The less collagen you have in your skin, the more flaccid it becomes, and the more pressure the fat cells beneath can put on that thinning skin.
Even worse, the connective tissue that runs between your muscle layer and your skin can become slack.
Collagen bands are part of that connective tissue. As they break down, your fat cells have more room to expand, and they’ll take the path of least resistance – pushing against your skin and causing the shadows and dimples.
That’s the bad news: hormone changes do indeed exacerbate the conditions that cause the appearance of cellulite.
While you’re going through important hormonal changes like puberty, pregnancy or menopause, I absolutely do not recommend trying to get in your body’s way. It has very important reasons for prioritizing the production of estrogen at the expense of your vanity.
Finish going through the hormonal shift first – once your body has completed its task, you can set about addressing the effects you don’t like.
while you’re pregnant, of course your baby’s health is way more important than the appearance of cellulite. After you’ve safely had your baby, you can start working on reversing the side effect – because as far as your body is concerned, the shadows and dimples on your skin aren’t a high priority.
But if you’re already safely through puberty or pregnancy, let’s talk about how to get your estrogen levels and your collagen production back to normal.
Estrogen and Other Hormones Matter So Much
All of your body’s hormones work in concert with one another. If one is out of whack for any reason, your body will try to regulate the remaining hormones as best it can – but if you’re artificially adding excess hormones into your system while it’s trying to get you back to normal, it’s not going to help matters.
I won’t get into the complicated chemical and hormonal reactions that happen, but suffice it to say that the vast majority of the time, your body’s response will be to store more fat, diminish muscle density, and break down collagen – all of which set the stage for the appearance of cellulite.
Right now, the major hormone you need to look out for is estrogen.
For various reasons, it seems our society is saturated with estrogen right now – chemicals that mimic the effects of estrogen are reported to be everywhere. So, we’ll make it a primary focus as one of the things you want to avoid to get your hormones back into balance.