8/22/06

According to Maryland-based plastic surgeon John Kitzmiller, MD, women should accept that cellulite is a part of life and that losing weight may not get rid of it.

“Approximately 85% of women are affected by cellulite,” says Kitzmiller.  “It is not specific to overweight people, but excess weight may make it worse. We found that weight loss in overweight patients improved the appearance of cellulite, but for a few, it actually worsened the condition.”

The August issue of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reports that patients whose cellulite worsened after weight loss had started off slimmer in the first place, had lost less weight, and had no change in the amount of fat on their thighs.

Douglas McGeorge, MD, president-elect of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, says cellulite is a part of getting older and women should just accept it.

“It does not always have to do with being overweight,” says McGeorge. “As we age, we lose skin tone and cellulite looks worse. There is no cure as yet for cellulite. Machines that massage the skin simply cause inflammation which temporarily plumps up the skin, making it look better, and topical creams can’t do much either.”

Aestheticians are advising their patients to cut out all sugar, caffeine, and refined carbohydrates to help eliminate “toxins” thought to contribute to cellulite, but none of this has proven medically to have any effect.

[news.scotsman.com, August 16, 2006]