What causes cellulite?

The outermost layer of skin, or epidermis, covers and protects the dermis—the layer that contains the blood vessels, hair follicles, sweat glands, nerve receptors and connective tissue. Underneath the dermis are three layers of subcutaneous fat. The uppermost layer of this fat is where cellulite originates.

The fat cells in this uppermost layer have a distinct structure, rather like standing columns or chambers separated by connective tissues. The fat held in these chambers tends to push upwards, like a muffin rising from its cup, into the overlying dermis. These protrusions give rise to the unevenness that gives skin the characteristic bumpy or dimpled appearance.

By contrast, unfair as it may be, a man’s uppermost layer of subcutaneous fat is assembled in a manner that does not cause protrusions into the dermis. Men also have thicker epidermal and dermal tissue layers in their thighs and buttocks, contributing to a more smooth appearance.

Fat cells and uncoupling proteins

A recently discovered protein, known as uncoupling protein or UCP, has drawn the attention of molecular biologists studying thermogenesis (fat burning) in the human body. UCPs are present in the membrane of the mitochondria (“power houses”) of each cell and play a significant role in promoting the use of fat to generate energy. Unfortunately, the number of UCPs within the fat cells drops as we age, and the efficiency of those that remain is reduced, leading researchers to speculate this may contribute to the increase in bodyfat and cellulite as we grow older. At least partly responsible for this drop in activity is the presence of an enzyme called inducible NO synthase or iNOS. iNOS contributes to the production of nitric oxide in the body, which curtails the action of UCPs.

Cellulite control

Xanthoxylin, a substance extracted from the Sichuan pepper plant, has been found in laboratory studies to inhibit the action of iNos. This results in an increase in UCP action within the fat cells, and associated increased burn-off of fats.

Trials undertaken by the Pierre Fabre Research Institute—the researchers behind new Elancyl Cellu/reverse— recorded similarly impressive results when Cellu/reverse was applied to the hips, stomach, buttocks and thighs just once a day for 14 days. In one study, involving 61 women aged 25 to 45, 82 percent of the participants experienced a slimming effect, with a loss of up to 3.3 cm around the hips noted. In a similar study involving 81 women aged 18 to 65, 90 percent of the participants reported a visible smoothing effect of the orange-peel skin and observed that their skin was more even-toned and hydrated.

Elancyl Cellu/reverse, available from the Specialty Skincare section of the London Drugs cosmetic department, also contains blood flow stimulators (including caffeine) and skin firming ingredients. Applied to the skin in the morning, the pleasantly scented green slimming serum is formulated to bring results in as little as two weeks.