“TL;DR: Cellulite, fat, and lipedema are distinct types of fat tissue often misunderstood. Fat comprises visceral adipose tissue (VAT), which is deep abdominal fat linked to health issues; subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), which is fat under the skin that contributes to body volume and can be removed via liposuction; and cellulite, which is hypodermal adipose tissue (fat within the skin), causing a bumpy appearance due to its fibrous, inflamed nature and water retention. Cellulite cannot be treated with liposuction but responds to non-surgical treatments like high-power radiofrequency or ultrasound cavitation. Lipedema, a genetic condition, involves excessive, inflamed SAT, resembling severe cellulite with larger, painful bumps. It adds both volume and bumps, just like cellulite, is resistant to diet or exercise, and requires specialised liposuction for removal. Unlike fat, which primarily results from calorie surplus, cellulite can develop in slim individuals due to factors like inflammation, inactivity, or hormonal imbalances. Lipedema worsens with similar triggers but is primarily genetic. Visually, cellulite is superficial and pinchable, while lipedema and fat are deeper and graspable. Lipedema often disproportionately affects thighs, arms, and calves and is painful. Misconceptions, such as equating cellulite with fat or denying its existence, dismiss valid aesthetic and health concerns, particularly for women. Proper diagnosis by a doctor is essential for lipedema, which often coexists with cellulite.”
Whoever says that cellulite = lipedema = “just fat” they need to do some study
Cellulite vs fat vs lipedema: what are the differences?
“Cellulite is just fat, get over it”. Seriously?
Why “cellulite is just plain fat”, according to “experts”
‘Fat’ vs cellulite vs lipedema: the main anatomical difference between “fat” and cellulite
Cellulite or lipedema: 4 key differences
More anatomical and physiological differences between superficial adipose tissue and cellulite
“Fat” just increases your girth/volume. Cellulite causes the bumpy appearance.
Inflammation, fibrosis, poor circulation, water retention
Fat and cellulite develop in quite distinct ways too
Use your eyes: Of course cellulite does exist
Stop gaslighting women about cellulite
Lipoedema patients always have cellulite too
Do I have lipedema or just cellulite?
Deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and cavitation for post-lipedema surgery skin laxity and cellulite
Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment with London’s cellulite experts
Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia
The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening
Cellulite vs fat VS lipedema: what are the differences?
Love it or hate it, cellulite and lipedema are different to what we call “fat” and in this article we will analyse the differences between what people call “cellulite” and what they call “fat” - and what is lipedema too.
Like all things in life, people may love, hate or ignore cellulite (and lipedema), and we are fine with all these options. It’s all a personal choice.
But the fact that cellulite can be beautiful for some or indifferent to some others, doesn’t make it “just fat”. Cellulite is different to what people call plain “fat”, and this article is all about clarifying the differences. And the fact that lipedema looks like a mix between obesity and cellulite, does not make it either of those two things.
So let’s look in detail what is cellulite, what is fat and also what is lipedema and the differences between the three.
If you are interested, read on…
“Cellulite is just fat, get over it”. Seriously?
That’s a favourite of mentally lazy, so-called “experts”, who have never bothered to read any of the dozens of excellent peer-reviewed studies about cellulite and how much it is different from plain fat.
If you were a layperson you would be excused to think that “cellulite is just fat”, since “the experts say so”.
However, if you are a health or aesthetic professional, such ignorance of basic anatomy and physiology, is inexcusable, in addition to being demeaning and dismissive for your clients’/patients’ aesthetic problem.
Not to mention the lack of ability to accept what your very eyes see in front of you…
Why “cellulite is just plain fat”, according to “experts”
According to those “experts” cellulite is just fat and…
It’s there only because you eat too much and you have put on weight. What colossal ignorance.
To reduce cellulite, all you need to do is lose weight. It never works out that way, does it?
Have some liposuction and it will go. My advice: don’t be lazy and open a book and read some basic anatomy and physiology. Liposuction does NOT remove an inch of cellulite.
Cellulite does not exist - it’s just a construct by the French beauty industry in the 1930s. Seriously? That was one ignoramuses’ view back in the 1970s and people keep repeating this garbage in the 2020s, fifty years later?
Healthwise, there is nothing wrong with cellulite. More advice: open a good peer-reviewed study, for a change and read. Cellulite is NOT healthy, especially advanced cellulite.
There is nothing wrong with fat in general. On what decade do you live, in the 1960s? Haven’t you heard of adipose tissue inflammation, adipokines, the adipose tissue’s endocrine function, insulin resistance, diabetes, heart disease, adipose tissue fibrosis or adipose/immune tissue senescence, to name but a few health consequences of excess body fat, cellulite fat or lipedema fat?
