It seems as if women just can't win in their efforts to beat the bulge and look beautiful.  A new study adds to their woes by revealing that losing weight may actually increase cellulite. Around 85% of women have cellulite - and celebrity magazines love to show their readers which stars have the tell-tale "orange peel" dimples on their thighs.

Most plastic surgery experts regard cellulite as a fact of life and maintain that there is no cure. Cellulite, which usually develops on the thighs and bottom, is caused in the bands of fibrous tissue which connect muscles to skin. When fat, fluids and toxins are trapped beneath the skin, the bands become hard and tight and the fat is compressed. It is this which causes the dimpling effect.

Age can make skin layers look thinner, and so cellulite looks worse. Methods suggested to reduce the dimples include exercising and drinking plenty of water. But millions of pounds are spent each year on creams, patches and other products which claim to get rid of cellulite.

In the study, carried out by researchers from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the women were enrolled in medically-supervised weight-loss programmes, including eating low-fat meals, liquid diets, anti-obesity medication and surgery - gastric bypass and gastric banding.

Their body mass index (BMI) was measured before and after their weight loss programme or surgery. The average weight loss was 30.5lb, but the amounts lost ranged between 2.3lb and 102lb. Out of the study group, 17 saw an improvement in the appearance of their cellulite while nine found it get worse.

However, the patients who saw the biggest improvements with the least increase in cellulite were those who lost the most weight and so lowered their percentage of thigh fat. They had a higher BMI at the start of the study, and more severe cellulite.

The women whose cellulite worsened most were those who had previously had a significantly lower BMI, lost smaller amounts of weight and had no change in percentage of thigh fat.

How elastic their skin was after weight loss was also crucial, as cellulite became worse in those whose skin became significantly looser after weight loss.

John Kitzmiller, a plastic surgeon and co-author on the study, said: "Cellulite is not specific to overweight people but excess weight may worsen the condition. "We found that weight loss in overweight patients improved the appearance of cellulite, but for a few it actually worsened the condition. Although the appearance of cellulite diminished for the majority of patients, weight loss did not totally eradicate the condition. The dimples appear to be permanent features that lessen in depth as the pounds come off."