Cellulite: Causes and Treatments
Whether you call it banana rolls or saddlebags, stubborn fat is often a downer. The most common example is cellulite, which is otherwise known as an unsightly dimpling of the skin.
For women, it can be a confidence-knocker because no moisturisers or gels can easily remove it. In this quick guide, we’ll help you lessen your frustrations by giving you the causes and treatments for cellulite here in Singapore.
What is cellulite?
According to studies, approximately 90% of women have cellulite. This skin condition is formed when fats build up on the hypodermis layer of the skin.
Later on, excess fats accumulate, which form the pinchable lumps on your skin. This unlikely build up causes dimples and uneven texture on your thighs, buttocks, lower abdomen, upper arms, and breasts.
Cellulite is harmless but it can create a massive impact on a woman’s body image. Contrary to popular belief, the lumpy rolls are not only caused by an unhealthy lifestyle.
Truth is, even the fittest models in the industry could get cellulite as well. That said, there are several treatments that you can do to eliminate cellulite.
What causes cellulite?
The thickness of your skin, age, and genetics can cause cellulite. In fact, the severity of the condition is categorised into 3 grades.
At Grade 0, there is no visible dimpling on the skin, especially when pressure is applied. On the other hand, at Grade 1, the dimpling is visible with the application of pressure.
For Grades 2 and 3, the severity varies on the position. At Grade 2, cellulite can be mostly seen while standing up.
The same goes for Grade 3, but this time, the dimpling can be both seen while standing up and lying down. For this grade, it often requires an invasive or non-invasive treatment from your dermatologist.
Cellulite is caused by various factors, some of the common ones are the following:
- Genetic factors (DNA and heredity)
- Poor nutritional diet
- Overweight or obesity
- Loss of collagen
- Lack of physical activities like exercise or sports
- Excessive alcohol and coffee intake
To lessen the appearance of cellulite, you can always opt for a more active lifestyle like eating healthy food or finding. However, these simple actions are not often enough to treat severe cases of cellulite.
What are the treatments for cellulite?
In Singapore, there are advanced treatments available to reduce and remove the unappealing sight of cellulite.
There are three types of treatment that you can choose from: off-the-shelf products, invasive treatments, and non-invasive treatments.
For off-the-shelf products, it includes coffee scrubs, retinol, vitamin C, and peptides. These products are believed to have antioxidant properties that help exfoliate the skin, making cellulites less evident.
On the contrary, some invasive treatments include liposuction or fat grafting and subcision surgery. These treatments offer high efficacy and require several sessions to achieve optimal results.
Because it requires inserting a needle under the skin, it comes with risks such as bleeding and swelling as well.
Meanwhile, non-invasive treatments include fat freezing or cryolipolysis and body sculpting to eliminate cellulite. Under these procedures, fat cells are directly “crystallised”, which is a process called apoptosis.
When fat cells die, it’s converted to heat energy and eventually burns the calories. Not only is this procedure pain-free, but it can show long lasting results after 3 treatments.
To know which treatment suits you, it’s highly advisable to visit your dermatologist or aesthetic doctor first for a professional consultation.