Does she suffer from cellulite?

I have been searching through photos of active women athletes and I have to admit it is very rare to see cellulite on the exposed thighs or arms. Most athletes are very young and it would make sense that they would suffer less from this problem. However, it seems that active mature female athletes and ballet dancers suffer less than the average woman from dimpled skin.

While searching for photos of female athletes with cellulite I realized how absurd the very few photos I found were and how intrusive the actual photo capture is to the life of a person. It is almost as if the photographer and his audience are relieved to realize that they found some defect they can highlight in an idol or celebrity. If when searching the web for photos of athletes and dancers with cellulite only 2-3 incidents pop up, it means it is not a common phenomenon. When I finally found 2 photos, they displayed the thighs of a famous figure skater sitting crossed legged with very few dimples caused by the pressure of one leg on the other or a photo displaying a very small area of lax skin and a few dimples on beautiful figured thigh of a famous tennis player. If this is the cellulite they are pointing at to prove athletes suffer from cellulite too, it is really not convincing.

Yes some athletes suffer from cellulite too but the prevalence is close to zero compared to the general population.

Cellulite is caused by the enlargement of fat cells that underlie the dermis. The combination of the dermis weakening due to age and the fat cells enlarging causes the uneven dimpled look of the skin. Some theories add that cellulite is more common in areas of the body with slower metabolism and poor drainage.

Women athletes have a lower percentage of fat and significantly less cellulite. This simple fact should encourage us to tackle cellulite prevention by controlling the caloric intake in order to reduce the percentage of body fat. In addition exercising the muscles will improve circulation in the area and improve muscle tone, again reducing cellulite.

Len Kravitz, Phd, writes in his essay “Cellulite: Everything You Want to Know and More” the following sentence: “The subcutaneous fat rests on top of muscle, and if the muscle is weak and flaccid, this can contribute to the ‘bumpy’ effect of cellulite.”

Dr. Kravitz recommends resistance training exercise to target the thighs and buttocks.

For those of us that will not join the force of diet and exercise, there are many “cures” and cellulite reduction treatments offered in the market. Some of them have no effect and some can reduce the appearance of cellulite to a degree. TriLipo is a new technology recently introduced to the market that combines the well established radio frequency technology proven to reduce cellulite along with muscle stimulation. This technology takes cellulite reduction to a new level by targeting the muscles underlying the skin while at the same time reducing the size of the fat cells in the adipose layer using radio frequency. Of course the effects will be enhanced if one combines treatments with a caloric intake reduction and well structured aerobic exercise but reduction of cellulite will also be noted if one undergoes treatments with the TriLipo technology without added exercise.

But, do not misunderstand me… I highly recommend exercise and controlled diet however, it is very hard for me to stand behind my advice and to provide a good living example…I tend to go for the “fixing” technology.