It usually affects the buttocks and thighs but can also occur in other areas.

• Between 80 and 90 percent of women will probably experience cellulite.
• Cellulite is also known as orange-peel skin, due to its texture.
• Numerous treatments available, but the effect is mostly temporary.
• A diet low in fat, smoking cessation, and an active lifestyle may help reduce the incidence cellulite.

Cellulite is a term for the formation of lumps and dimples in the skin.

Common names for cellulite are orange-peel skin, cottage-cheese skin, hail damage, and the mattress phenomenon.

Cellulite can affect both men and women, but it is more common in females, due to the different distributions of fat, muscle, and connective tissue.

Between 80 and 90 percentTrusted Source of women may experience cellulite at some point in their lives.

Grades of cellulite

A cellulite severity scale, published in 2009, ranks the condition using three grades:

Grade 1, or mild: There is an “orange-peel” appearance, with between 1 and 4 superficial depressions, and a slightly “draped” or sagging appearance to the skin.

Grade 2, or moderate: There are between five and nine medium-depth depressions, a “cottage cheese” appearance, and the skin appears moderately draped.

Grade 3, or severe: There is a “mattress” appearance, with 10 or more deep depressions, and the skin is severely draped.