| Ever since humans first became self-aware about | | | | skin cancer can be fatal so it pays to take all |
| personal hygiene and appearance there has end | | | | appropriate precautions against overexposure to |
| to extremes that some people will go to in order | | | | UV rays. |
| to improve their looks. For thousands of years | | | | Cellulite has been a skin care buzzword for many |
| and in almost every culture, different concoctions | | | | years and is not a legitimate, recognized medical |
| and treatments have been applied to the skin and | | | | condition. Despite the dubious origins of the term, |
| ingested in an attempt to maintain youth and | | | | a plethora of myths have sprung up about what |
| beauty. Now many of these treatment and | | | | causes it and how to get rid of it. The popular |
| concoctions would prove to be fairly harmless. But | | | | mythology of cellulite defines it as an unsightly fat |
| countless others proved to be extremely | | | | deposit that gives the surface of the skin a sort |
| dangerous, doing more damage than good or, | | | | of orange peel look. The mere mention of the |
| worse yet, fatal. There are so many stories of | | | | word cellulite is often a cause of dread and |
| charlatans and snake oil salesmen that talking | | | | self-loathing for many folks who may be overly |
| about all of them here would simply take to long. | | | | concerned about their body image. Preying on the |
| So let us focus on a few of the more infamous | | | | overly self-conscious the marketplace has been |
| cases, some funny and some tragic. | | | | flooded with cures and treatments that are said |
| Certain other myths exist about the skin that | | | | to help us deal with this terrible affliction. |
| does not involve consuming some magic elixir, | | | | Some of the so-called ways to eliminate cellulite |
| applying a cream or other type of treatment. One | | | | range from the mundane and ridiculous, to the |
| this is particularly dangerous is the notion that a | | | | patently absurd. There is the usual assortment of |
| sunburn will turn to a tan or that you need to | | | | creams and gels that claim to almost magically |
| burn before tanning to give the tan a good base. | | | | breakdown these miserable little fats cells. And |
| According to many experts there are no known | | | | lets not forget those specially designed skin |
| circumstances under which a sunburn a good | | | | scrubbers, sponges and loofahs that will make |
| thing. Aside from being painful, the burn can | | | | those unsightly fat deposits disappear. The simple |
| damage the skin in ways that not readily | | | | truth is that these products, just like the snake oil |
| apparent. Continuous overexposure to UV or | | | | cures of earlier times, have no other purpose |
| ultraviolet rays can result in the skin aging | | | | than to separate the gullible from their |
| prematurely or worse overexposure can lead to | | | | hard-earned cash. The only good news about |
| the development of skin cancers letter in life. | | | | these creams, scrubbers and other contraptions is |
| Another potentially dangerous myth is that people | | | | that they are not dangerous. |
| with darker skin do not need to use sunscreen | | | | The simple truth is that there is no such thing as |
| since darker skin pigments act as a natural sun | | | | cellulite and fat by any other name is fat. Experts |
| block. According to many experts dark skinned | | | | agree that the best way to maintain a healthy |
| people should follow the same basic advice about | | | | look is to eat right, exercise, do not smoke and |
| sunscreen and use a product with an appropriate | | | | get enough sleep. The money you save by not |
| SPF rating. | | | | falling for the myth will bring a smile to your face |
| Whatever your skin type, just remember that | | | | and smile always improves your appearance. |