Technically called gynoid lipodystrophy, cellulite is a pervasive aesthetic problem. Regrettably, most of us (meaning women) have it to one degree or another. According to statistics, and this is really shocking, cellulite shows up on the thighs of more than 85% of females past the age of 18 regardless of ancestry, although it is more common for Caucasian and Asian women. To make matters worse, for women, cellulite represents stored, hard-to-metabolize fat that doesn’t easily respond to exercise or weight loss. Ironically, weight isn’t part of the problem. Rather, any amount of fat (and we all need some of it in our bodies) can show up as cellulite on women’s thighs. Even weight loss isn’t a solution, since for some women that can result in improvement while for others it can make matters worse. (Sources: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, August 2006, pages 510-516; and Cosmetics & Toiletries magazine, October 2004, page 49.)
Despite being a completely benign condition, much the way wrinkles are, cellulite is a major beauty concern of women worldwide, and its presence is surrounded with corresponding myths and deceptions that take the place of fact and reason. This means the cosmetics industry and lots of doctors and aestheticians want to sell you products or provide treatments (particularly expensive ones) claiming to slim, trim, tone, and de-bump your thighs.
Everything from loofahs, miracle ingredients, special washcloths, herbal supplements, vitamins, minerals, bath liquids, rubberized pants, brushes, rollers, body wraps, and toning lotions to electrical muscle stimulation, vibrating machines, inflatable hip-high pressurized boots, hormone or enzyme injections, and massage have been claimed to be successful cellulite treatments. If any of this worked you would assume by now no one would have cellulite, and that isn’t the case in the least.
As the anti-cellulite market increases, research regarding the efficacy of these options remains at a bare minimum and is often obscured by self-serving studies from those who peddle these cures. Sadly, the lure of these supposed remedies is hard to fend off, because fighting cellulite is an uphill battle. For lots of women the mere hope or illusion that something may work is a powerful temptation, and that weakness is something the cosmetics industry counts on and exploits to the max. (Source: Journal of Cosmetic Science, November 2005, pages 379-393.)