Saddlebags and thigh fat outer thigh, inner thigh, cellulite or lipoedema, and what helps each

What they are

What saddlebags are, and why they appear

Saddlebags, sometimes called riding-breeches fat, are the rounded bulges on the outer thighs just below the hip bone that widen the hips in fitted trousers. They are subcutaneous fat, the soft layer you can pinch between skin and muscle, and they often blend into the side of the buttock.

Many women store fat preferentially around the hips and thighs, the so-called pear shape. A review of sex differences in fat tissue links this gluteal-femoral pattern to sex hormones and to differences between the fat cells of each depot, and notes that it carries lower cardiometabolic risk than fat around the waist. Saddlebags are a cosmetic concern rather than a health warning, and they are not a sign of a lack of effort.

Because the hips and thighs are among the body's preferred stores, they are often the last place to slim when you lose weight. That is why outer-thigh fat can remain after the waist and face have changed.

Self-check

Saddlebags, inner thigh fat, cellulite or lipoedema?

Thighs look fuller for different reasons, and each needs a different tool. Check standing in front of a mirror, then lying down, and pinch gently.

See a doctor

Lipoedema: when thigh fat needs a doctor

Lipoedema (spelt lipedema in US sources) is a long-term condition in which fat builds up abnormally in the legs and sometimes the arms. The NHS describes it as usually affecting both sides of the body equally, making the bottom, thighs and lower legs look out of proportion, often with pain, tenderness or heaviness and easy bruising, while the feet are usually not affected. It is more common in women, is linked with hormonal changes such as puberty, pregnancy and menopause, and you can have it at a healthy weight.

It is often mistaken for ordinary weight gain. A 2020 review estimated that it may affect around 10% of women, noted that there is no specific test so the diagnosis is made by examination, and described decongestive care, including compression, as the usual treatment; the NHS adds that liposuction may be considered when symptoms are severe. Slimming treatments are not a treatment for lipoedema, so see a GP if any of these apply.

• Both legs are full from hip to ankle, roughly equally, but your feet look slim.
• The fat feels tender or painful, or your legs feel heavy and ache by evening.
• You bruise easily on the thighs or shins.
• Your legs did not slim when you lost weight elsewhere.
• The shape changed noticeably around puberty, pregnancy or menopause.
• One leg is suddenly swollen, red, hot or painful: seek prompt medical care, as this is not a cosmetic problem.

Exercise

Why squats and leg lifts cannot spot-reduce saddlebags

Exercise does not burn fat from the muscle you are working. In a 12-week study, 11 young adults trained only their non-dominant leg on a leg press, three times a week. Their total fat mass fell by about 5%, but the loss came from the arms and trunk, not from the trained leg. Side-lying leg lifts and squats for saddlebags work the same way.

That does not make exercise pointless. Regular activity with a modest calorie deficit reduces overall body fat, which shrinks outer-thigh fat along with everywhere else, though often late in the process. Strength work for the glutes and hip muscles also improves the shape underneath, which can make the line from hip to thigh look smoother.

If your outer thighs have not changed after several months at a steady weight with regular training, what remains is the kind of localised fat that contouring treatments, or liposuction, are designed for.

Options by zone

Non-surgical thigh fat options at SkinRev Lab, by zone

SkinRev Lab, a non-invasive aesthetic centre at #B1-28 CityLink Mall, treats thighs zone by zone after a pinch test and a look at the skin standing and lying down. Each option below lists the thighs as a treatment area; prices are per session, before GST.

Thighs are large areas, so each side is measured and the number of zones confirmed before booking. As an illustration only, if each outer thigh were mapped as one zone, SKINSHAPE on both would be 2 × S$288, or S$576 per session before GST. Sessions are spaced a few weeks apart as a course: treated fat is cleared over several weeks, collagen remodelling after SKINSHAPE continues for up to three months after the final session, and individual results vary.

Doctor-led

Doctor-performed thigh options at IN Eternity Clinic

Medical options suit thighs where fat and loose skin sit together, where you prefer fewer, more intensive visits, or where medical factors need checking. They are performed by Dr Sin Yong at IN Eternity Clinic, 9 Scotts Road, #12-01 Pacific Plaza, beside Orchard MRT, and priced at consultation by the clinic; WhatsApp +65 8815 3008.

