Glossary

The hypodermis is the layer that is found under the dermis. It is essentially made up of fat cells and fibrous membrane. There are in the hypodermis sweat glands that produce and expel sweat via small canals that open up onto the surface of the skin. These ducts (approximately 2 million of them) are distributed over the entire surface of the skin even if they are particularly numerous on the palms of the hands. The fibrous membranes that separate the cluster of fat cells are arranged obliquely in the direction of the skin's surface for men and vertically for women. This difference in the architecture of the hypodermis seems to explain why cellulite can be observed in women and not in men.