Cellulite

Britt enjoys walking her dog and hopes to visit Egypt someday. At 17, she is all flowing brown hair and doe eyes as she poses for the camera in the June 1970 issue of Penthouse. In the photo, she is resting on her knees, looking petulantly into the camera and making no effort to disguise her dimply thighs. That's right: Even Penthouse Pets aren't immune to cellulite. And why should they be? An estimated 95 percent of women have it.

It has been marketed as a condition - and even as a disease - but the truth is that cellulite isn't indicative of anything unhealthy. In fact, it's the same fat that causes those adorable dimples on a baby's bum. So stop worrying about your own little dimples - cellulite is a normal part of being a woman, and getting rid of it is hit-and-miss. Here's what you need to know.

what it is

The word cellulite (from the French word cellule, or 'little cell') was foreign to North American women until the 1973 publication of Cellulite: Those Lumps, Bumps and Bulges You Couldn't Lose Before by New York salon owner Nicole Ronsard. Suddenly, women were frantic to rid their bodies of what was previously considered as normal as having freckles or body hair.

What we've come to know as cellulite is just plain old subcutaneous fat." If you look at it under a microscope, there are fibrous strands of tissue that come up between the fat cells and attach to the bottom layer of the skin," says Dr. Frances Jang, a dermatologist in Vancouver. Just as with sewing a button on a cushion, it causes the surface of the skin to appear puckered. Cellulite most often appears on the upper thighs, buttocks and abdomen. "It's absolutely not a disease of any kind," says Dr. Stacy Irvine, a health and fitness expert in Toronto. "In fact, if you're comparing the two types of fat, cellulite is healthier than visceral fat, which surrounds your organs."

who gets it

Women of all ages and sizes get cellulite. Models, dancers and Hollywood starlets have it. "Cellulite affects those who are more heavy-set, but we also see it in fit and trim individuals," says Jang. Sure, some very obese men may have cellulite, but it's largely a girls-only club. Theories suggest that this is due to our different hormonal makeup and the fact that our skin is thinner than that of men, making its appearance more obvious. Genetics play a role, too.

what you can do

The first thing you can do is try to stop being so freaked out by your cellulite. But if you're really bothered by it, here are your options. (Be warned, though, that there's absolutely no such thing as a quick fix, so don't bother investing in those cellulite-melting jeans or magical shoes you've read about.)

exercise

Some women are able to effectively get rid of their cellulite through exercise; others can be in top physical condition and still have it (they can thank their genes for that). If your thighs are driving you mad, it never hurts to start working out, but don't think you can spot-reduce cellulite. "I've seen women sit on the inner-thigh machine for 40 minutes because they think that will get rid of their inner-thigh cellulite, but it won't," says Irvine. "You can never choose where you'll lose fat, including cellulite, so focus on an all-over program that will build large muscle groups and improve your fat-to-muscle ratio." The two essential components to losing fat are weight training and cardio. "Increasing your lean body mass means weight training with fewer repetitions," says Irvine. "It's not the usual 20 to 30 reps that women like to do. Instead, it's eight reps in which you're really tired by the end of them." The other element to a successful fat-burning workout is intense cardio. "This increases your basal metabolic rate, so you burn more calories than you take in," says Irvine. "That's going to cause fat cells to shrink." Generally, if you stop working out, cellulite may return. "Make a change that you can deal with for the rest of your life," says Irvine, who recommends enlisting the help of a personal trainer to set up a program that is realistic for you.