Painful fat and cellulite: why does my fat/cellulite hurt to touch?

Painful cellulite and fat

• Pain, inflammation and hard cellulite lumps

• So what causes painful cellulite? Why do my legs hurt when I rub them?

• Chronic, low grade inflammation: the cause of cellulite pain

• That’s OK for cellulite. But why do my love handles hurt?

• Cellulite: a health concern, not just an aesthetic condition

• Have a skin tightening / cellulite treatment in London with the experts

Pain, inflammation and hard cellulite lumps

At the clinic we hear a lot of clients asking “why does my cellulite hurt when massaged“ or even “why does my fat hurt when pinched”.

For most women, i.e. those with Stage 1 or Stage 2 cellulite, cellulite is not painful.

In the more severe cases of lumpy cellulite (Stage 3 or 4) both the hard cellulite lumps and deeper fat can hurt to the touch. This is most commonly found in women above the age of 50.

However, even in younger women (in their 20s) and in less severe cases (Stage 2 cellulite), cellulite can be sensitive when touched or massaged.

So what causes painful cellulite? Why do my legs hurt when I rub them?

It is in the nature of cellulite to quite often be painful.

Before we explain why advanced cellulite - and sometimes even plain fat - hurts, let’s look at the definition of cellulite. This will help us understand the multiple causes of painful cellulite and fat tissue.

Cellulite is defined as an aesthetic skin condition that comprises:

• Excessive fat accumulation in the deepest skin layer (hypodermis)

• Water retention

• Free radical damage

• Inflammation

• Skin looseness

• Fibrosis / connective tissue deformity

• Collagen glycation

Chronic, low grade inflammation: the cause of cellulite pain

In most cases, pain is the result of inflammation, and cellulite/fat pain could not be different.

Pain on skin affected by cellulite/fat accumulation on legs, buttocks, arms, stomach and back, is caused - or made worse - by the following aspects:

• Adipose (fat) tissue inflammation: Fat tissue itself is well known to be a pro-inflammatory tissue, i.e. fat cells secrete inflammatory molecules called adipokines. Cellulite fat, specifically, is very pro-inflammatory.

• Water retention: Poor circulation / water retention is always accompanied by increased inflammation, as waste products and toxins do not get removed from tissues, thereby causing localised irritation / more inflammation, and consequently pain.

• Oxidative damage and glycation: Both tend to lead to inflammation and therefore pain.

• Fibrosis: the connective tissue fibres that attach to the cellulite globules, are initially overstretched and then contracted (fibrosis), with the whole process characterised by inflammation and pain.

All these tissue changes explain the painful, hard, lumpy cellulite.

That’s OK for cellulite. But why do my love handles hurt?

All fat, superficial or deep, can be inflamed, either from inside (chronic low grade adipose tissue inflammation) or from the outside (due to rubbing on or compressed by clothes, or other factors).

Some cellulite massage or anti-cellulite treatments that boost circulation, reduce fat and strengthen skin (such as deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and/or or deep-acting high-power ultrasound cavitation) will help.

Cellulite: a health concern, not just an aesthetic condition

All in all, cellulite is not just the benign and visually annoying aesthetic condition that most people think it is.

Although cellulite does not kill, it does indicate that inflammation and damage is occurring under the skin, which ideally should be stopped, both for aesthetic and health reasons.

If left unchecked, it will lead to more water retention, more underlying skin tissue damage and fibrosis, more inflammation, more pain and more skin looseness, in addition to the unsightly bumps.

So a change in lifestyle (nutrition, exercise, alcohol drinking, smoking and general lifestyle) and perhaps a course of strong cellulite treatments (e.g. deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and high-power ultrasound cavitation), make a lot of sense.

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.

Our radiofrequency/ultrasound treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, microneedling-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.

And 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.

Learn more or check prices and book an expert treatment at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1)