390 JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE rule out the influence of long-term sun exposure as compared to actinic damage (62). However, the limitation of this technique, as with other image analysis systems, is in obtaining clear resolution beyond the upper portion of the dermal papillae. CONTACT THERMOGRAPHY Contact thermography (CT) can measure alterations or variations in skin temperature, and thus any skin disorder affecting directly or indirectly the microcirculation of the skin becomes a candidate for thermal evaluation. Consideration of the application of CT to cellulite should be given. In a compressed subcutis, as seen in cellulite and visualized by several of the image techniques described in this paper, the microvasculature is pressed against the papillary dermis. The amount of heat generated could be compared to that observed in non-cellulite skin. CONCLUSIONS Dimpling of the skin of the peripheral regions of the female body, commonly called cellulite, is presumed wrongly to be an abnormality of adipose tissues rather than normal reality. Reality dictates that cellulite is a condition reflected in differences in adipose biochemistry and connective tissue structure in the female gluteal-femoral adipose tis­ sue. At this stage of current understanding of the condition, it is concluded that "visual cellulite" is a consequence of the inability of collagen at the papillary dermis to contain adipose protrusion through a "thin" dermis, which is not observed in males. From current image analysis techniques, it is suggested that dimpling of the skin is associated with enlarged fat lobules surrounded by thin and focally loose connective tissue strands. Furthermore, the "striae" observed in these studies may result from excessive tension arising from the continuous and progressive vertically orientated stretch in the adipose tissue. Due to the limitations of each technique, there is no one method at present that can be used to evaluate cellulite. Furthermore, current formulations do not penetrate suffi­ ciently into the adipose tissue to cause an effect. However, strengthening a "thin" dermis would be a step in the right direction. Although cellulite appears incurable, the subject itself needs a clearer understanding, a consistent approach, coherency to prevent misinterpretation and misunderstanding in both the scientific and popular literature, formulations that "deliver," correlation of data, good clinical development of methods, and management and understanding of the psychological and social aspects of the condition. Only then can the unmet need of managing the expectations of the consumer and of the regulatory and advertising au­ thorities be achieved. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors thank Professor Gerald Pierard for permission to use the photographs m Figure 1, and Lucid Inc. for performing the confocal microscopy analyses.

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