Cellulite is the condition where the skin appears to have that orange peel affect in certain areas; most areas of the body can experience its effects but sufferers mainly have it below the abdomen. This is not a situation purely confined to those who carry excess weight; the lumpy substance that looks more like cottage cheese beneath the skin can affect slim, even sporting women as well.

The fats just below the skin surface push against the tissue which results in the skin surface having that dimpled look common of cellulite. Health experts have been trying to discover the cause for some time as it is not a condition that affects every woman but they believe it does have some connection to the way the fat cells are made and possibly how toxins enter and are stored within the body.

One thing is for certain though ad that is this problem increases with age which is partly due to the reduction of collagen and elastin in the system which is why we tend to have more lines as we get older. It is classified as a hormonal imbalance experienced by women and seldom appears on males as normally fat stored in the thighs and buttock is the same as fat stored all over the body so no difference is observed.

The presence of cellulite is not always prominent, unless one tries to pinch the upper skin of one's thigh; should it feel lumpy then you most certainly have it but a woman should not feel bad about having it, since most have this condition to a certain degree. Although it may not be known what causes, some factors seem to contribute to its build up including age, sex, extra fat carried and skin thickness all seem to aid the formation.

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. Liposuction is rarely that effective with surface based fat like cellulite and is more proficient at removing deeper fats from the body which are not trapped in the cells but none of these treatments offer anything but short term relief only.

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.

In addition, increasing the intake of water will help cleanse the system and flush out damaging toxins plus smokers should stop smoking or at least reduce it which will also be beneficial as smoking impacts negatively on the capillaries in the skin and reducing stress will help reduce the amount of cellulite.