‘Fat’ vs cellulite vs lipedema: the main anatomical difference
First off, let’s discuss the main issue here: the distinction between fat and cellulite.
What people call “fat” are two different types of adipose (fat) tissue:
Visceral adipose tissue (vat). This is found between and around your organs, deep in the abdomen. This deep belly fat is the cause of the “pot belly” or “beer belly” appearance and of course has nothing to do with cellulite. Plus it cannot be reduced with liposuction or any other surgical or non-surgical intervention. Only diet and exercise works for this type of fat.
Subcutaneous adipose tissue (sat). This, as the name suggests, is literally “fat tissue under the skin”. This is what most people refer to as “fat”, e.g. fat cheeks, fat under-chin, fat arms, fat thighs, fat calves, (superficial) belly fat, fat buttocks etc. Subcutaneous adipose tissue is a distinct fat tissue UNDER the skin. This is the fat that CAN be removed by liposuction but that CANNOT be removed efficiently by non-surgical treatments.
However, cellulite is a totally different thing. It is not fat under the skin, it is hypodermal adipose tissue, i.e. fat INSIDE the skin, and it is found ABOVE the subcutaneous adipose tissue. As it is part of the skin, it obviously CANNOT be removed by liposuction but it CAN be removed by non-surgical treatments, the most effective of which being deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and high-power ultrasound cavitation.
ADIPOSE TISSUE UNDER THE SKIN = SUBCUTANEOUS ADIPOSE TISSUE = ‘FAT’, removable by liposuction, but not non-surgically
ADIPOSE TISSUE INSIDE THE SKIN = HYPODERMAL ADIPOSE TISSUE = ‘CELLULITE’, removable by deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency / high-power ultrasound cavitation, but not with liposuction
LIPOEDEMA FAT = EXCESSIVE AND INFLAMED SUBCUTANEOUS ADIPOSE TISSUE = ‘FAT’, removable by liposuction, but not non-surgically
Three totally different things.
Cellulite or lipedema: 4 key differences
Lipedema is quite similar to cellulite in appearance but the bumps are much bigger and deeper
Also lipedema is found on the deeper subcutaneous level and not on the hypodermal level, where cellulite is found
Like cellulite, lipedema fat can be painful, bumpy and inflamed and does not easily get reduced with diet or exercise
Lipedema can only be removed with specialist liposuction surgery (nothing else works), while cellulite can only be satisfactorily removed with non-surgical treatments.
More anatomical and physiological differences between superficial adipose tissue and cellulite
The differences between the two tissues don’t end on anatomical location.
Subcutaneous adipose tissue consists of almost pure fat cells, with comparatively little connective tissue and little water retention/poor circulation in it (sometimes it can become more fibrous but nowhere near as fibrous as cellulite).
Cellulite is composed of fat cells, of course, but also of a high amount of connective tissue. Plus, quite often, it is characterised by high levels of inflammation, water retention/poor circulation, as well as fibrosis and contraction of said connective tissue.
In summary:
DEEP FAT, ALMOST PURE, WITH SOME CONNECTIVE TISSUE AND WITH LITTLE WATER RETENTION = ‘FAT’
SUPERFICIAL FAT, WITH HIGH LEVELS OF CONNECTIVE TISSUE AND QUITE OFTEN A LOT OF WATER RETENTION AND FIBROSIS = ‘CELLULITE’
DEEP FAT, WITH HIGH LEVELS, OF CONNECTIVE TISSUE AND QUITE OFTEN A LOT OF WATER RETENTION AND FIBROSIS = ‘LIPEDEMA’
As we can see lipedema is deep fat that behaves like cellulite.
“Fat” increases your girth/volume. Cellulite causes the bumpy appearance.
Furthermore, as the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) is relatively deep and it is not very fibrous by nature, it does not normally cause any peaks and troughs, or “bumps”.
Occasionally, SAT does have some peaks and troughs and also long ridges and long troughs. This is due to compartmentalisation of subcutaneous adipose tissue and because of this some people erroneously call it “cellulite”.
This is the pseudo-cellulite that subcision/cellfina surgery acts on (about 15-30 “cellulite” bumps only), while by definition subcision/cellfina does absolutely nothing for the 100s or 1000s of real cellulite bumps.
SAT can also be very, very thick, adding to your girth / volume in the area.
In contrast, cellulite fat (= hypodermal adipose tissue), being part of the skin itself, is a thin layer of tissue, it is quite superficial and it is also very fibrous by its nature. This leads to the bumpy, 'peaks and troughs’ skin appearance.
