How Cellulite Forms
Research carried out in Italy shows clearly that cellulite cells are different from all other fat cells. Definite physical changes take place in the cells resulting in enlarged capillaries and a weakening of the capillary walls.
The capillaries become greatly enlarged, and blood plasma seeps out of them into the surrounding fatty tissue. This causes the fat cells to bunch up together, rather than being widely separated. The effect of this is that the lymph nodes, which normally would drain away excess fluid, become unable to cope, and so the excess plasma stays in the cells.
At the same time as all this is happening, the walls of the fat cells change their structure, to become thickened by extra deposits of collagen. When this takes place, there is further congestion of the circulation, resulting in even more cellulite. So, whenever you have some cellulite, conditions are always created for more to form. The fatty cells become waterlogged and toxin loaded, full of junk the body simply cannot eliminate.
Cellulite forms when women’s bodies produce or take in too much oestrogen, resulting in waste matter being pushed away from vital organs. At the same time as this increased oestrogen pushes the waste away, we are taking in too much junk in the form of food residues, chemicals, artificial additives and preservatives, nicotine, alcohol and tobacco.
As the body was not designed to cope with all these non-nutrients, it simply does not know what to do with them. Although the liver can detoxify a certain amount of hormones out of the blood, and keep the bloodstream relatively clear, it cannot manage vastly increased amounts of oestrogen. Nor can it cope with the daily onslaught of junk foods and junk substances. There is no biological mechanism to rid our bodies of the huge amount of junk and pollution which daily invade them.
There are basically two kinds of junk the body has to deal with – the water-soluble kind and the fat soluble kind. The kidneys handle the former, and the liver looks after the latter. If all the waste material which enters our bodies had to be coped with by the liver we would become seriously ill with liver-related problems. As it is, women are protected by the mechanisms that send the rubbish to out-of-the-way places.
This is the main reason why, although we speak of cellulite ‘sufferers’, very few of them are ever conscious of the process. They cannot feel the cellulite being formed but are very aware of the unsightly bumps once they have appeared – and they will certainly experience pain when undergoing the kind of hard massage needed to get rid of intractable deposits. But usually cellulite sufferers feel just the same as any other women. This is because our hormonal structure has acted to protect us in a way that it does not protect men. Patricia Davis says: "The formation of cellulite is really nature protecting those who have to reproduce the species. A lot of poisons get locked in fatty cells, but this is far better for the system than that they should be trapped in the liver, kidneys or arteries." She defines cellulite as a state in which the cells of the subcutaneous fatty layer are invaded by watery deposits carrying toxic waste matter. Poor circulation of the blood and a sluggish lymphatic system underlie this condition, and women who have a sedentary job or lifestyle and take little or no exercise are those most often affected.
The other factor, says Davis, is a diet high in toxic substances – tea, coffee and alcohol, red meats, animal fats and foods containing additives such as artificial colours, flavourings, preservatives or emulsifying chemicals. Smoking is another toxic risk, and living or working in an atmosphere laden with other people’s smoke can be almost as bad.
"When a high level of toxins in the body is found jointly with a poor circulation," she adds, "the conditions exist in which cellulite can develop. Circulation becomes sluggish in the affected areas, so not enough life-giving oxygen can reach the cells from the blood. At the same time, toxins lodge in the cells because the flow of blood is not sufficient to carry them away. The lymphatic system becomes overworked and cannot drain the cell fluid away effectively. And so, gradually, the whole area becomes stagnant."
I don’t need any further proof to tell me that cellulite exists. Do you?
I believe that the main reason doctors continue to deny the existence of cellulite is that they have no treatments at all to deal with it. There are no pills which will send it away, and diuretics, which are often prescribed to people with a water retention problem, can result in serious losses of the essential mineral potassium. Nor will plastic surgery or the newer liposuction successfully eliminate cellulite deposits. Although surgery can be a very effective means of slicing away fat – if you can stand the pain, the expense and the possible complications afterwards – it does not ensure that none will ever return. In fact, if you have a toxic system, the cellulite will come back almost immediately, as you have not solved the problem. You may have cleared the drain for the time being, but you have not tackled the reason for its becoming blocked in the first place.