Liposuction and Plastic Surgery Information - Cellulite - curse of supermodels and ordinary women alike

Cellulite - curse of supermodels and ordinary women alike

Tuesday, 29 August 2006

Among the super-rich and super-glamorous, it appears that even catwalk models can't avoid the curse of most women - cellulite. Kate moss, Cindy Crawford and Jerry Hall have all suffered the indignity of having their beach photos reveal the dreaded orange peel look, and doctors say that there's little that can be done to cure it, whether you're a high flyer or a mere mortal.

Millions are spent each year on creams and machines that claim to shift cellulite, or its appearance from legs and thighs, while numerous weight loss programs also promise to get rid of those unsightly creases in the skin.

But a recent article in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery journal said that losing weight will not banish cellulite altogether and in some cases could even make it worse. John Kitzmiller, author of the article, said that 85pc of women suffer from cellulite and that they should just get used to it. "Cellulite is not specific to overweight people," he said. "We found that weight loss in overweight patients improved the condition of cellulite, but for a few it actually worsened the condition."

Douglas McGeorge, president-elect of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said that it was the quality of a woman's skin and her age, rather than the quantity of the fat in their thighs, that determined whether cellulite would occur. "It is part of life," he said.

Cellulite is caused in the bands of fibrous tissue that connect the muscle to the skin. When fat, fluids and toxins are trapped beneath the skin, these bands become hard and tight and the fat is compressed, causing the orange peel effect. As women mature, the skin layers become thinner and the cellulite looks worse. Despite the continued skepticism of the experts however, the beauty industry still continues to make millions each year from women desperate to try the latest treatments for their dimpled thighs and buttocks.

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