“I have been treating and researching cellulite for 24+ years now and I have to say that of course some men do get cellulite but much less often than women. There are various reasons for that, both genetic/structural but also due to hormones, lifestyle and overall state of health. For example, I have seen pretty bad cellulite in some men, usually a bit older (40s or so) and who usually underwent massive fluctuations in weight (±20kg of weight lost and gained several times). In other cases, men with thinner weaker connective tissue, lack of exercise and/or bad nutrition also displayed cellulite stage 1-2. This article explains the reasons why most women get cellulite and most men don’t.”
The causes of cellulite in women (and some men)
Men, women and cellulite | In summary
Why don't men get cellulite and women do?
Why men don’t get cellulite and women do: less collagen, more fat
How do you get cellulite? “Cellulite is trapped toxins” and other old wives’ tales
Why do I have so much cellulite? Aging itself causes cellulite
Why do women have cellulite? Weight gain causes cellulite (obviously).
Men have more collagen, women have more fat
Men have stronger collagen too
Women have more subcutaneous fat too
More fat contained in larger “parcels” and less collagen leads to biomechanical instability
How do you “strengthen the subdermal interface”?
Structural Gender-Dimorphism and the Biomechanics of the Gluteal Subcutaneous Tissue – Implications for the Pathophysiology of Cellulite
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Men, women and cellulite | In summary
Men are far less likely to develop cellulite because their connective tissue is stronger and they carry less fat beneath the skin. Women, however, are more vulnerable due to the effects of oestrogen, which weakens connective tissue and enlarges fat cells.
A study involving 20 men and 20 women aged 36–92 highlighted the differences clearly: women had 34% fewer collagen fibres and 57% larger fat lobules. These lobules push upwards while weaker collagen anchors fail to hold them back, creating the uneven surface associated with cellulite. Men’s collagen anchors were found to be 65% stronger, which helps keep their skin tighter and prevents fat from bulging. Women’s monthly cycle further breaks down collagen, adding to the problem.
The long-standing idea that cellulite is caused by “trapped toxins” is dismissed. If that were true, men—who generally smoke, drink and eat less carefully—would be more affected. Similarly, treatments such as lymphatic massage, suction machines and body wraps offer only temporary changes, since they address water retention rather than the real issues of fat and collagen.
Ageing also plays a role, as the skin’s dermis thins and fat lobules expand over time. Higher body weight makes cellulite worse, though slim women can still be affected. Women also have more subcutaneous fat, which puts extra pressure on collagen structures. According to the study, cellulite results from fat pushing outward against weakened collagen. Improving it means reducing fat and strengthening collagen through lifestyle changes or, clinically, with deep radiofrequency and ultrasound treatments.
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Why don't men get cellulite and women do?
These are common question we are asked at the clinic: “Can men have cellulite?'“ or “Why women have cellulite and men don’t?”.
And our answer has always been that women develop cellulite because they have weaker connective tissue and more and larger fat cells, due to the effect of female hormones.
Men, on the other hand, have much stronger connective tissue and much less hypodermal fat, so they normally do not develop cellulite.
In fact, a groundbreaking study has verified our approach and has shown that this is the reason why men don’t have cellulite and women do, explaining the exact mechanisms at play in women’s skin.
This study also confirms our approach to insist on high-power, deep-acting radio frequency to tighten the dermis and hypodermal structures and reduce fat accumulation at the same time.
And it also confirms our approach of using concentrated actives in our cellulite creams that stimulate collagen synthesis and fat release, such as forskolin, caffeine and gotu kola triterpenes (asiatic acid, asiaticoside, madecassic acid, madecassoside).
This is in contrast to the old fashioned way of focusing on temporary lymphatic drainage and vacuum suction mechanical massages, which tread water (excuse the pun) and achieve nothing in the end.
Why men don’t get cellulite and women do: less collagen, more fat
The study on 20 men and 20 women aged 36-92 years’ old, has shown that women have 34% less collagen fibres and 57% larger fat lobules in their hypodermis (the deepest skin layer) in relation to men.
The combination of larger fat lobules pushing the skin upwards and less collagen anchors that offer little resistance to said upward pressure of fat lobules, creates the appearance of cellulite.
As we will see below, this specific anatomy characterised by more fat and less collage, is due to the effect of estrogen on collagen metabolism occurring during the monthly cycle.
