Key takeaways
- Banana rolls are pockets of fat or fullness beneath the buttocks, where the glutes meet the upper thighs.
- They can be caused by genetics, hormonal changes, weight gain, ageing, and skin elasticity.
- Exercise alone cannot achieve spot reduction of banana roll fat.
- Combining exercise with a low-caloric diet to achieve weight loss and doing muscle toning exercises can help reduce the appearance of banana rolls in the lower body.
- Overall weight loss requires a calorie deficit, in which calorie expenditure exceeds calorie intake.
- During a medical consultation, the doctor will assess and prescribe non-invasive body sculpting treatments like CoolSculpting Elite for suitable individuals.
Introduction
If you have a small fold or fat bulge just underneath the lower buttocks, you’re not alone. This is commonly known as the banana roll, a crescent-shaped pocket of fat located beneath the lower buttock, along the crease where the glutes meet the upper thighs.
Although banana rolls are a common and natural feature that varies between individuals, some may feel concerned about their appearance, especially if the fat bulge is noticeable despite healthy lifestyle habits.
In this article, we explore what causes banana rolls to form on your body, whether exercise can help, and how we can remove banana rolls through non-surgical treatments.
Why do banana rolls form?
Banana rolls form on the body when subcutaneous fat accumulates beneath the buttocks, along the back of the upper thigh crease. Where the body stores fat is influenced by several factors, many of which are beyond your control. This is why some people are more likely than others to notice fullness in this area.
- Genetics: Your genes can influence your natural fat distribution pattern. If close family members tend to carry more fat around the buttocks and thighs, you are also likely to store fat in similar areas.
- Ageing and skin changes: As you age, muscle mass and tone in the gluteal area can gradually decrease. The skin will also start to lose some of its natural elasticity. This combination of factors can lead to a sagging effect, making the fold beneath the buttocks more pronounced.
- Weight fluctuations: Weight gain can increase body fat throughout the body, including the lower buttocks and upper thighs. Repeated or significant weight changes may also cause the skin to loosen, which can cause banana rolls to be more noticeable.
- Hormonal changes: Changes in hormonal levels during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause can affect fat distribution and how the body stores fat. Oestrogen contributes to the typical female pattern of fat distribution, where more fat tends to accumulate around the hips, thighs, and buttocks.
How does exercise affect the appearance of banana rolls?
Targeted exercises won’t reduce banana rolls
Exercises like squats and lunges that target the glute and thigh muscles cannot remove banana roll fat. This is because spot reduction of fat at the banana roll is not possible as it does not cause reduction of unwanted fat in those areas alone. Those exercises only serve to tone the muscles.
Exercise contributes to weight loss and may reduce overall body fat
For weight loss to occur, you need to achieve a calorie deficit where you expend more calories than you consume. As your body uses stored fat for energy, the size of the fat cells in your body will gradually decrease.
Regular exercise can help increase your daily calorie expenditure. When combined with a balanced diet, this can help create and maintain a calorie deficit to support gradual overall weight loss. As your overall body fat decreases, banana rolls may become less noticeable, although results can vary depending on your natural fat distribution.
Exercise helps tone the lower body muscles
Targeted resistance exercises can also help strengthen the muscles around the glutes, hamstrings, and thighs. This may help create a firmer buttock, and a more defined transition between the buttocks and upper thighs, thus reducing the appearance of banana rolls.
Exercises such as glute bridges, hip thrusts, squats, step-ups, Romanian deadlifts and reverse lunges can be useful. Aim to gradually build these exercises into your routine, focusing on movements you can perform consistently and with good form.
CoolSculpting Elite fat reduction for thigh and glute contouring
While exercise can help improve muscle strength and definition as well as overall body composition, it will not remove unwanted body fat in specific areas of our body like the banana rolls. This is where non-invasive fat removal treatment with CoolSculpting Elite comes in.
At Halley Body Slimming Clinic, our doctors will conduct a personalised consultation to assess the area, understand your goals, and recommend an approach appropriate for your body profile.
How does CoolSculpting Elite work?
CoolSculpting Elite is a non-invasive cryo lipo fat freezing treatment approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It uses an applicator to deliver controlled, sustained cooling that crystallises the fat in the treatment area, triggering a process known as apoptosis (programmed cell death). Over the following weeks, the treated fat cells are gradually broken down and cleared by the body’s natural processes, including the lymphatic system. This treatment can be used to target stubborn fat in specific areas, including banana rolls.
There is no downtime after the procedure, although temporary effects such as redness, swelling, or tenderness may occur.
X-Wave Fat Crusher as a complementary treatment
X-Wave Fat Crusher is not a fat reduction treatment, but it may complement CoolSculpting Elite. This treatment uses acoustic wave therapy to introduce controlled vibrations into the treatment area.
Following CoolSculpting Elite, a short massage is typically performed to mechanically disrupt the cold-damaged fat cells. X-Wave Fat Crusher works on a similar principle. The additional mechanical stimulation from the acoustic wave vibrations may further disrupt the treated fat cells, increasing the number that undergo apoptosis. This can also help improve circulation, lymphatic drainage and the appearance of cellulite or uneven skin texture.
Conclusion
Banana rolls on the body are a common aesthetic concern that can be influenced by several factors, including natural fat distribution, muscle tone, and loose skin. While regular exercise and a balanced, healthy diet can support overall weight loss and lower-body definition, they cannot remove localised fat beneath the buttocks.
For those who remain concerned about unwanted body fat under their buttocks, non-invasive fat reduction with CoolSculpting Elite may be considered as part of a personalised body-contouring plan. During a consultation at Halley Body Slimming Clinic, our doctors will examine the area, review your medical history, and discuss the changes you hope to achieve. From there, they will determine whether fat reduction with CoolSculpting Elite is a suitable treatment for you.
Contact us today for an assessment and to discuss suitable options.
