The female hormone Estrogen is responsible for softening the fibrous tissue that closes the womb just before delivering a baby. Without the role of this hormone, childbirth would be impossible.

However this action of estrogen is not limited to childbirth. An excess of Estrogen in women is believed to cause the weakening of the connective tissue that allows the fat to bulge up into the skin.
(See What is Cellulite and How Cellulite Develops.)

Excess estrogen is thought to be one of the main causes of cellulite, perhaps because people can blame it on poor genetic inheritance. But this does not mean that there is nothing you can do about it. There are several treatments for normalization of hormones.

Artificial drug based hormone manipulators could prevent (but will not remove) cellulite. Unfortunately they tend to have nasty side effects. The roles of hormones in our body is so complex that doctors cannot predict the outcome. Lets say you reduced the amount of Estrogen with a drug, How do you know that you are not reducing calcium absorption in your bones? How do you know that womb tissues will be softened for childbirth? Those are just two roles of Estrogen, think of the imbalances that might be caused for the hundreds of other roles?

Ayurveda takes a holistic approach to restoring balance. Ayurveda looks to restore balance holistically; this means taking your mind, emotions, body type, and lifestyle into account. A great first step into the world of ayurvedic healing, is to take the Free Dosha Quiz. This will give you a better understanding of your body type, what is out of balance, and will provide dietary and lifestyle recommendations for restoring balance in your body.

There are several ayurvedic products recommended for balancing hormones, but recommendations may vary depending on your dosha type. For this reason, we would recommend that you first take the free dosha quiz, and then investigate about which treatment options would work best for you.

Although Estrogen is the cause of weakening connective tissue, there is a theory that the real cause of cellulite is poor lymphatic and blood circulation. It might be quite normal for women to have softened connective tissue, but when this is combined with poor lymphatic and blood circulation, the cells below the skin accumulate toxins that cause swelling due to fluid and fat retention. This swelling then stretches the connective fibers which results in unsightly cellulite. However, with good circulation the fat should be easily absorbed by the body. Read more about this in Rebuilding Damaged Tissue.