In summary:
THICK, DEEPER TISSUE WITH FEW FIBROUS STRANDS = VOLUME/GIRTH = ‘FAT’
THIN, SUPERFICIAL TISSUE WITH LOTS OF FIBROUS STRANDS = BUMPS = ‘CELLULITE’
THICK, DEEPER TISSUE WITH LOTS OF FIBROUS STRANDS = VOLUME/GIRTH + BUMPS = ‘FAT’
As we can see, lipedema is in essence the marriage of cellulite and deep fat, with - unfortunately - the worst aspects of those two tissues.
Lipedema adds both girth/volume and bumps, so again it shares features of both cellulite and subcutaneous adipose tissue.
Inflammation, fibrosis, poor circulation, water retention
It is true that subcutaneous adipose tissue can suffer from excessive connective tissue deposition (fibrosis/scar tissue), poor circulation and inflammation, but nowhere near the levels of either the very deep visceral fat or the very superficial cellulite fat.
In contrast, hypodermal adipose tissue (= cellulite fat) can become very inflamed and can suffer from a lot of poor circulation (showing as almost purple coloured blotchiness).
Cellulite can also become excessively fibrous, leading to the “peak and trough” / cottage cheese skin / orange skin peel appearance.
So:
DEEP FAT WITH RELATIVELY LITTLE INFLAMMATION, OEDEMA AND FIBROSIS = ‘FAT’
SUPERFICIAL FAT WITHHIGH LEVELS OF INFLAMMATION, OEDEMA AND FIBROSIS = ‘CELLULITE’
DEEP FAT WITH HIGH LEVELS OF INFLAMMATION, OEDEMA AND FIBROSIS = ‘LIPEDEMA’
Basically, lipedema is subcutaneous fat that behaves like a deep, giant cellulite tissue, characterised by Inflammation, fibrosis, poor circulation and water retention.
Fat and cellulite develop in quite distinct ways too
And the differences do not end in the anatomical and physiological descriptions.
Plain “fat” (subcutaneous adipose tissue) develops simply due to a positive calorie balance. In extreme circumstances (lymphedema), poor lymph drainage can also stimulate fat accumulation in that tissue.
On the other hand, cellulite can easily develop because of simple water retention/oedema at low levels. These levels are nowhere near the serious lymphedema needed to trigger adipose enlargement in normal “fat”.
Furthermore, cellulite can easily occur in slim women just because of inflammation, inactivity, water retention, unhealthy food choices, smoking or taking the contraceptive pill. You do not need to overeat or be “fat” (i.e. you don’t need to have lot of subcutaneous adipose tissue) to get it.
Yes, cellulite can develop due to a positive calorie balance too, but the latter is not needed for cellulite to accumulate, while for subcutaneous adipose tissue enlargement (what we call “putting on weight”) a positive calorie balance is a prerequisite.
Plus cellulite is more prone to develop excessively due to contraception, estrogen imbalance, inactivity or smoking than normal fat.
In summary:
IF IT DEVELOPS ALMOST ALWAYS DUE TO A POSITIVE CALORIE BALANCE = ‘FAT’
IF IT CAN ALSO DEVELOP DUE TO INACTIVITY (IRRESPECTIVE OF CALORIE BALANCE), WATER RETENTION, EXCESS ESTROGEN, SMOKING OR EVEN IS SLIM WOMEN = ‘CELLULITE’
IF IT PRIMARILY DEVELOPS DUE TO GENETIC PREDISPOSITION - AND BECOMES WORSE DUE TO CALORIE BALANCE, INACTIVITY, ESTROGEN ETC = ‘LIPEDEMA’
Use your eyes: Of course cellulite does exist
I hope the case for the difference between cellulite, ‘fat’ and lipedema has now been made clear. However, there is one more thing. Let’s even forget for a moment what science says.
My advice to the “cellulite is just fat” / “cellulite does not exist” ignorant experts is the following:
If you see with your eyes A THIN, FIBROUS LAYER OF BUMPY FAT INSIDE THE SKIN and then equate it in your thinking with A THICK, WOBBLY LAYER OF DEEP FAT UNDER THE SKIN, you do have a problem, either with your eyes or with your thinking.
And this is the problem those “experts” have: in order to prove a spurious point, they are not even able to see with their eyes.
Furthermore, people with LIPOEDEMA have always suffered with the exact same same prejudice and being told to “just lose weight” or being misdiagnosed with lymphoedema but luckily both doctors and the public alike gradually becoming more aware of it.
Stop gaslighting women about cellulite
If a woman says that she does not care about her curves but that she doesn’t like the bumpy appearance, and then you tell her “you’re crazy, it’s all fat, it’s all in your mind”, then:
You basically disrespect that woman by gaslighting her
You bury your head in the sand, refusing to see what your eyes see
No matter what name you give to it, cellulite is there, in front of your eyes.
It is a visible, quite often inflamed, sometimes painful, hardened, unsightly for many, fat tissue that protrudes out of the skin, and nobody can deny its existence.
