|
Do only women get cellulite? No! Although cellulite is most common in women, some men develop cellulite too.1
If I am thin, am I safe from cellulite? Unfortunately, no. Even fit and healthy people get cellulite. However, being overweight or obese may increase your chances of developing it.1
Is cellulite dangerous to my health? There does not appear to be any link between cellulite and increased health risk.1
How common is cellulite? Some experts believe it develops in up to 98% of women some time after puberty.1
Is cellulite a modern phenomenon? Actually, no! It may surprise you to know that 16th century artists depicted cellulite in many of their nude paintings of beautiful women—which may indicate that cellulite was not perceived as such a negative cosmetic flaw as it is now.5 One sociologist claims that cellulite was considered a normal part of the female body until it was reinvented as a disfiguring, toxic condition by Vogue magazine in 1973.16
I’ve heard that I can take Viagra® to treat cellulite! Is this true? No! Ingesting Viagra® will not improve your cellulite. However, some recent preliminary laboratory research indicates that it does induce lipolysis—the breakdown of fat cells. So while taking Viagra® orally may not be a viable treatment for cellulite, you may find it added to topical creams in the future.5
Can eating certain foods help with cellulite? Possibly. Healthy foods full of nutrients that can strengthen connective tissue by improving circulation and collagen production may keep fat cells from pushing through to the skin surface. Good choices are eggs, olive oil, nuts, pomegranates, and berries.17
How do creams made with caffeine work, if it all? Some experts indicate that caffeine creams may work on cellulite by pulling fluids to the skin’s surface and then causing lipolysis.17 At least one study on a cream containing 7% caffeine showed improvement on thigh cellulite, as measured by decreased circumference, in over 80% of participants after one month of use.18 Caffeine has also been injected beneath the skin to dissolve fat cells in a procedure called mesotherapy, but this must be administered by a trained medical professional.3
|
