Ah cellulite. That dimply looking skin that, if we’re going to have it, will usually make its presence known on the tops of our thighs and on our behinds. Most of us find it annoying, as it’s notoriously difficult to shift. It’s perfectly natural and harmless, yet we’d do anything to bid it good riddance.

Cellulite is formed when the fatty tissue we all have deep under the lower layers of our skin pushes up against the connective tissue that lays above it under the skin. The connective tissue is formed a little bit like a lattice, and is made from proteins including collagen and elastin. 

These proteins form a ‘scaffold’ for the skin to sit on, and as we grow older, this framework begins to weaken as we naturally lose collagen. When the fatty tissue pushes against this weakened framework, it forms the dimples so familiar to those of us with cellulite.

Cellulite is thought to affect 85% of all women over the age of 21, and it’s more common in women than in men. So, if anything, we hope that stat makes you feel better if you’re one of the whopping 85%!

There are some remedies that can help to “reduce the appearance of cellulite”. Here’s our pick of the bunch…

1. Stay hydrated – not drinking enough water can make the skin dehydrated, which will make cellulite appear worse, so keep up with those eight glasses a day!
2. Regular exercise – exercise burns calories and helps to replace fat with lean muscle mass – the less fat we have, the less obvious our cellulite. In particular, aim for lower body resistance exercises such as squats, step ups and lunges.
3. Eat healthily – filling up on lean protein, starchy carbs, fruits, vegetables, and small amounts of healthy fats means eating a diet naturally low in fat and sugar that will help to reduce our fat reserves. The less dietary fat we consume, the lower our own fat reserves.
4. Have regular massages - massage helps to encourage the work of our lymphatic drainage system that gets rid of toxins and other waste products from the fatty layers of the skin. This is great for healthy looking skin, but regular massage can also help to stretch out the skin and improve its tone and iron out some dimpling. This will only be effective with regular massage, so try to massage your skin using a massage tool in the shower each day.
5. Dry body brushing – in the same way as a massage, dry body brushing using a loofah will help to improve skin tone and appearance. Perform this daily on dry skin before getting into the shower.
6. Get a caffeine Fix – and by this, we mean externally. Coffee scrubs are everywhere now and, as well as the body brushing effect, the caffeine is thought to help temporarily tighten and plump up the skin.
7. Forget about it - even the leanest and fittest among us have cellulite, and part of owing our goals is owning our bodies, whatever their shape or size, despite us dieting and exercising. If you have cellulite and you’re owning your goals, then well done! You’re owning it, and that’s the name of the game.