Cellulite is like mold. It appears out of nowhere and seems impervious to all but drastic measures of eradication. Not everyone has it, but those who do may wish that full-body bathing suits of the 1920s were still available, as they avoid wearing anything that reveals their thighs.  They may also refuse to look into full-length mirrors.

Women have been searching for a remedy that doesn’t involve a skin transplant ever since dimpled thighs were called cellulite. About once a year, a woman’s magazine will feature an article usually titled something to the tune of “10 Ways of Getting Rid of Cellulite,” and a search of the Internet brings up many times that number of “cellulite cures.” Most of the therapies involve topical applications of various creams or more invasive procedures like liposuction. But recently what seemed like a remedy out of science fiction caught the attention of women struggling to smooth out their skin.  Two different manufacturers of undergarments claimed that wearing their bras, panties and pantyhose/leggings would, in 30 days or less, cause cellulite to disappear along with unsightly bulges (called saddlebags) and even produce weight loss. The cellulite fix, as they advertised, was brought about by the action of a variety of nutrients that were incorporated into the fabric of the undergarments.Capsules of caffeine, Vitamin E, fatty acids, and other ingredients were microinjected into the cloth and supposedly penetrated the skin and wiped out the cellulite.

Alas, it may have been too good to be true. A suit has been filed in the U.S. District Court in Boston by two women against Maidenform Brands LLC and Wacoal America Inc. for failure to live up to the claims.  And it is not farfetched to believe that many other women whose thighs are still dimpled will file additional lawsuits.

All of us fall victim to advertisements that promise wrinkle-free skin, weight loss without dieting and exercise, and restoration of hair if we are bald (this applies mostly to men). So it is understandable that some would believe that food-infused panty hose would produce baby- smooth skin. But like these other claims, they promise more than they can deliver.

So what are the options for the 90 percent of women who have or may develop cellulite? Exercise seems to be the only effective way of diminishing this curse of the paparazzi, although losing weight also helps.  Increasing muscle mass by strength training and strenuous use of the thigh and leg muscles might (but in the interests of full disclosure, might not) help to reduce the puckering of the skin and give the lower limbs a toned and supple appearance.  Interestingly though, cellulite rarely appears on the upper body, so the type of exercises recommended increase mainly the thigh and hip muscles.

But telling people this has about much appeal as a language teacher telling students that it will be necessary to memorize verb groups, learn vocabulary and become comfortable with sentence structure before becoming fluent in the new language.   Improvement is slow and may not even be discernible for months. That is the bad news. The good news is that building muscle and stamina will benefit more than the appearance of the skin. Indeed, regular exercise seems to benefit everything from better sleep and cognition to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and arthritis.

Maybe the appearance of cellulite is an early warning signal that women must maintain their muscle mass. Aging is associated with muscle loss, and this sarcopenia may be accelerated after menopause. [3] If it is not stopped and reversed, osteoporosis and frailty can result, leading to a significant deterioration in the quality of life and shortened lifespan. Dimpled skin is not the result of muscle loss, but its appearance should tell us that it might be risky to ignore the importance of exercise.

Approaching a health club for the first time can be a daunting experience, and it is hard to stop gawking at the muscled, toned, thin, YOUNG bodies working out. And yes, it is true that if you are over 25, you may never look like THEM. But exercising in a facility where others are serious about their workouts, where you see them sweating and maybe even grunting with the effort of pushing a heavy weight, can be motivating.  What is soon apparent is that the others are only concerned about their own improvement, and if they notice you, they will do so only with admiration that you are willing to be one of them in improving your own physical well-being.

So even if you start to exercise only because of cellulite, you will find benefits beyond smoother skin.

And it won’t take caffeine-infused panty hose to do this.