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Medical Author:

Richard Weil, MEd, CDE

Richard Weil, MEd, CDE

Richard Weil, MEd, CDE, is an exercise physiologist and Certified Diabetes Educator, and is director of the New York Obesity Research Center Weight Loss Program at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center in

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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It might, and it might not, and you won't know until you try. That's because cellulite is due to a genetic difference in the way fat and connective tissue form and is not directly a function of excess weight, which means you may not have control over it. In fact, cellulite affects people whether they are overweight or not, and so the most seasoned runners can have cellulite. (Skin creams that claim to reduce cellulite make the skin swell so that the appearance of the cellulite changes, but the effects don't work for everyone and are only temporary when they do.)

Go ahead and run and see if your cellulite decreases (most of the time running has some effect), but be patient and try not to be too hard on yourself if you don't get the result you desire). Remember that it's genetic and you may not have control over it. Plus running offers so many other benefits that it would be a shame to let cellulite distract you from experiencing them.

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