According to statistics, and this is really shocking, cellulite shows up on the thighs of more than 85% of females past the age of 18 regardless of ancestry, although it is more common for Caucasioan and Asian women. The make matters wors, for women, cellulite represents stored, hard-to-metabolize fat that doesn't really respond to exercise or weight loss. Oronically, weight isn't part of the problem. Rather, any amount of fat (and we all need some of it in our bodies) can show up as cellulite on women's thighs.

Men don't get cellulite. To some experts that's true, only about 5% of men have cellulite. Physiologically, women are far more prone to accumulation fat on the tighs and hips, while men gain weight in the abdominal area. Plus, for women, the connective tissue beneath the skin has more stretch and is vulnerable to disruption, which is the perfect environment for developing cellulite. Some men do get cellulite - just not as many as women.

There are three leading theories about cellulite formation:

1. Women have a unique, genetically determined skin structure on their thighs, which causes fat pockets to form.

2. The connective tissue layers on the thigh are too weak or think to maintain a smooth appearance, allowing fat contours to show though.

3. Vascular changes and possible inflammatory conditions may be to blame.

This isn't much you can do about genetics, but the hope to do something about the other causes - skin structure, fat concentration, and vascular changes - is the sphere of skin care and medicine. Most cellulite products come in the form of lotions and creams. And beyond topical products there are devices such as endermologie and microdermabrasion, along with medical treatments such as nonablative lasers and mesotherapy.