How do you get cellulite? “Cellulite is trapped toxins” and other old wives’ tales
This study also shows that the ‘cellulite is trapped toxins’ theory is yet another internet myth.
Men are actually less careful with their diet, alcohol and smoking. So if someone had to have lots of cellulite because of high consumption of toxins, that would have to be men, not women (and don’t tell me that that chocolate before one’s period is ‘toxins’, because it isn’t. It’s just fat and sugar).
This also shows why lymphatic massages, machine operated suction massages and body wraps do not ‘work’ or only work very temporarily: because they just focus on a temporary reduction of water retention.
Such treatments do not address the issue of fat accumulation combined with lack of collagen. These are the proverbial ‘elephants in the room’ when it comes to cellulite, according to this and several previous studies.
These toxin/poor circulation ideas developed several decades ago, based on some basic and obsolete studies about cellulite, which have been superseded by more modern, far better designed studies, including the one mentioned here.
Those old studies basically said that cellulite does not exist (as if people are blind) or that cellulite is only a case of poor circulation.
Pathetic…
The fact is that water retention is only one of the aspects of cellulite, with the main causal factors being more fat and less collagen.
Unfortunately, the public is usually 10-20 years behind the latest advances of science in this respect (as in almost everything to do with health and beauty) and people still waste their time with lymphatic massages, mechanical massages or “detox” body wraps to “get rid of cellulite”.
Why do I have so much cellulite? Aging itself causes cellulite
The study also demonstrates why cellulite develops more with age.
In the study, both older men and women have been found to have thinner dermis (middle skin layer).
Combine this with the gradual accumulation of superficial fat into the fat lobules that we mentioned above and you have an increasing occurrence of cellulite with age.
Of course, you can see young girls with cellulite, in which case other risk factors are much stronger than the risk factor of the thinner dermis.
Why do women have cellulite? Weight gain causes cellulite (obviously).
The scientists also found that the higher a woman’s body mass index (BMI), the bigger the hypodermal and dermal fat lobules are.
No surprises here. I know that some people will say that there are some slim women with loads of cellulite and some overweight women with little cellulite, but these are exceptions.
Of course there will be exceptions, but the general rule applies: extra weight means more cellulite.
In fact, overweight /obese men also get cellulite, as their fat cells secrete estrogen. Estrogen is the secret sauce between plain fatness and cellulite appearance.
Men have more collagen, women have more fat
And there is more - men have their superficial fat arranged in many smaller lobules with a lot more collagen anchors around them, which makes the upward protrusion of fat very difficult. Plus this makes skin tighter in men.
Women, on the other hand, have larger fat lobules with less collagen anchors around them to keep them in place, as well as a weaker dermis, as mentioned above. The combination means more cellulite and diminished skin tightness.
There are two reasons for this:
As fat cells increase in size they break down the connective tissue around them, in order to expand. This results in less collagen around the enlarged fat pouches.
But most importantly, in women the monthly cycle gradually breaks down the connective tissue, via enzymes called MMPs.
The end result of both is cellulite.
Men have stronger collagen too
Moreover, the researchers have found that mens’ collagen anchors are also 65% stronger, further keeping skin tight and controlling the growth of fat cells, by means of compression action.
Make the collagen weaker and you have more uninhibited fat growth and therefore more cellulite. Keep collagen stronger and in a way you suffocate the growth of superficial fat cells and you have less cellulite.
Again testosterone in men and estrogen/monthly cycle in women cause the difference in connective tissue strength.
Women have more subcutaneous fat too
In addition to individual fat lobules in the hypodermis being larger the overall hypodermal adipose tissue volume (cellulite layer) is 49% larger in women than men, further undermining skin tightness and increasing excessive plumpness.
Now larger hypodermal fat means more tension on the collagen anchors that connect the intermediate fascia to the skin.
More fat contained in larger “parcels” and less collagen leads to biomechanical instability
The authors of the study succinctly summarise these findings as follows:
“Our results demonstrated that these structural factors lead to a significantly reduced biomechanical stability in females compared to males.”
The researchers add that ”Cellulite can be understood as dis-balance between containment and extrusion forces at the subdermal junction... Therapeutic options targeting cellulite should aim to strengthen the subdermal interface”.
By “subdermal interface” the authors mean the dermal-hypodermal junction, the hypodermis and the intermediate fascia.