• Fat freezing (cryolipolysis): controlled cooling of a distinct, pinchable bulge on the inner or outer thigh, with change over two to three months. It does not tighten skin, and a rare complication, paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, makes the treated area larger and firmer instead.
• 4K Body Lift: Dr Sin Yong's signature protocol, using radiofrequency through insulated microneedles under numbing cream to treat compact inner or outer thigh fat and the skin over it in one visit; expect tenderness and pinpoint marks for some days.
• Onda Pro: 2.45 GHz microwave energy absorbed mainly by fat while the skin surface is cooled, for pinchable thigh fat and mild to moderate cellulite.
• Non-surgical BBL: a radiofrequency protocol that reduces fullness in the lower back, flanks and outer hips and firms buttock skin, useful where the line from hip to thigh is the concern.

Cellulite

Cellulite on the outer thighs: a different problem

Saddlebags and cellulite often appear together, but they are not the same thing. Cellulite is a surface pattern: fibrous bands that anchor the skin pull down while fat pushes up between them, creating dimples on the outer and back of the thighs. Most women have some after puberty, including slim and active women, and reducing fat does not reliably remove it.

For mild to moderate, soft dimpling, SKINSHAPE warms the fat and the fibrous bands under the skin and can make the surface look smoother over a course. For more established cellulite, Onda Pro at IN Eternity Clinic is the medical option. Deep dimples that show even when lying down need a doctor's assessment. Liposuction is not a cellulite treatment and can make dimpling more obvious.

Surgery

Liposuction for saddlebags: the surgical option

Liposuction removes fat through small cuts using a thin tube called a cannula, and the hips and thighs are among the areas it is used on. It suits a larger, soft fat pad with skin that still springs back, in someone at a stable weight. In Singapore it is surgery performed by doctors, usually plastic surgeons, in an operating setting.

It is a bigger step than any device. The NHS notes that liposuction is not a treatment for obesity and will not remove cellulite, that a compression garment is worn constantly for several weeks, and that bruising and swelling can take up to six months to settle completely. It lists possible complications including lumpy or uneven results, numbness that can last for months, changes in skin colour and, rarely, a blood clot in the lungs.

SkinRev Lab does not do surgery, and liposuction is not offered in our network. A plastic surgeon can advise whether your thighs suit liposuction; heavy, hanging skin after major weight loss may need a thigh lift instead.

Evidence

What the research says, honestly

Thigh-specific evidence is modest. In a multicentre study of 40 people, one cryolipolysis treatment on one outer thigh reduced fat thickness by an average of 2.6 mm on ultrasound compared with the untreated thigh, with no serious adverse events, and the authors reported a noticeable reduction in saddlebag bulges. A 2015 review of 31 studies with 2,937 patients found that several non-invasive devices could reduce circumference by 2 cm or more across the abdomen, hips and thighs without serious adverse effects.

Published microwave studies used other 2.45 GHz devices rather than the Miglou system behind SKINSHAPE, and many device studies are small, uncontrolled or linked to manufacturers. Expect a smoother outline over a course, not a different dress size. Results vary between people.

Sources

References & sources

1. Karastergiou K, Smith SR, Greenberg AS, Fried SK. Sex differences in human adipose tissues – the biology of pear shape. Biol Sex Differ. 2012;3(1):13.
2. Ramírez-Campillo R, Andrade DC, Campos-Jara C, et al. Regional fat changes induced by localized muscle endurance resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2013;27(8):2219-2224.
3. NHS. Lipoedema. National Health Service (UK).
4. Kruppa P, Georgiou I, Biermann N, Prantl L, Klein-Weigel P, Ghods M. Lipedema—pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment options. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2020;117(22-23):396-403.
5. Stevens WG, Bachelor EP. Cryolipolysis conformable-surface applicator for nonsurgical fat reduction in lateral thighs. Aesthet Surg J. 2015;35(1):66-71.
6. Kennedy J, Verne S, Griffith R, Falto-Aizpurua L, Nouri K. Non-invasive subcutaneous fat reduction: a review. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2015;29(9):1679-1688.
7. NHS. Liposuction. National Health Service (UK).

Common questions

Your questions,
answered