You see it in an ultrasound scan, you see it in an MRI scan and you see it with your eyes too.
If the name 'cellulite' offends you call it 'superficial hardened lumpy puffy inflamed fat', if you must, but it does exist and it is still different to plain deep “fat”.
If you love it or find it pretty or if you are indifferent to it, good for you.
But do not offend hundreds of millions of women who don’t like it - for whatever reason they may choose not to like it - and who want to improve it.
It’s their prerogative, their life, their body, their freedom and none of your business. Don’t tell (other) women what to do or not do.
And the same and more can be said for lipoedema, as it is an actual genetic health condition - not even an aesthetic condition.
Lipoedema patients always have cellulite too
Before we finish this article it is important to properly sum up lipoedema.
As mentioned above, lipedema a subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) condition that makes it appear like deep, large, painful “cellulite on steroids”, with bumps much bigger than cellulite bumps.
However, in contrast to cellulite which is hypodermal adipose tissue, lipedema is indeed subcutaneous adipose tissue. Although generally benign, normal (non-lipedema) subcutaneous fat can also get inflamed, fibrous and bumpy - just not nearly as much as cellulite.
Lipoedema, on the other hand, is subcutaneous adipose tissue that does not just appear but also behave like progressed, severe cellulite: lots of oedema/inflammation (hence the name), lots of adipose tissue expansion and lots of fibrosis (the usual consequence of chronic inflammation on connective tissue).
It is no wonder then that, just like severe cellulite, lipedema, can be painful to the touch - even more so than progressed cellulite.
Please note that lipoedema sufferers also have quite progressed cellulite (enlarged hypodermal adipose tissue), IN ADDITION TO the enlarged subcutaneous adipose tissue.
Do I have lipedema or just cellulite?
This is a very valid question, as lipedema, cellulite or plain fat can be confused by non-experts. Here are some tips:
Can you grab the lumpy fat with your palm (deep and large tissue to GRAB)? That is either fat or lipedema.
Can you only grab the lumpy skin with your fingers (small and superficial tissue to PINCH)? This is most probably cellulite.
Do you have disproportionate, excessive, lumpy fat accumulation on your thighs, arms and especially calves and ankles, with much less fat elsewhere on the body? Is the fat painful? Does this fat not respond AT ALL to diet and exercise? That could be lipedema.
(Water retention / oedema is a common occurrence to many women with cellulite or plain fat accumulation, so it cannot be used to differentiate between cellulite, plain fat or lipoedema. The differentiation must be based on disproportionate, excessive, stubborn fat, usually localised on arms and legs, especially on the lower parts of arms and legs)
Of course, the above are not a diagnosis but can give a few hints regarding what it is that you may suffer from. For a proper diagnosis please consult with your doctor. You may also read more about lipedema here.
Deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and cavitation for post-lipedema surgery skin laxity and cellulite
Lipedema is a genetic condition that causes subcutaneous adipose tissue in the entire legs and arms to become hypertrophic and severely expanded, regardless of how careful one is with diet or exercise.
Lipedema tends to develop in the teen years, 20s, or at the latest, in a woman’s 30s.
Quite often specialist surgery (often provided in Germany and Austria, where they seem to be experts in it) is the only good solution to the problem.
Diet will not work, cellulite treatments will NOT work, strong massages will NOT work (many people tried and failed) and of course local non-surgical fat reduction treatments, such as cryolipolysis will NOT work either (well, the cryolipolysis hardly works on healthy people, anyway).
After lipedema surgery, skin is left loose, due to the removal of fat which previously occupied a lot of volume under the skin. Cellulite is also quite pronounced in lipedema sufferers, both before and after surgery.
Cellulite and loose skin can then be improved with a course of deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and deep acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation, the strongest SAFE anti-cellulite technologies available today.
Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts
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.
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.
Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia
At LipoTherapeia we are passionate about phototherapy (also known as photobiomodulation/PBM, red light therapy, infrared light therapy, blue light therapy, LED light therapy etc) and we use the most powerful equipment available today (up to 200mW/cm2), for best results and treatment of large body areas.
We use specialised therapy protocols for skin rejuvenation / anti-ageing, pigmentation / post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), moderate/severe acne, skin redness, sensitive/inflamed/irritated skin, wound healing, sports injuries / musculoskeletal pain and overall wellness / well-being.
Our LED phototherapy sessions are comfortable, deeply relaxing and super-safe and are great to enhance our radiofrequency/ultrasound treatments for skin tightening / cellulite reduction.
On our booking page you can book stand-alone phototherapy sessions or combine them with our other treatments, as an add-on.
Learn more or check prices and book an expert LED phototherapy treatment at our London clinic.
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