Skin fibrosis is an often-painful condition wherein the skin thickens and hardens, making it difficult to move. Previous research has shown that during fibrosis, fat cells in the skin called adipocytes are depleted. “That really linked this storage of fat to both the development of fibrosis as well as recovery,” said Horsley. When they prevented the adipocytes from losing lipids, fibrosis still occurred and was actually more pronounced. Understanding that, they say, will help identify effective therapeutics for both skin fibrosis and possibly fibrosis that affects other organs, such as the lungs, liver, kidneys, or heart.