Synonyms
Cellulite engl. : orange skinAn orange skin is a dented skin structure spread over a larger area of the skin, which appears under the skin due to weakness of the connective tissue. The skin consists of the different layers epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous tissue.
In women, the fatty tissue responsible for cellulite effects lies directly under the subcutis. Connective tissue strands separate individual fat depots from each other. Under the monthly influence of female hormones (estrogens), the connective tissue strands begin to swell and shrink irregularly, which leads to a lifting and lowering of the subcutis.
The various forms of swelling and receding do not occur symmetrically, so that there are areas of connective tissue that are swollen at a certain point in time, while another, possibly even adjacent area, is swollen. This leads to the lifting of the smooth, firm structure of the superficial skin and thus to the formation of dents in the corresponding areas of the skin. If there is a slight irregularity in the skin structure, metabolic imbalances lead to an intensification of the effect.
These metabolic processes include blood and lymph circulation. If there is a swelling of the connective tissue structures and an inflation of the fat cells, blood and lymph fluid can no longer circulate in the way they used to. As a result, more fluid is squeezed into the surrounding tissue, which leads to swelling of the tissue surrounding the cellulite area and further increases the denting effect. This topic may also be of interest to you: Strengthening connective tissue through nutrition
Staging
One can distinguish three different levels of orange peel skin (cellulite). If dents are not otherwise visible, but if two skin folds are actively pressed together and unevenness becomes visible, this is usually referred to as stage 1. If the dents are only visible when standing and when lying down, they are called stage 2.
Cellulitic skin changes visible when standing or lying down are called stage 3. Cellulite (orange peel skin) is not a skin disease but rather a structural change that is often treated for cosmetic reasons. From a biological point of view, the different skin structure of men and women has the effect that, due to the fat accumulation in women under the subcutis, the skin is usually more elastic and in procedures that require increased elasticity (e.g. childbirth), a yielding of the skin can be ensured.
Due to the different fat proportions of the body or the different distribution of fatty subcutaneous tissue, there are some areas of the body that are preferentially affected by cellulite skin changes. These include the legs and buttocks as the main areas. Due to the different structure of the skin in men and women, women are most frequently affected by orange peel skin (cellulite), since the fat deposits responsible for cellulite are located directly under the subcutaneous tissue, in contrast to male skin, and are delimited by connective tissue structures that can swell.
In addition to the different skin structure, women also have a higher estrogen level, which leads to the swelling and decongesting of fat cells depending on the cycle. Since female hormones are considered the main trigger for cellulite, the first skin dents in women begin with the onset of puberty. In most cases, no cellulite areas are visible at the beginning of the first increased estrogen release.
With advancing age, the redistribution processes of blood and lymph take place, resulting in further swelling of the surrounding skin areas, making cellulite more visible. This usually occurs between the ages of 20 and 30 years. Depending on how high the total subcutaneous fat content of the body is, the cellulite changes will become more or less pronounced in the further course of time.
The more fat an affected person has, the more pronounced the orange peel skin becomes. Orange peel skin (cellulite) affects 80-90% of all women of different age groups.