The structure of collagen, the main protein of connective tissue, in women has the appearance of a picket fence, whereas in men it looks more liked a cross-linked fence. So you can see the cross-linked structure is much stronger and will hold fat in better.
Another reason women get cellulite has to do with the two kinds of adrenergic receptors. When stimulated, alpha receptors will cause fat cells to produce fat [as well as triggering constriction of blood vessels and release of sugar into the bloodstream] when beta receptors are stimulated, they break down fat [as well as increasing heart rate and relaxing blood vessels].
In women, for every one beta receptor in the thigh, there are nine alpha receptors. Estrogen also makes fat whereas testosterone breaks down fat. So a women’s body is basically—and I hate to say it—genetically designed to be a place for cellulite to develop.
Men have one layer of fat throughout their entire body and a one-to-one alpha- and beta-receptor ratio. Today we’re seeing younger women developing cellulite—women in their teenage years are getting cellulite.
How do you explain that? Too much estrogen makes fat cells larger, so…younger women who are overweight might have a condition called estrogen dominance, which means they are making too much estrogen and/or are eating foods such as soy or using containers that leak bisphenol-A that have estrogen-mimicking ingredients.