cellulite

Dimply skin is adorable on teeny baby bottoms, but when we find it on our own, it's just not as cute. Check out these tidbits about cellulite to learn the facts about what causes this type of fat and what really works if you're looking to get rid of it.

1. It's much more common in woman than in men because of the way our fat, muscle, and connective tissues are distributed. About 80 to 90 percent of women have it, including celebs like Jillian Michaels.
2. Why does it look lumpy? When fat cells push up against our skin, and the fibrous tissue that connects our skin to our muscle pulls down, it causes that uneven appearance.
3. It's most commonly seen around the thighs and tush, but it can be found on the breasts, lower belly, and upper arms as well.
4. Cellulite ranges in severity from slight bumps to an extremely wavy orange-peel texture. Some women will only see it if they squeeze their skin or when sitting down, while others may have very obvious uneven skin with deep dimples or crevices.
5. It's a myth that skinny people don't have cellulite.
6. If you have thin skin, cellulite will be more visible.
7. If you're on the pill or using another type of hormonal contraception, it can increase your risk for developing cellulite.
8. Hormonal changes that occur when you become a mother can also trigger cellulite.

Keep reading to find out what else triggers cellulite and what really helps get rid of it.

From lipo to smoothing creams to compression leggings to procedures that freeze fat, there's no shortage of cellulite treatments out there. Some are invasive and some insanely expensive, and many take time to work.

Now there's a new cellulite treatment on the block that's gained recent FDA approval for use in the US since Jan 30, 2012 (used in Europe since early last year). Cellulaze is the first one-time laser treatment approved by the FDA to diminish cellulite. When the connective tissue bands under your skin stiffen, it causes the fat cells they surround to become larger and push up into the skin, which causes that dimpled look. Cellulaze is different from other procedures because it treats the fibrous bands beneath the skin, which prevents them from pulling down and causing the uneven appearance. The technique also stimulates collagen production, which thickens and adds elasticity to the skin.

Keep reading to learn more about this procedure and to find out how much Cellulaze costs.

If you've dieted and exercised but can't seem to get rid of your stubborn muffin top or saddlebags, the FDA-approved CoolSculpting treatment may be for you. Developed by Harvard scientists, the nonsurgical and painless weight loss procedure essentially freezes your fat away without damaging your skin. It's not helpful for big weight loss but may be perfect for those struggling with resistant areas they want to spot treat.

A noninvasive applicator sucks on the area being treated, and for an hour your fat cells are lowered to a temperature that kills them but leaves your skin cells unharmed. As a result, the fat cells stop working and are metabolized over time — it takes two to four months to see a 20 percent reduction in fat in the treated area. Patients will experience a firm pulling sensation, intense cold, and pressure during the procedure and mild bruising afterward, but there's no recovery time necessary.

Keep reading to find out how much CoolSculpting costs.

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Dimples on your face? Adorable! On your thighs and butt? Well, not so much.

Cellulite is a genetic reality for almost 90 percent of women, which is why we're always intrigued and — we'll admit it — tempted by products such as these Turbocell Leggings. The manufacturer claims the compression technology will "micro-massage" away cellulite, reducing dimples by 20 percent and taking 2 inches off your thighs and butt.

The catch: You must wear the leggings eight hours a day, for eight weeks. And could they possibly work anyway? To find out if they're brilliant or bogus, we spoke to two leading cellulite experts.

The first thing to understand is what, exactly, cellulite is.

"If you imagine your skin . . . under that skin is a subcutaneous fatty layer and the next layer is the fascia, a shiny surface that overlies the muscle," says Barry M. Weintraub, MD, spokesman for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. "From the back of the skin, going through the fat and attaching to the fascia layer are bands called fibrous bands. Those fibrous bands keep the skin sitting where it needs to be."

When you gain weight, the number of fat cells don't increase (you're born with a set number), rather the size of the cells increase so they can store more fat in the individual cell. This pushes everything up around the back of the band, which can cause a dimple.

So, could the leggings be a magic bullet?

Celeb trainer Jillian Michaels is no stranger to cellulite. And neither is starlet Kim Kardashian. In fact, it's estimated that between 80 to 95 percent of women have cellulite somewhere on their body. If you've been worrying about a bit of dimpling on your backside, at least you know you're not alone. If knowledge is power, here are five things about cellulite to help you feel empowered about that unwanted dimpling.

1. From a purely medical standpoint, cellulite doesn't exist; it is nothing more than fat. The word cellulite is French and was first used in medical literature around 150 years ago.
2. Cellulite is more prominent in women than in men due to the structural differences of stored fat between the sexes. The connective tissues that create these storage units in men works on diagonals, where as we lucky ladies store our fat in a large vertical honeycomb like structure. This structural form unfortunately enhances the appearance of the dimples.
3. Here's the bad news — there is no way to get rid of cellulite. None of those creams, lotions, or rubs will get rid of the dimples caused by cellulite. Topical creams cannot penetrate the three layers of skin to eliminate the fat.

Learn what you can do about cellulite.

The Hills might be drawing to a close, but Lo Bosworth is just getting started. Along with sharing her relationship advice in some new ways — more on this in a sec — she's teaming up with Nivea for the Goodbye Cellulite challenge. Faithful Bella readers know that we think accepting cellulite is the best way to deal with it, but we wanted to see what the Hills star had to say. Lo and behold:

BellaSugar: So what is the Nivea Goodbye Cellulite challenge?
Lo Bosworth: It's a four-week program. The goal is to rid your body of whatever cellulite you don't want. Fitness, diet, using the product, and style — we think it's essential do to all four of those things. You'll see results in your skin tone in 10 days. The fitness and diet are essential. When you're eating healthy and exercising, you're going to look good and feel good. [See FitSugar for Lo's workout and eating plan.]

BS: OK, but something like 95 percent of women have cellulite. I always tell readers to stop worrying about dimples on their thighs, because there's no way to get rid of them. So if almost everyone has cellulite, is it really fair to say that it's a problem that needs to be solved?
LB: The verdict is out on whether you can ever completely banish cellulite, but if it bothers you and you can do something about it, why not? At the end of the day, that's what matters to me. I feel that with the program, we've included the other elements because you'll get better results. If you exercise and eat healthy for a month, you'll feel better.

To find out what's in Lo's makeup bag, keep reading.

Most people I know react very strongly — read: absolute adoration or total disgust — to the Kardashians. And even though I sit somewhere in the middle, I was surprised to see Kim on the latest cover of Shape, since I, like most people, am used to seeing her in more celebrity-driven publications or on her hit reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

Besides talking to Kim about her love for working out and eating right, the magazine relays Kim's message of embracing your body, regardless of size. There's also a great slideshow of the cardio sculpting workout Kim does with her trainer Gunnar Peterson. And while the reality star comes across as being positive, I wished they would have asked her why she continues to promote QuickTrim diet products with such vigor, and whether or not she thinks it sends a mixed message to her audience.

Find out what Kim said in the interview when you read more