Estrogen also makes fat whereas testosterone breaks down fat. So a women's body is basically—and I hate to say it—genetically designed to be a place for cellulite to develop. Men have one layer of fat throughout their entire body and a one-to-one alpha- and beta-receptor ratio.
Today we're seeing younger women developing cellulite—women in their teenage years are getting cellulite. How do you explain that? Too much estrogen makes fat cells larger, so…younger women who are overweight might have a condition called estrogen dominance, which means they are making too much estrogen and/or are eating foods [such as soy or using containers that leak bisphenol-A] that have estrogen-mimicking ingredients.
Why do some women have more cellulite than others?
I've spent a lot of time traveling in developing countries and photographing local women. When I photograph these women [who don't have much, or any, cellulite], you see the kind of work they're doing and the kind of food they're eating. They're eating all organic foods, they're constantly moving from the time they get up. These women are washing clothes in the river. Getting water [in an industrialized country] means getting up and going to the fridge or faucet. For women in developing countries, they're walking to the river and coming back carrying a heavy container. So the physical activity levels in industrialized nations have also decreased.
Many women wear regular underwear with elastic across the buttocks. When you see panty lines, it's cutting off circulation—just think what it's doing to your body. Look, take a tourniquet, put it around your leg and see what happens. And a lot of women wear underwear under panty hose. The panty hose force the lymphatic drainage back into the body. It's like turning the hose on and clamping it so every thing gets backed up.
Cellulite didn't become a problem until the 1970s and 1980s when the diet and activity and underwear started changing. Back in the '20s, women wore longer skirts and the underwear was loose, almost like pajamas. Cellulite is always underneath where the elastics go, and if you draw an invisible line where the cellulite is, you will see where the panty lines are. I tell people the most important preventive thing you can do, if you can't afford treatment, is change your [style of] underwear: Wear a thong.
Does diet play a big role in the amount of cellulite people get?
Diet does play a role, because look, women in Asia, what do they have for breakfast? Noodles—it's a high-calorie meal, but when they go to work they burn those calories. In contrast, we eat these calories, then go to work and sit at a desk. Think of those [fat-producing] alpha receptors just waiting to rock and roll.
So, it all goes together. That's why women struggle to lose weight below the waist. From the waist up, for every four receptors that break down fat, there are five that make it, so it's almost a one-to-one ratio. From the trunk up, there's just one layer of fat, except for the triceps arm area.
It's really a whole biochemistry. People tell you: Don't eat fat, don't eat sugar. It's really more than that. It's hormone balance—you need to eat healthy, you need activity.
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64 Comments
Add CommentThis has to be the most uninformative and misleading article I've ever read on this website.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNow that Jon Rennie has left, there is obviously no quality control at SciAm.
The content of this article was more disgusting than the cellulite it was describing. Oh, where to begin... ?
This article is trash. I stopped reading after the second question.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI found this article to be informative and interesting. It's obvious the men posting the above comments are not affected by the topic, therefore have no vested interest. For those of us that cellulite does affect, this was an interesting and well written article. Thank you.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIs there some quota of bad jokes and puns that have to be included in an article before it gets published? Seriously guys, we get it. You can stop now.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou lost me at "injections of homeopathic extracts"...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisbbrian2: "Now that Jon Rennie has left, there is obviously no quality control at SciAm."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisJohn Rennie left? Did anybody tell Scientific American? In the latest issue, he is still listed as Editor in Chief and here at the website it says:
"Today, under the leadership of Editor in Chief John Rennie - who at the age of 43 is just the seventh editor in Scientific American's history..."
This was an incredibly irresponsible article. Besides the fact that cellulite is in no way a harmful pathological condition, this article makes no use of any legitimate scientific or historical evidence when discussing its so-called "prevention" or "cure". It seems this writer is more concerned with taking money from consumers than with public health. Give me a break. I hope that people research the topic before choosing to believe any of this.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMichael LaSalle:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisJohn Rennie left. Yes, he did. The latest issue went to press before 4/23/2009, hence the confusion.
http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/mixed-media/2009/04/23/scientific-american-editor-out-in-reorg
The only aspect of what I have read and found to be irresponsible if not void of knowledge is some of the above indicated commentaries. Whomever has posted the above miopic remarks have no idea what THEY are talking about.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI not only concur with Dr. Bissoon but have firsthand experience that his knowledge in this field is definitive. I have been a patient of his office for several months and under his careful and responsible protocol have seen results that neither surgery nor lotions and potions could produce to date. Whether your readers want to believe it or not, society has stigmatized both young and older women alike when they are not the vision of "walking perfection" that we are fed in magazines by the shovel full. I have interfaced with many women including doctors who are his patients who have altered their paths socially, professionally and maritally due to the onset or worsening of their cellulite.
