Cellulite anyone? M2F

[kimberrrly]

Hi There!

Since I have been on estrogen I am developing cellulite!
I know all the things that are said I should do for celulite,
but its the hormones I am really interested in.
Because I think in my case, they are the cause of my cellulite.
Anyone? What can I do?
I am thinking of adding progesterone to my estrogen only therapy, it
is said that can help because estrogen dominance is believed to
play a part in cellulite. But it remains a guess.
All around the internet it says that synthetic hormones cause this
as well. Anyone any tips for me? thanks!

love
Birgit

[regan]

Cellulite is one of the downsides of being female.

[kyril]

There's nothing you can do about it (other than not be female). When your skin changes over to a female structure, if your genes say you get cellulite (and most women do) then you get it. Even losing weight doesn't typically get rid of it, though it can reduce the severity.

[AweSAM!]

Ummm...well...>-bleeped-<! I'll just try and stay fit and see how that goes. I definitely don't want cellulite. According to wikipedia, cellulite is thought to occur in 80-90% of the postpubertal females. I find wikipedia to be at least a moderately credible source.

[pebbles]

Yeah I've got alittle bit typical eh no boobs but cellulite >_<

http://www.ridofcellulite.com/cause_cellulite.htm
It will happen regardless of your fitness level it's just a hormonal side effect like male pattern baldness for the dudes of the forum.

There are strands of connective tissue that intersect through the fascia fat layers and connect the skin to the musculature underneath. creating compartments of fat.

Estrogen causes those fat cells to multiply and expand in size and increase beyond the connective tissues maximum extension thus they function as an Anchor of sorts between the skin and the muscle Thus leaving a dimple where that region of the skin is wrenched downwards.

It appears more frequently in older women for a specific mechanism... This is gonna be hard to explain.

Collagen fiber makes up most of the connective tissue collagen is hydrolyzed and denatured within the body by natural metabolic processes "oxygen radicals ect" normally this function is reversed by an enzyme that utilizes vitamin C as a co-enzyme however if the collagen becomes too denatured it can end up binding to surrounding fibers in a way that the enzyme and vit C cannot undo, this perminiantly reduces the elasticity of the connective tissue and is once of the signs of aging. (Estrogen also locally depletes vitamin C making this more likely in females)

If connective tissue elasticity is lost the maximum extension of the connective fibers is reduced if reduced beyond the depth of the fat layer thickness a dimple forms

[Dinky_Di]

One of the not so good things about being female.... nothing you can do about it.

[M.Grimm]

This was something I'd never even thought of... I've had cellulite since puberty. I've been on T since August. After seeing this thread I was like 'huh' and went to look. My hideous cellulite is GONE. I'm still too fat, but it's all smooth now, no more cottage-cheese look. Man, I thought I could not love my HRT more!

(My hair is thinning a little, though, but I consider this a fair exchange, now!)

[teresita]

really? Ok, so, everybody is saying that cellulite is a sign that you are female. Really? Cellulite on a woman with a female body structure is one thing, cellulite on a man is a completely different thing. That is why I have always said that hormones are over-rated in m2f transition. Hormones give you cellulite, lose skin, weight gain WITHOUT getting rid of the typical male things. One has to wonder if hormones are really worth the effort. Let me say it again: hormones in m2f give cellulite on a typically male body structure, which looks unattractive and does not make you more passable.

[Rachel]

I have been on HRT for over two years with my T very low and E high. I have no cellulite: However, I exercise a lot and eat extremely healthy. I did gain 25 pounds on HRT but have lost 16 of those pounds. I intend to lose the 9 remaining pounds and 10 additional. My BMI is below 25.

[teresita]

I don't know, to be honest with you, every single person I have seen transitioning from male to female was plagued by cellulite, sooner or later. And I have seen many. Working out and eating healthy? You have no idea how hard I work out. I work out like an athlete. I am not exaggerating, but the damned cellulite is still there. I am doing anything in my power to get rid of it. My doctors all said that estrogens cause cellulite in women, let alone in men who do not have the receptors that women have. Because, at the end of the day, we are men, chromosomically.

