What causes cellulite, and can you get rid of it?

Beneath the skin, fibrous septae run from the deeper layers up to the dermis. In women these bands tend to run perpendicular to the skin, creating compartments that fat can bulge out of. In men they more often run at an angle, forming a crosshatch that holds the surface flatter — which is why cellulite is overwhelmingly a female pattern.

Add the natural thinning of the dermis with age and reduced skin elasticity, and the dimpling becomes more visible even when nothing about the fat has changed.

Because the cause is the arrangement of the tethering bands rather than the quantity of fat. Estimates put the prevalence at somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of women after puberty, across every body type.

Losing weight can reduce how much the lobules protrude, which helps a little. It frequently does not resolve it, and for some people a significant loss makes it more visible as skin becomes laxer.

Treatments that improve skin thickness and firmness, since a thicker, more elastic dermis conceals the underlying contour better. Building muscle underneath improves the surface the skin sits on. Staying hydrated and not smoking both matter for skin quality.

T-Shape 2 is the treatment we run for this at Marina del Rey, in courses of six, twelve or eighteen. Be wary of anything promising permanent elimination — the bands are anatomy.