CelluTone

While cellulite may go by a handful of different names—orange peel or cottage cheese skin, the mattress phenomenon, or even lumpy legs—the cause of it is the same from one person to the next. 

You don’t have to be overweight to experience cellulite. Plenty of thin women suffer from cellulite, especially as they begin to creep closer to pre-menopause and menopause, which causes a decrease in the female hormone estrogen. And you don’t have to be in your mid50s to bear the brunt of dimpled legs—the first effects of cellulite can crop up as young as your early 20s or even before that, which many experts attribute to an increase in estrogen, which causes the production of fat.

Estrogen plays a significant role in cellulite since it affects the blood vessels. As estrogen levels wane, they cause a loss of receptors in the blood vessels, leading to decreased circulation. With less oxygen and nutrients flowing through the lower body, there’s less of a supply of the elements needed to create and maintain healthy collagen. And on top of it, the fat cells in the areas can begin to swell. Once they push up through the bands of connective tissue, the skin looks lumpy and bumpy.

Men are less likely to bear the brunt of dimpled thighs because they don’t have as much estrogen in their bodies as women. Only 10 percent of men display symptoms of cellulite. Plus, the structure of connective tissue in women versus men is said to be more picketed (in men, it’s more like a chain-link fence), so the fat isn’t held in place as well. 

Of course, diet, exercise, and possibly genetics also play a role in the formation of cellulite, as does the thickness of the skin.