Dr. Bisson's mesotherapy protocol works for the pathology of cellulite and has assisted many women to reenvision themselves and their future.
Chrome Girl -- Please enlighten us with evidence of your claims. Surely you can point us to some peer-reviewed research on the integration of "mesotherapy" into an obesity reduction regimen.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnd I'm curious... As an obviously ardent defender of Dr. Bissoon's (not Bisson) practice, would you be willing to answer a point-by-point criticism of the mistruths found in this article? It seems that this commentary could use some grounding in science, not personal testimonials and miracle cures "as seen on TV."
I would start by reading this, so you know what you're in for:
http://quackfiles.blogspot.com/2005/05/procedure-to-melt-fat-just-dud-suit.html
Thanks in advance for humoring all of us.
WOW SUCH ANGER FROM SOME OF YOUR READERS. I AM AMAZED THAT THOSE POSTING COMMENTS HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO DO....MUST BE MEN WITH NO IDEA OF THE DILEMMA THAT SURROUNDS WOMEN OF ALL AGES. WHERE CAN YOU READ THE TRUTH ABOUT HOW CELLULITE DEVELOPS AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT. WOMEN ARE CONTINUALLY USED IN THE MEDIA AS OBJECTS OF YOUTH AND PERFECTION. SPEND SOME MEDIA PAGES DISCUSSING ISSUES THAT ARE ABOUT NORMAL WOMEN AND THE WHOLE WORLD GETS ANGRY. VERY INTERESTING DON'T YOU THINK? OBVIOUSLY THESE READERS WANT TO ONLY THINK ABOUT THE 15 YEAR OLDS ON THE COVERS OF MANY MAGAZINES, WELL THE TRUTH IS THAT MANY WOMEN FEEL ASHAMED OF THEIR BODIES (AGAIN DUE TO SOCIETAL PRESSURE), THESE WOMEN ARE AFFECTED IN SO MANY WAYS THAT IT TAKES AWAY FROM THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE. 80-90% OF GIRLS AND WOMEN FEEL ASHAMED AND UNCOMFORTABLE IN THEIR BODIES. IF ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE CAN EDUCATE US ABOUT THIS ISSUE THAT LEAVES US FEELING TERRIBLE ABOUT OURSELVES THAN I AM GRATEFUL TO YOUR MAGAZINE FOR MAKING IT HAPPEN. I FOUND THIS ARTICLE VERY INFORMATIVE AND USEFUL AND I HAVE ALREADY CALLED DR. BISSOON FOR AN APPOINTMENT.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTo woman62, Chrome Girl, and bhd:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDo you really need to stoop to accusations of ignorance and indifference to validate the content of this article?
If it helps you to demonize me a little less, you might be interested to know that my wife is a psychiatrist and therapist specializing in eating disorders. So yes - I do know the trauma and importance attached to image, and yes - I understand very well the desperation for medical means to reduce cellulite for physical and psychological health.
I am not lambasting the quality of this article because I don't care about cellulite issues -- I am doing so because the content is unscientific, unhelpful, and misleading to so many of those who actually could use some practical, evidence-based guidance on this issue.
Can we talk about the content of the article's claims, please, instead of assuming people dislike it simply because they are males?
Thank you.
bhd.... have you thought about switching to decaf?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPart of the article WAS useful. That would be the part about a healthy diet and exercise. As with all obesity issues there are no short cuts, no miracle cures. Eat right and exercise.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCould have sworn that the name of this site is Scientific American. Just trying to figure out where this non-scientific article fits in with the supposed purpose of the website.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDespite the science present in this article there is a serious lack of rational thinking displayed by Lionel Bissoon, which calls into question his reliability in providing valid scientific information. Here's one example:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"What I try to do is find old picture books, women in the 1950s or 1960s&. When you find these pictures, women had perfect legs. And back in the '40s and '50s they didn't have the computer programs to retouch those photos."
