The 'orange peel' effect seen on some people's thighs and buttocks are fat cells beneath the skin and is known by the general term 'cellulite'; the thighs and buttocks might be the main areas that experience this but it can actually be found anywhere. This is not a situation purely confined to those who carry excess weight; the cottage cheese appearance so familiar with this condition can affect slim women as well.

The fats just below the skin surface push against the tissue which results in the skin surface having that dimpled look common of cellulite. In reality, nobody knows the real reason why some people accumulate these fats and not others, but there are some factors that health experts are considering such as the structure of the fat cells or toxins that enter the body.

Two components of the skin that decrease with age are elastin and collagen, both of which may be responsible for the increase of these fatty cells as women grow older. The condition is almost exclusive to women and has been attributed to hormonal changes that take place as a woman gets older as the fat in the thighs and buttocks of men is the same as fat found in other parts of their bodies.

Often the cellulite goes unnoticed and it is only when a person's muscles are compressed or the skin is pinched that it can be seen and felt but women should not feel depressed about the problem as most suffer with it to a greater or lesser degree. There are several factors that contribute to the build-up; genetics probably, gender, the amount of excess fats in your body, age is a major factor and the thickness of the skin are all instrumental to its presence and just how visible it is, even at a distance.

One thing for sure is that technology has not as yet devised a miracle potion or treatment that can eradicate it completely. Where cellulite removal massage is offered at a clinic, all that is done is deep tissue massage which just masks the affect so it cannot be seen as readily.

Another technique used to remove the fat cells, but not that successfully, is liposuction which is used to remove excess fat in the body but a method called mesotherapy which injects chemicals into the fat cells is still too expensive for most people who desire it. However, these are only temporary measures so do not provide permanent relief and liposuction is really only efficient for deeper based fats and not those close to the surface as with cellulite.

There isn't one single therapy or treatment that can rid someone of these fat deposits and even special burning creams provide dubious results; however the most recent creams available seem to just hide the effects or offer a temporary fix. Many people believe that the only realistic way to reduce the amount of fatty tissue a person has is to follow a controlled diet plan and exercise regularly which will gradually burn off much of the body fat including that found in the tissues of the thighs and buttocks.

Many toxins that accumulate in the body can be flushed out with regular amounts of water which some believe is still an effective way to keep the body free of harmful substances including the toxins which help with the formation of cellulite.