Plastic Surgery, we believe that education is the first step in dealing with a problem. Our goal is to help our patients in The Woodlands, Texas, realize their best selves on the outside. Under Dr. Thomas McHugh’s guidance, we provide our clients with the most cutting-edge tools available to fight back against some fairly obstinate forces — like cellulite.

And one of the best ways to fight back is to know your enemy.

1. What’s gender got to do with it?

As it turns out, everything. Cellulite strikes 80-90% of women while only 10% of men develop it. And there are several reasons for this. To start, woman carry far more subcutaneous fat than men, especially around the cellulite-prone areas of the hips, thighs, and buttocks.

Second, women are governed by estrogen to a large degree, and this hormone controls your collagen production and circulation. As your collagen naturally wanes with time, your fat cells become larger and there’s less support in your tissue, allowing it to push through.

Lastly, the connective tissue in men and women are quite different. In men, the connective fibers form a criss-cross pattern while the same fibers in women tend to line up vertically, allowing more fat to push through.

2. It’s in your genes

Unfortunately, this is true. As we mentioned above, cellulite can strike women of all ages and sizes because the condition is linked to genetics as much as anything else. While cellulite isn’t a genetic factor in and of itself, your metabolism and distribution of fat are, which can contribute to cellulite. In other words, if the female members in your family have a long tradition of lumpy, bumpy skin, the odds aren’t in your favor.

3. Diet and exercise don’t work

This is a myth. Cellulite can be affected by carrying too much fat in your body, and any effort to reduce your fat is one that will help with cellulite. While diet and exercise can’t change the structures of your connective fibers, it can affect how much fat is available to push through to the surface.

4. An argument against underwear

Here’s an interesting fact: Your underwear may contribute to your cellulite. If you wear underwear that’s binding your legs, you’re affecting your circulation. When your tissue doesn’t have the oxygen and nutrients it needs, collagen production can slow down. So loosen up your undergarments to allow your blood to flow freely.

5. There are no effective treatments for cellulite

Thanks to evolving technologies, this statement is false. At our practice, we offer Cellulaze™, which is a minimally invasive technique in which we use laser energy to break the connective fibers that are pulling down on your tissue. At the same time, we’re encouraging a collagen response to help bring more elasticity and tone to the surface of your skin. So despite all the frustrating forces that are conspiring against you, we can bypass them all and tackle your cellulite head on.

If you’d like to regain smooth skin, give us a call to learn more about our cellulite treatments. Or you can use the online scheduling tool to set up an appointment.





You Might Also Enjoy...

Make Your Eyes Sparkle (Again) With Eyelid Surgery

Your eyes used to sparkle, but that light is becoming increasingly harder to see thanks to drooping eyelids. If you want to let your eyes shine again, it’s time to consider a quick-and-easy eyelid surgery.

5 Tips for Preparing for Your Breast Surgery

You’re coming to us for breast surgery and you want to do everything you can to make the process go as smoothly as possible, from start to finish. Here are some tips that will go a long way in that regard.

Can Laser Therapy Get Rid of Cellulite? 

Laser technology has taken the cosmetic world by storm over the past couple decades as it provides nonsurgical solutions for everything from wrinkly, sagging skin to age spots. Well, you can add cellulite to that long list.

How SculpSure® Melts Fat Away

You’ve got some lumps and bumps on your body that seem to laugh at your efforts to get rid of them. With our SculpSure fat reduction technology, you can have the last laugh as we pave the way to your body-shape goals.