Lionel Bissoon wanted to find evidence that cellulite is the result of "evolution" in an industrial society (I'm ignoring his misunderstanding or bastardisation of the concept of evolution), so he looked at old photos and concluded that because women in those photos didn't show cellulite, women didn't have cellulite. This is a clear case of confirmation bias; he didn't consider pictures and paintings which show that women's legs were not "perfect" in the past. There are innumerable such examples (Google image search returns many).
He also ignored another possibility that immediately came to my mind. Airbrushing.
To be fair maybe Lionel did consider all of that, and maybe he even said so to Katherine when she interviewed him but it just didn't make it through the editing process. Whatever the case, the unscientific nature of Lionel's discourse, not to mention the discredited nature of homeopathic treatment, reflects poorly on Scientific American.
bbrian2,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCome on and let's see how you deconstruct this article that you claim to be "uninformative and misleading". Can you please begin how you think the answer to question 1 and 3 are "uninformative and misleading". And why you think it is not fit for Scientific American. Are you a biochemist? If you are, do enlighten us more about this article.
The question here is one of SciAm's integrity. Using questionable and fraudulent alternative-medicine claims as basis for articles is a tremendous hindrance to those of us who care enough to fight homeopathic lunacy and woo-woo voodoo mumbo jumbo.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWait a minute, you interviewed a homeopathic practitioner for an article in a ~scientific~ magazine?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHello, is anybody there?! What's going on in the offices of SciAm?
Must....cancel.....subscription
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHomeopathic injections????
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt has been shown countless times, in real, rigorous scientific trials, that homoeopathy is dangerous at worst, and placebo effect at best.
If this guy is going to inject water , then he should say so.
Shame on Scientific American for giving air time to quackery and deception.
Refresh my memory - how many anecdotes makes evidence, again?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis article is not worthy of Sci Am. If such nonsense continues, Sci Am is not worthy of my continued subscription.
to all of the commenters whining that people should not criticize this article because women are assaulted by unrealistic body images/expectations: does it occur to you that the problem is with those expectations, not with women's real bodies? why respond to what you clearly recognize as an unhealthful societal norm by putting your body through unscientific treatments to try to meet those expectations that you know are stupid and unrealistic? you're just feeding the beast and helping these quacks to build an industry around it! why not teach women not to be ashamed of normal, healthy bodies instead?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisand to sciam: this really does take the cake as the scuzziest thing i've ever seen from you guys.
I didn't know SciAm was publishing advertorials for the quackery.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThat's sad!
I thought this was SCIENTIFIC American. Why are you quoting purveyors of homeopathy? And what is that nonsense about cellulite being a product of a sedentary culture? The term "cellulite" isn't even a medical term - it's a cosmetic term. in the medical community, it's called fat.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is not science!!!! A trash...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe author did learn nothing about conective tissue!
Isn't the physics concept of "black hole" logically and/or physically inconsistent with the cosmological concept of the "big bang"?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf energy cannot escape from the singularity that marks a single "black hole" how could it possibly escape from the singularity that marks the origin of the "big bang" (and all black holes)?
To my non-quantitative understanding something does not add up.
Unspeakable sadness at the clear realization that a magazine which I have relied on to inform me on matters scientific for many years has degenerated irretrievably into science pornography. I can't say I haven't noticed the symptoms of degeneration for a few years now; but this article is the final straw.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this@Jim B. Wait, What? What does that have to do with a discussion on cellulite and whether the article in question is even remotely good science or not (it isn't by the way and to all the people defending the article and using the ad hominem attack of "you're a guy, you don't understand" check out http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=7216 for a woman's take on this article). Apparently you've never heard of Hawking radiation. Black holes can fall apart, just because light can't escape doesn't mean that the black hole is somehow infinite. Next time, do a google search before spouting off about things that you obviously know nothing about.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisas a long time massage therapist I have met no one or seen any evidence that what this article says is the definitive truth on this matter
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisoops that was a perhaps unclear - try again - as a long time working massage therapist I have met no one who fully substantiates what this man claims is the definitive truth about cellulite
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOh my.......where should I begin?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFirst of all, before Dr. Bissom's fans go off on me for being a man who hates all women and has no understanding of them, I would like you to know that I am female. I have also had an eating disorder and have managed to come out the other side of it with a healthy diet. Of course, in the scientific world neither of these things should matter, but you don't seem to be interested in applying rational methods to this matter so I thought I'd throw that information out there. One CAN obviously take a scientific approach to studying cellulite, but this fellow has not done so.
