Hip dip is an issue with a majority of women – a close second to cellulite that affects almost 90% of women. And it is also probably just as disliked.
Marilyn Monroe had it. Scarlett Johansson has it. So have Beyonce and Miley Cyrus.
When women turn back and ask ‘do my hips look weird in this dress’, sometimes they may mean to address their hip dip problems.
Most of the women never give it a second thought and go on with their lives. For some of us, however, it may become an important matter.
And it is not only women that worry about hip dips – there is also a large number of men that think about it. Go to any bodybuilding or weight loss forum, and you will find men seeking advice on the dipping hips.
In one of the forums that I read, a person described the dip as “if someone has taken a bite” out of his hips! This is a dramatic description, but just about describes how most people feel about it.
What is Hip Dip?
As its name so clearly indicates, it is a dip or an inward curve that starts just below the hip bone and extends till the upper thigh. When you look at the outline of a hip, you will see it clearly.
Never heard of it? Perhaps you may know it by one of its several other names:
– violin hips (refers to the inward curving waist of the violin)
– hip dents
– shelf hips
– figure 8
Apparently, the hip dip issue is so common, it has its own scientific/medical name – it is also called ‘trochanteric depression’.
What is the Big Deal With Hip Dip?
Why is it so important to address the issue of the inward curving hip in an article?
As mentioned earlier, a majority of women never even care about the dipping hip. Yet, for other women, it may be important for several reasons.
Since the beginning of humanity, our primal brain responds to cues of fertility and virility in the opposite sex. When men look at women, their inner brain seeks full breasts, small waist, and wide curving hips. In other words, an hourglass figure – the ultimate symbol of feminine beauty.
It is not easy to dismiss this thought as shallow – good physical shape is not merely a measure of physical beauty. It also leads to better self-esteem and more confidence, which also means a better chance of success in life.
For women seeking a career in show business, or modeling, it is usually important to have a complete figure. For example, high waist trousers LOOK better on a person with rounder, fuller hips. If you are modeling such trousers or jeans, then a hip dip may become a valid concern in your case.
Or perhaps you are an outdoor lover – one who like to go to the beach, wear a bikini, and play a little volleyball. With such a minimal clothing, the inward curving hips may become a significant aesthetic issue – especially if the rest of your body is smoking hot!
What Causes Hip Dips (violin hips)?
Now, let us look at some of the main causes of an inward curving hip. Here are the top three reasons that cause figure 8 curves:
Nature
Every person is made differently – even if made with the same bones, organs, and skin. Just as a person may have a wider forehead or a higher cheekbone, they may also have a higher hip. Look closely – the skin holds on to the muscles more tightly around the hip region – this may also result in an inward curving hip in some cases.
Your hip may be placed high, and if your hips are wide too, with a widely placed femur (thigh bone) – you may get a hip dip. Clearly, this is just a matter of chance – this is how nature intended to make you.
However, a hip dip is not always natural – it may also result later in life, due to the next two reasons.
Weight Gain
Different people gather fat differently. For some people, the fat accumulation is uniform – their whole body will start getting bigger in proportion.
However, most of us gather fat in a non-uniform manner. This means that some parts get much more accumulation than others. Usually, the buttock and hip area is a huge fat magnet for most people.
When gaining weight, if you have a tendency to gather fat in thighs and lower buttocks, that part may pull down under all that extra weight. This will create a hip dip, or if you had one earlier, it might become more prominent.
Weight Loss
This reason seems counter-intuitive to the above reason but bear with me as I explain.
A violin hip often appears in the body after dramatic weight loss – especially if done through surgical methods like liposuction. Most professional surgeons would be careful to avoid this situation, but a loss in muscle tone may still create this issue.
Beware of Love Handles
Even for normally healthy and slim people, a little fat accumulation at the lower belly – also called love handles or muffin tops – can contribute to hip dips.
The extra fat hangs over slightly, especially when you wear close-fitting trousers or slim-fit jeans. This creates an impression of a dipping curve. If you already had a slight curve, the love handles may enhance it.
How to Get Rid of Hip Dip?
This is probably the most important section for you if you have come here looking for ‘how to get rid of dip hip’ or perhaps, you are simply looking for ‘how to reduce violin hip’.
Let us explore the various ways in which you can achieve this:
Live With It
As explained earlier in the article, the hip dip may result due to completely natural reasons. You may be naturally gifted with a high hip bone and wide pelvis. This will increase the chance of you having a naturally inward curving hip.
For other persons, even if they have very little body fat, it tends to accumulate only in the wrong areas of their hips and doesn’t seem to go away even with workout and a perfect diet.
