Losing weight may help you get rid of cellulite

August's Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), has come out with a study which states that weight loss may actually benefit our cellulite appearance... if we're one of the lucky ones that don't actually see the cellulite being aggravated.

One of the surgeons stated that although cellulite is not specific to overweight people, carrying excess weight may worsen the way cellulite looks and develops. The doctors found that in some cases, weight loss lead to an improvement in the appearance of cellulite, but it actually intensified the cellulite in some patients.

Does weight loss burn cellulite?

In this study, 29 overweight women were analyzed during a weight loss project which included liquid diets, low fat meals, medication and gastric bypass surgery. 17 of these patients have seen some improvement in the appearance of their cellulite, while 9 patients on the other hand, had seen their cellulite aggravate.

The differences between the patients who saw an improvement and the ones who saw their cellulite worsen was their BMI at the beginning and the amount of weight that they lost. The patients carrying more excess weight, with the biggest BMI had lost more weight and lowered their percentage of thigh fat. On the other hand, patients with lower BMI lost fewer pounds and did not notice any change in their percentage of thigh fat.

Skin elasticity and cellulite

Another important aspect in the appearance of cellulite is skin elasticity. Women with looser skin after weight loss experienced the worsening of cellulite.

What the study on cellulite actually tells us is that the more weight you lose, the better the results on cellulite reduction are. Keep in mind that although the appearance of cellulite improved, it was not completely eliminated. The dimples in the skin are permanent or at least seem to be permanent, but lose some of their depth as the pounds come off.