Synonyms
orange skin engl. : orange skin
One speaks of cellulite or orange peel skin when there are dent-like changes in various parts of the body. This is caused by fat chambers lying directly under the subcutaneous tissue, which are separated from each other by connective tissue strands.
If the female hormone oestrogen is released during the cycle, the strands begin to swell. As this does not happen evenly, there are elevations at one point and flattening at the other; the typical dimpled skin structure develops. This effect is further intensified by altered metabolic layers.
If the fat chambers swell up, blood and lymph fluid can no longer flow past the fat chambers properly. Fluid is squeezed out, which in turn leads to a swelling of the surrounding tissue. The cellulitic effect is thereby intensified.
Since women, unlike men, have their fat directly under the subcutaneous tissue, they are more affected by cellulite (orange peel skin) than men. 80-90% of all women complain of cellulite changes. Due to the distribution of fat, areas on the legs and buttocks are particularly affected.
Cellulite (orange peel skin) is not a disease, but rather a structural change of the skin, which in itself does not cause any complaints. The first symptoms of cellulite are small dents in the skin, preferably on the legs and buttocks, when two skin folds are pressed together at this point. As cellulite progresses, dents form when standing. The dents are not visible when lying down. Dents are also visible when standing and are the full picture of cellulite.
Diagnosis
Cellulite (diagnosis) is a diagnosis of the gaze. A further clarification is not necessary. A proven therapy for cellulite is not known. There are countless approaches for therapies. None, however, has so far provided the desired convincing evidence of efficacy.
Creams
Numerous companies, mainly in the cosmetic industry, offer a variety of products that promise to alleviate and even cure cellulite (orange peel skin). Most anti-cellulite products are sold in the form of creams that buyers are supposed to apply to the affected areas. Application is usually recommended over a long period of time. Besides increasing the firmness of the skin and minimizing its elasticity, many creams try to prevent the cyclically released estrogen from swelling and decongesting by adding testosterone containing components. However, proofs of effectiveness are still pending.
Massages
A second approach to treatment is mechanical massage of the affected areas, which distributes swollen fat cells further into the surrounding tissue areas, thus making the skin more even. For this purpose, brushes manufactured by the cosmetic industry are available in the trade, the effectiveness of which is also questionable. The latest products combine both treatment approaches in the form of a tube with liquid cream which can be applied to the skin via a brush-like lid and brushed in at the same time.
Further additives of the creams may be ivy, silicon or ginkgo. Other approaches for cellulite treatment would be alternating showers with cold and warm water which are supposed to regulate the imbalanced blood circulation. Lymph drainage, which is actually used for serious diseases, can also attempt to bring the lymphatic flow conditions in the cellulite skin area back into balance.
Ultrasound wave therapy (ultrasound), also unproven, is said to have a skin tightening effect. Heat-generating thermal wraps or sea salt baths should also lead to a smoothing of the affected areas. Another approach to smoothing is the mechanical massage of the corresponding skin areas.
A prerequisite however is a regular application with relatively strong pressure on the skin. Besides thermal wraps there is an increasing tendency to believe that especially low temperatures lead to an improvement of the cosmetic results. Thereby, temperatures of -100 degrees Celsius are applied on the skin for a very short time. Also here there is no evidence for the effectiveness.