Which is what we have been saying all along the last 10-15 years.
How do you “strengthen the subdermal interface”?
And how does one improve this “biomechanical stability” to get rid of the dreaded cellulite?
Obviously you have to reduce the size of the fat lobules and increase skin collagen.
This practically means more everyday movement, more exercise, less calorie intake and more collagen-boosting / collagen-protecting foods, such as vegetables, berries, herbs and lean protein. Avoiding smoking, alcohol and hormonal contraception can also prevent further deterioration of connective tissue and enlargement of fat lobules.
This entire website is dedicated to cellulite removal and skin tightening and contains plenty of tips on how to strengthen the "subdermal interface” for a smoother, firmer looking skin.
As stated above, treatment-wise, the only treatment that simultaneously boosts both collagen in the deep skin layers and releases fat from fat cells is high-power, deep-acting radio frequency, the strongest such technology available today.
Deep tissue RF is ideally combined with high power ultrasound (which acts mainly on the fat component of cellulite and not so much on collagen).
This is what we have been offering at the clinic for more than a decade now, and this study actually confirms our approach.
Structural Gender-Dimorphism and the Biomechanics of the Gluteal Subcutaneous Tissue – Implications for the Pathophysiology of Cellulite
Research paper link: https://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/Abstract/2019/04000/Structural_Gender_Dimorphism_and_the_Biomechanics.22.aspx
Abstract: Background: This study was performed to investigate gender differences in gluteal subcutaneous architecture and biomechanics to better understand the pathophysiology underlying the mattress-like appearance of cellulite. Methods: Ten male and 10 female body donors [mean age, 76 ± 16.47 years (range, 36 to 92 years); mean body mass index, 25.27 ± 6.24 kg/m2 (range, 16.69 to 40.76 kg/m2)] were used to generate full-thickness longitudinal and transverse gluteal slices. In the superficial and deep fatty layers, fat lobule number, height, and width were investigated. The force needed to cause septal breakage between the dermis and superficial fascia was measured using biomechanical testing. Results: Increased age was significantly related to decreased dermal thickness, independent of sex (OR, 0.997, 95 percent CI, 0.996 to 0.998; p < 0.0001). The mean number of subdermal fat lobules was significantly higher in male body donors (10.05 ± 2.3) than in female body donors (7.51 ± 2.7; p = 0.003), indicating more septal connections between the superficial fascia and dermis in men. Female sex and increased body mass index were associated with increased height of superficial fat lobules. The force needed to cause septal breakage in male body donors (38.46 ± 26.3 N) was significantly greater than in female body donors (23.26 ± 10.2 N; p = 0.021). Conclusions: The interplay of dermal support, septal morphology, and underlying fat architecture contributes to the biomechanical properties of the subdermal junction. This is influenced by sex, age, and body mass index. Cellulite can be understood as an imbalance between containment and extrusion forces at the subdermal junction; aged women with high body mass index have the greatest risk of developing (or worsening of) cellulite.
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At LipoTherapeia we have specialised 100% in skin tightening and cellulite reduction for more than two decades and 20,000+ sessions.
This is all we study and practise every day and have researched and tried hands-on all the important skin tightening equipment and their manufacturers.
As strong, deep acting radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the technologies of choice for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, we have invested in the best RF/ultrasound technologies in the world.
(Of course, we keep looking for new technologies every day and if/when a better technology materialises we will be the first to provide it. However, we will never follow the latest ineffective gimmick, just because it’s good marketing to offer the latest hyped up - yet ineffective and/or unsafe treatment.)
Furthermore, over the last two decades we have developed advanced RF and cavitation treatment protocols in order to make the most of our technologies, for maximum results, naturally and safely.
And for even better, faster results, we now combine our RF/ultrasound treatments with high-power red/infrared light LED treatment.
Our radiofrequency/ultrasound/LED treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.
(No unsafe and ineffective RF microneedling or HIFU and no safe but ineffective acoustic wave therapy, superficial RF (bipolar/tripolar/multipolar etc), low power RF/cavitation, electrical muscle stimulation, lymphatic massage, cupping, dry brushing and no ridiculous bum bum creams.)
Our focus is on honest, realistic, science-based treatment, combined with caring, professional service, with a smile.
We will be pleased to see you, assess your cellulite, skin laxity or fibrosis, listen to your story, discuss your case and offer you the best possible treatment.
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