Hip
Cosmetic Surgery - Plastic Surgery - Aesthetic Medicine - Reconstructive Surgery
From an anatomical perspective the hip is located at the root of the
lower limb. The hip joint or coxofemoral joint connects the femur
(thigh) to the pelvis (ilium). In humans, the hip has adapted, it has
two essential functions, actual standing and bipedal locomotion.
Whilst we talk about the location of fat on the hips, it is, in fact, located on the buttocks and thighs.
The gluteal muscles connect the femur to the pelvis and are essential
to the functioning of the hip joint. The gluteal muscles are three in
number: the gluteus maximus (the largest and most powerful muscle in
the body), the gluteus medium and the gluteus minimus (or small
gluteal). The sciatic nerve goes down the buttocks and then to the
front of the thigh and ends behind the knee.
A Saddlebag is a pocket of fat that settle in the form of a roll on
the back of the thighs and buttocks, corresponding to the hip area,
causing their enlargement.
Women are more affected than men. These unsightly bulges can appear in
spite of a normal healthy weight, after weight loss or even physical
exercise. Once they appear, they are permanent.
The abnormally high development of adipocytes or fat cells in some
parts of the human body is the source of fatty deposits casing
saddlebags. This build-up is called cellulite. In the presence of fatty
deposits, the skin takes on a soft and flaccid consistency, with the
appearance of "orange peel", dimpled and grainy.
The lymphatic system should normally eliminate this by draining water
and toxins by that accumulate in fatty tissue, but this system is not a
pump and depends on muscle contraction, not the bloodstream.
The formation of the fat is more rapid than its removal by muscle
contraction. As time passes, the more fatty deposits harden and become
significant. Cellulite develops.
The presence of these fatty deposits is often linked to more sedentary
lifestyles with a lack of exercise. Weight gain is a major factor in
the appearance of fatty deposits but successive diets, alternating
weight loss and weight gain may also be an aggravating factor for
cellulite. Hormonal imbalances (oestrogens) at the time of puberty,
pregnancy or menopause predispose people to the development of fatty
deposits. Alcohol and tobacco are amongst the factors leading to the
development of fatty deposits.
These fat deposits, once they have occurred, are resistant to various
kinds of diets. There is a way to eliminate these localized fat
deposits, this is lipoaspiration or liposuction performed by surgeons
trained in aesthetic, plastic or reconstructive surgery.