I am deeply saddened to see Scientific American printing an article that has so little real scientific content or rational thought. The first poor decision came when you decided to interview someone who practices homeopathy, which has been pretty thoroughly debunked. To somehow claim that as expertise would be laughable if it weren't so tragic that a science magazine is doing it. Really, you're going to let him claim photos from the 1950s as scientific research without pressing him hard about it? You're going to let him do the same when he just says he's just randomly observed women in developing countries as they go to get water -- you're going to let that pass as solid science? You're going to let him prattle on about underwear without stats to back up his claims?
At least he gives the good advice of advocating a healthy diet and exercise.
I am very, very disappointed.
What an informative article! Thanks, Katherine Harmon.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIck. This is terrible reporting. I'm so disappointed! I hope this kind of misinformation doesn't pervade the print edition. It doesn't take too much research to discover that this doctor's claims are not supported by any actual science. And the baseless cultural biases are stunning!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFellow ladies, eat healthy, love how you look, and for goodness sake, do your own research.
SciAm, shame on you.
Anger? You are the one yelling.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnyone who needs yet another article telling them to eat right and exercise is not going to do any way.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe author of this article contradicts himself, first saying thin people get cellulite then blaming it on diet and obesity. I had cellulite when I was a teenager. I only weighed 99lb, hardly obese and I didnt eat a lot of soy products.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCould it be just part of being a woman?
As for inactivity, I have seen tennis players that were lean but still had cellulite.
I am a personal trainer. I am not overweight and I still have cellulite.
It would be best to print articles that are fully researched with scientific support for statements made and ones that don't contradict themselves.
To all those who blasted the other commentators for being insensitive guys: I'm a woman, and I found this snake-oil-salesman's pitch deeply offensive. With all those gullible, uninformed housewives paying this creep for 'therapies' that haven't a scientific chance in hell of working, it's no wonder we're all being labelled as fickle, insecure wannabe supermodels. Bissoon: go back to your high school biology text, and pay attention this time!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis whole science of beauty issue is a disaster. You can get more serious science writing, more depth and more balanced reporting in Vogue or Harper's Bazaar. Scientific American what happened to you?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe all dance to our genes. Women, we manipulate our bodies to attract the best mate...this is all science - you see this in most species, nevermind cultures.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTo the average male, the cellulite article is jibberish. To the average female it's gold. Why? Because we dance to our genes and we want to attract the best mate, to make the best babies and in the best conditions... and if I want to do that having cottage cheese legs is not going to help. Especially since males are visual...I'm not going to win you over with my personality if you can't get over my jelly.
Wow...not a great article SciAm. I expected more real content than the drivel in this piece...I might as well have been reading Cosmo in the dentist's waiting room. And btw, to say women didn't have cellulite before the 70's (paraphrasing) as supposedly evidenced by photos is absurd! Compare digital photo technology with your average Brownie camera and I promise you "imperfections" with be more apparent.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWow...not a great article SciAm. I expected more real content than the drivel in this piece...I might as well have been reading Cosmo in the dentist's waiting room. And btw, to say women didn't have cellulite before the 70's (paraphrasing) as supposedly evidenced by photos is absurd! Compare digital photo technology with your average Brownie camera and I promise you "imperfections" with be more apparent.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWow...not a great article SciAm. I expected more real content than the drivel in this piece...I might as well have been reading Cosmo in the dentist's waiting room. And btw, to say women didn't have cellulite before the 70's (paraphrasing) as supposedly evidenced by photos is absurd! Compare digital photo technology with your average Brownie camera and I promise you "imperfections" with be more apparent.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI would just like to say that as a physician and recent graduate from an osteopathic medical school, I do not agree with this article. First, osteopathic medical training is not synonymous with practicing "alternative" forms of medicine. Our training is based in the same scientific knowledge and practice guidelines as that of allopathic physicians. Second, the author does contradict himself, most glaringly to me when in one paragraph he attributes cellulite to loss of estrogen and in another he states that teenage girls get cellulite because of an overproduction of estrogen. Overall, I think this is a poorly written and possibly detrimental article. Cellulite is a condition largely influenced by genetics and many women, no matter their size, will never get rid of their cellulite despite what they eat or how much they exercise. To suggest otherwise is irresponsible.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnd apparently, he has a book: http://www.amazon.com/Cellulite-Cure-TM-Lionel-Bissoon/dp/097648210X
