The fact that only women get cellulite is due to their anatomy and the nature of their skin and connective tissue. The female epidermis is significantly thinner than that of men, and the dermis underneath is more flexible. In addition, there are more and larger fat cells in the subcutaneous tissue of women than in men. These clump together, and can become enlarged up to ten times over. During pregnancy they form “food reserves”.
The connective tissue of women is also different from that of men: It consists of very fine strands that run perpendicular to the skin surface and almost parallel to each other. This makes them very stretchy. These connective tissue strands yield slightly to the pressure of the fat chambers. Moreover, enlarged fat cells crowd along these strands – these are responsible for cellulite and cause the typical golf ball pattern on the skin surface.
In addition, there are the effects of the female sex hormone estrogen: As a result, women tend to store fat mainly on their thighs, hips, buttocks and abdomen – i.e. exactly where dents are easily visible.
In men, the fat chambers, which are firmly anchored in the subcutis, are smaller. The connective tissue runs horizontally to the surface of the skin and is strongly cross-linked. In this way, larger amounts of fat in men are tied up into smooth packets – no dents are visible.