What causes cellulite?

How cellulite develops is not clear, although several factors—sex, genetics, and lifestyle—are believed to be involved. A February 2019 review in the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology by Neil Sadick, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, cites possible causes ranging from vascular changes and inflammatory factors to hormonal changes and structural issues.

Dr. Chapas explains that the way females store fat differs from males.“We have fat in our thighs that’s stored in little columns, like an old mattress,” she says. “As our body ages, the fat kind of puckers out a little bit, and the skin thins, so you see more of this cottage cheese rippling effect.”

In men, the bands that hold connective tissue in place are arranged in a “zigzag pattern,” according to a July 2012 review in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology. If you do a pinch test on the thigh of a woman and a man, the female will develop peaks and valleys characteristic of a mattress, according to the review, while the male will only have “folds and furrows.”

Hormones may also have a hand in the matter. Case in point: While men typically don’t develop cellulite, guys with lower levels of male sex hormones, including those taking hormone-suppression therapy for prostate cancer, can develop it, Dr. Robinson points out.

Source:

1- Health

2- Healthline