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf you get more and relevant information about cellulite then visit:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://hubpages.com/hub/Big-cellulite-myth-dispelled?done
http://cellulite-treatment.weebly.com/
http://cellulilte.wetpaint.com/
http://www.squidoo.com/cellulitetalk
If you want to get more information about cellulite then visit:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://hubpages.com/hub/Big-cellulite-myth-dispelled?done
http://cellulite-treatment.weebly.com/
http://cellulilte.wetpaint.com/
http://www.squidoo.com/cellulitetalk
You may find natural home remedies from cellulite at <a href="http://Going-Well.com">Going-Well.com<a/>
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBoth aerobic and weight lifting can do wonders on getting rid or minimize cellulite in our legs and other parts of the body. Read it all here. http://www.female-workout.com/female-workout/an-effective-way-to-remove-cellulites-%E2%80%93-it%E2%80%99s-not-cosmetic-surgery
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBoth aerobic and weight lifting can do wonders on getting rid or minimize cellulite in our legs and other parts of the body. Read it all here. http://www.female-workout.com/female-workout/an-effective-way-to-remove-cellulites-%E2%80%93-it%E2%80%99s-not-cosmetic-surgery
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat about the drug AICAR, that show promising results used in genetic engineering mice to burn fat without excersize, and may be applied to humans?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat about the drug AICAR, that show promising results used in genetic engineering mice to burn fat without excersize, and may be applied to humans?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFor an investigative story that reviews peer-reviewed medical literature on cellulite, check out this 2005 New YOrk Times piece (yes 2005!) What is Scientific America thinking?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.jessicaseigel.com/articles/dove.shtml
Great article, but it's not a "cross-linked" fence, it's commonly called a "chain link fence" and also "saddlebags" are not actually a body part on a woman. I was wondering what part of the body it refers to, actually. If one were in the position of a rider, it would seem to suggest flab around the stomach area, but I googled it (I'm a woman, but thankfully, not one with "saddlebags"). So I guess it means fat on the outside of the thighs for any other mystified readers. The other thing is, the area itself is not called a saddlebag unless it's already hugely flabby - that is, they don't exist at all in women who don't have them, so you can't legitimately say, "cellulite gathers in a woman's saddlebags" because by definition there's no saddlebag for the cellulite to accrue within until it's already there. Granted this is a nit point in an otherwise nice article that I intend to reference in my blog for more women to read :-)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI feel sad for all the people who accept this drivel as fact. I have a great deal on a bridge for sale to anyone who believes this article.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe question is "can I get rid of cellulite" and the answer is yes you can control cellulite, but like being over weight there is nothing that you can take once like a pill, and the problem will disappear!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou need to alter your diet and lifestyle but not in a big way.
20 mins of the right types of exercise will help go and have a look for your self!!!http://bestridofcellulite.com/can-i-get-rid-of-cellulite
Cellulite is not forever and here is a simple and safe way to get rid of it!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this<a href="http://ae317-o-twmhklcgy4dceh-s71.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_top">Click Here!</a>
I don't think the cellulite will be forever,if we take a proper diet as well as exercise.We should not eat oil food as it has lot of fatty acids which makes our body look more fat.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.cellulite-treatment-info.com
I don't think the cellulite will be forever,if we take a proper diet as well as exercise.We should not eat oil food as it has lot of fatty acids which makes our body look more fat.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.cellulite-treatment-info.com
I don't think the cellulite will be forever,if we take a proper diet as well as exercise.We should not eat oil food as it has lot of fatty acids which makes our body look more fat.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.cellulite-treatment-info.com
I don't think the cellulite will be forever,if we take a proper diet as well as exercise.We should not eat oil food as it has lot of fatty acids which makes our body look more fat.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.cellulite-treatment-info.com
I don't think the cellulite will be forever,if we take a proper diet as well as exercise.We should not eat oil food as it has lot of fatty acids which makes our body look more fat.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.cellulite-treatment-info.com
I don't think the cellulite will be forever,if we take a proper diet as well as exercise.We should not eat oil food as it has lot of fatty acids which makes our body look more fat.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.cellulite-treatment-info.com
I don't think the cellulite will be forever,if we take a proper diet as well as exercise.We should not eat oil food as it has lot of fatty acids which makes our body look more fat.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.cellulite-treatment-info.com