Question: what causes cellulite and thred veins. and how can you stop them!?

Amy Evans answered on 12 Jun 2012:

Hi 09wheatleyc

Cellulite is caused by fat being deposited in the body and affecting the other tissues under the skin so that a dimpled appearance is caused. Genetics, how thick your skin is, the amount of body fat you have, where this body fat is strored throughout your body and how old you are can all have an effect on the extent to which cellulite is present or visible. Cellulite is also more common in women because of how the tissues under the skin are structured. The body naturally stores fat becuase it can use fat to make energy when energy is needed but not readily available so this is a completely natural process.

Eating healthily so that the body doesn’t store lots of fat, doing exercise so that the body can burn calories and so not store so much fat may help to prevent cellulite developing. There are treatments to reduce the appearance of cellulite by massaging or lasering the skin and so breaking down the fat cells, but very importantly the scientific evidence behind them is very poor.

Thread veins are enlarged blood vessels which have always been present in the body but become more visible. this might be due to the skin or fat above them becoming thinner. Exercising regularly, avoiding standing on your feet for long periods and avoiding being overwieght can all help to avoid developing thread veins.

Lots of people develop cellulite and/or thread veins; even top supermodels get cellulite so it’s completely natural.