Skin Files · Body
Why do women get cellulite far more than men? It comes down to skin structure, the way connective bands are arranged, and hormones. Men can get it, but rarely. Here's what the anatomy studies show.
By Ashley, skincarereceipt content team · Published
Short answer: women get cellulite because of how their skin and the tissue beneath it are built. Women's connective bands run more vertically and are weaker, their skin is thinner, and estrogen shapes where fat is stored. Men can get cellulite, but it's uncommon, and doctors mostly see it in men with low male hormone levels.
A 2019 study of buttock tissue from 10 male and 10 female body donors found that men had more, smaller fat pockets (about 10 versus 7.5), which means more connections between the skin and the layer below it. It also took significantly more force to break those connections in men. In other words, women's tissue holds fat back less firmly.
An MRI study found that women with cellulite had deeper indentations of fat into the skin and a higher share of bands running perpendicular to the surface. Men's bands tend to run in a criss-cross pattern that keeps the surface flatter.
Men's skin is also thicker on average, which hides more of what's going on underneath.
Cellulite almost always appears after puberty, and it often changes with pregnancy, hormonal contraception and menopause. Estrogen influences where fat is stored (thighs, hips and buttocks in women) and how connective tissue behaves, which is why it's considered part of the story.
Genes play in too. A 2010 study linked common variants in two genes to a higher risk of cellulite, which helps explain why it runs in families.
Yes, but rarely. Reviews describe it mainly in men with low androgen levels, such as men with hypogonadism or men treated with estrogen for prostate cancer. If a man notices new cellulite along with other changes like breast tissue growth or low energy, it's worth asking a doctor to check hormone levels.
Because the cause is mostly structural, the useful steps are the same for everyone: strength training, a steady weight, a caffeine cream for the surface, and clinic treatments for the bands. Our Body Butter, with 2% caffeine in a shea and avocado base, is made for the daily step.
Doctors describe cellulite as a balance between fat pushing outward and the skin and bands holding it in. Women's anatomy tips that balance toward bulging: weaker, more vertical bands, thinner skin and more fat stored in the hips and thighs.
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