Cellulite has been given many nicknames due to its texture: cottage cheese or orange peel skin, pincushion skin, the mattress phenomenon, hail damage. This common and harmless condition causes lumpy or dimpled flesh to form in certain areas like the thighs, hips, buttocks, breasts, lower abdomen, and upper arms.
Cellulite can appear on people—predominantly women—of all body types, including those who are fit and slim. Hormones, genetics, age, weight, eating habits, and the amount of collagen and elastin you naturally have in your skin are all factors that play a role in whether or not you develop cellulite.
The term “cellulite” originated in France more than 150 years ago and began appearing in English language publications in the late 1960s. On a clinical level, cellulite describes dimpling of skin caused by the protrusion of subcutaneous fat into the dermis. This creates an undulating look on the surface.
Put more simply, the condition is marked by small pits or divots in the skin that appear as the skin around them pushes outward due to large fat cells beneath.
Are you wondering, “Why do I have cellulite if I’m thin?” Remember that the real culprit is not fat, but connective bands—known as septae—that stretch from the underside of the surface of the skin to the tissues below. Think of septae as small columns found throughout the skin. They are essentially immobile, which is part of the problem. If they are surrounded by fat cells that are growing in volume, they remain resolutely fixed in place, as does the small spot skin above. If you have ever noticed a chair or couch cushion with a dimple sunken into a surface otherwise puffed out with stuffing, you get the idea. The fat cells push up against the connective tissues of the skin, which is what causes the dimpling or puckering.
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