[Jenna Marie]

"Cellulite" was invented in the 1920s to promote various beauty and weight-loss services; it basically describes the way the skin looks in at least certain places on like 95% of women. (Something can't be abnormal if it's - by definition - the norm.) It's essentially just a way of making women feel insecure. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002033.htm

Personally, since it IS typical of women, I kinda like it. I enjoy having female fat distribution and nice curves, and if the flip side of that is that my skin resembles that of almost any other woman with a decent subcutaneous fat layer, so be it. Besides, since my hips are now something like 15" bigger than my waist and I'm 38DD, I figure cellulite and stretch marks are basically inevitable and a small price to pay...

[mfox]

Ditto, it's normal.  I started getting some about 6 months into HRT.  Like stretch marks, it's hereditary and I haven't seen anything that can be done for it yet.

[Rachel]

At one time I was 327 pounds. I went from super skinny growing up and ballooned to 260  to  140 in college to 327 to 180 - 190 for 17 years to 215 on HRT to 199 now. I will get to 180 and see from there.

I have stretch marks on my lower tummy and thighs. I am 6'3", on HRT (went from 190 to 215 to 199) gained a little in the hips and inner thighs and have an a cup for reference. My BMI is 24.93 by math (23 percentile male and 44 percentile female). I have some torso and thigh muscle (I worked hard for) so my bmi may actually be lower. My breast is 44 inches and my chest 39.5.

My genetic test is due back (took it August 25) and I will call Monday for the results. I suspect I am xxy.

My sister is big boned and overweight and has cellulite. Her two daughters (one 30 years old (6 foot) and one 27 years old (5'11")) do not.

I understand what you are saying. Woman come in big boned size too. If you have cellulite you have cellulite. Being feminine has nothing to do with cellulite. Having cellulite will not make a person passable and not having cellulite will not make a person passable,  I get it.

[Jenna Marie]

Actually, there are cis men with cellulite, too. It's a combination of fat distribution and the way the skin elasticity deals with it, and while it's *more* common in women, there are men who fit those parameters as well.

I'm not sure why this argument is about passability? Obviously, if there's a hypothetical trans woman who's ONLY female feature is cellulite, she's not going to pass. But, Teresita, you seem to be the only person even talking about passability to begin with. Everyone else is just sharing their feelings about cellulite itself. (Oh, and only now do I notice this thread's from 2010...)

And for the record, no, I don't think cellulite is what makes people read me as a cis woman; I think it's a side effect of the fat redistribution and accumulation HRT gave me. To be honest, I wish I knew what *did* make me "pass" 100%, because I live in constant fear that it'll change and I won't know how to fix something I never understood in the first place...

[KayXo]

The Wai Diet is apparently effective against cellulite and the author argues that cellulite is NOT normal. Make your own conclusion. I find this diet too restrictive.

I think testosterone protects against cellulite, making skin thicker and thus smoother but I think STRESS may be involved, affecting blood circulation. Women *tend* to have more as they age and as they age, their hormones start dropping. Estrogen increases collagen production and makes skin elastic so should be protective. Water retention can make it look worse...estrogen increases water retention, progesterone is supposed to counter it.

That's all I have!

[KayXo]

Some testosterone helps. Since adding a little T post-op, switching to E gel (vs. injections) and reducing my progesterone, I've seen a significant improvement.

Reading through some posts of transmen, it also seems their cellulite completely vanished after starting T.

[DawnOday]

Cellulite is a minor detail but there are indications. Along with cellulite I've got varicose veins. Ironically since I started getting treatment for heart disease they could not find my veins.

[RobynD]

I go this for the first time after starting HRT also, and like many i was glad to see it. I certainly don't want to much of it though and so far i have kept it at minimum. Yep it exists on cis men too but it is much less common and even men with a very high BMI, often have none. So is it a more "feminine" trait? I argue that it is.

Nevertheless, the best thing we can do is to keep ourselves as healthy as our ages and genetics will allow. Our looks will then take care of themselves to a great degree. There should be no body shaming of others. All bodies are beautiful.

[judithlynn]

 Yes i have it especially in the buttocks. As my buttocks have become more rounded  out especially in the last year I have started to get cellulite and stretch marks on both buttocks and on my hips and thighs. My CIS girlfriend said "its just part of being a woman!"
Judith

[Pisces228]

Good god, yes.  I noticed the other day looking at my backside in the mirror how much cellulite I have on my thighs and booty.  It got worse on progesterone.  You win some, you lose some.  I got better fat redistribution and rounder boobs on P but got cellulite as well.