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