If your body type is the reason for the violin hips, there is very little you can do in such cases. More importantly, if you are otherwise healthy, and are fortunate to have an otherwise good-looking body, it is better to focus on what you already have, and improving it.
Work out regularly, tone up your muscles, and get rid of all the excess flab. Not only will you look better, you will also feel better.
This also leads us to the next point.
Cover It Up
‘If you can’t beat them, join them’ – is the guiding phrase in this case. If your body type results in a natural hip dip, and it is not so important for you to make efforts to get rid of it, you may try to cover it up.
The best and the easiest way to cover it up is by wearing suitable clothes. In this case, suitable clothes would mean loose fitting, free-flowing clothes. The drape of the dress should be such that it hides the extra bit of curve on the hip.
For example, you will need to avoid low-waist trousers and jeans – especially those with tight bands and narrow belts. If you do wear the, wear a loose top or shirt that overflows over the hips, and covers it.
You may also try high waist skirts, A-line skirts, and dresses, with a loose fit that covers the curves.
Or then, you can raise your efforts a notch, and invest in suitable external aids – specialized hip pads, compression underwear, and other types of assisting underwear.
Work Out Cure: How to Get Rid of Hip Dip or Hip Dents with Exercise
If you are the active type that can take a challenge head on and believe in fighting on the front foot, you can check out the exercise to get rid of hip dents or hip dip.
But before you embark on a mission to reduce hip dip through the workout, here is a little caveat: If you have a natural inward curving hip, and you are already in peak shape, exercise may be of little help.
This is what I pointed out repeatedly in this article – if you have a natural hip dent due to your natural body structure, it is better to learn to live with it. This is especially true if you already exercise your body, and have little body fat. While it never harms to keep a healthy workout regimen, it is best that you approach it without any expectations to reduce hip dip in such cases.
But if your violin hip is a result of excess flab at wrong places, working out a suitable exercise schedule will help a great deal. You can work this out by breaking the issue into its components –
– the waist area
– the hip area
– the thigh area.
What it means is you find the best exercises that
– reduce waist,
– cut the flab on hips and tone the muscles, so they can fill up the curve, and
– reduce fat on thighs – especially upper thighs – and tighten the muscles.
We recommend you check out the following set of exercises that will help you achieve the above goals:
Plank
Planking is an effective exercise for trimming belly fat – and it has several variations that cut the fat on different parts of the tummy – front, back, and sides.
Crunches
Crunching exercise also comes in a range of motions – its different variations target different areas of waist. The best thing about crunches is that it is a body-weight activity, so you do not need any extra equipment like dumbbells.
Check out different crunches to reduce waist size.
Butt Exercises
The gluteal muscles also called the glutes, are the main hip muscles. Exercising and toning them up may help in shaping up your butt and the hip.
Check out these butt exercises to tone your hips and thighs.
If you have access to a personal trainer at your local gym, you may consult them to work out a custom exercise regimen that helps you.
Corrective or Cosmetic Surgery
Prevention is always better than cure, especially surgical cures that involve going under the knife. This is, no doubt, the most drastic way to get rid of hip dip issue. Let us look at some of the surgical options to remove hip dents:
However, it surgery may be necessary in certain circumstances – for example when the dip hip resulted from a liposuction or fat reduction procedure. Most professional surgeons anticipate the issue and compensate it by grafting fat from the other parts of the body.
Another procedure that helps in evening out the hip dent is fat injection – where fat is injected into the dip area to raise it to the desired effect.
One popular non-surgical procedure – that is also FDA approved – is CoolSculpting. This is a fat reduction method – used to remove excess flab from desired areas. You can consult your physician to learn more about this method.
The most drastic method to correct hip dip will be a hip implant – but this is a method of last resort. A surgeon would advise it ONLY if the current hip position leads to a significant health issue. Please consult your trusted doctor extensively before you think of this step.
Last Words on Hip Dip
Beauty is a combination of so many things – some outside of your body, and some that are inside your body. When dealing with dip hip, it is important to keep everything in perspective. An hourglass figure is great to have and will add a great deal to how you look. But still, at the end of the day, it is but ONE part of all that is beautiful about you.
When you set out to get rid of a violin hip, it is best to focus on exercise and diet. This approach will probably deal with the curved hip, and also improve your general health.
Choosing your dress wisely can also help. In additions, suitable dresses will also enhance your looks otherwise, and make your feel great!
Before you plan to go for the extreme methods of surgery to get rid of hip dip, always consult a trusted physician.
