Recently, and by recently I mean in the last five years or so, the concept of “cellulite” has been dragged through the mud in the mainstream media as a phenomenon reserved for the obese and the unhealthy. Yet, despite the unappealing aesthetic cellulite presents, the fact is that it’s just fat. That’s all.

It’s just normal fat that is a little bumpy because the fat is poking through the connective tissue between tendons that generally covers it. Since it pokes through these areas and is not forced to distribute, the resulting appearance is one of fat with dimples, not unlike a golf ball. In this light, it’s not like cellulite is some curse plaguing those unfortunate enough to be cast under its spell. It’s merely fat, and as such, it can be reduced, shed, and eliminated, but not without what will undoubtedly be hard work.

Despite the fact that cellulite is just fat, it does tend to affect more women than men since women’s skin are generally thinner. There’s a lot of things that go into it, really. There’s your total percent of body fat, your age, and your genetic predisposition as a whole, but again, even if you are naturally inclined towards cellulite, it is possible to overcome.

Just for context so you can truly understand that cellulite is not some rare and disgusting disease, it is estimated that as much as 85% of all women have some cellulite somewhere on their body regardless if is overweight or even underweight. Even women under 100 lbs are susceptible!

This all said, there are a dangerous amount fitness gimmicks and unsubstantiated products and techniques that claim to erase your cellulite like it’s some sort of sickness and not just fat that can be lost with the right combination of nutrition and exercise. I’d like to point several of these out to ensure no one spends their hard-earned cash on a product that doesn’t even work.


Cellulite Creams

So, so many of these creams flood the market and they flat out do. Not. work. That’s all there is to it. They just don’t. There’s no research to support their working, and honestly, how is rubbing cream on your fat deposits supposed to make them disappear? Theoretically, these fatty deposits are surplus resources of energy your body is essentially saving for a rainy day. So why would smothering them in a cream on the outside of your body have any effect on their reduction? It wouldn’t.

The fact is that cellulite is located much deeper than the very superficial exterior layer of skin that said cream would cover. Just as well, your epidermis is specifically designed to keep things from soaking in and affecting your internal organs; so, really, even in theory, and definitely in practice, these creams don’t work. Put simply, steer clear.


Liposuction

No. No, no, no. Does liposuction reduce your fat? Yes. Does it reduce cellulite? No chance. In fact, the reason for this is the very opposite reason that cellulite cream doesn't work. Liposuction removes fat that is too deep to affect cellulite. Those tricky fatty deposits are too close to the surface for liposuction to be a viable option, and too deep for any cream to have an effect.


Mesotherapy

While I can’t outright prove this is a crock, I can certainly say I am highly skeptical. Essentially, mesotherapy is a procedure that concentrates a series of injections to the cellulite area, and then the fluid in those injections is supposed to break down and dissolve the fat in question.

Yet, like the creams, there is no scientific evidence to substantiate these claims; and the medical community itself is very distrusting of mesotherapy. Not to mention, you need to get a ton of injections, which could very well incite any number of possible side effects. Plus, every single session costs hundreds of dollars, thus making it very expensive to undergo a procedure that most of the medical world doesn’t believe in, anyway.

The only way to get true, lasting results is to make a lifestyle change that focuses on your health. Eat nutritiously. Workout religiously. Live tremendously.