Ever since humans first became self-aware about personal hygiene and appearance there has end to extremes that some people will go to in order to improve their looks. For thousands of years and in almost every culture, different concoctions and treatments have been applied to the skin and ingested in an attempt to maintain youth and beauty. Now many of these treatment and concoctions would prove to be fairly harmless. But countless others proved to be extremely dangerous, doing more damage than good or, worse yet, fatal. There are so many stories of charlatans and snake oil salesmen that talking about all of them here would simply take to long. So let us focus on a few of the more infamous cases, some funny and some tragic.

Certain other myths exist about the skin that does not involve consuming some magic elixir, applying a cream or other type of treatment. One this is particularly dangerous is the notion that a sunburn will turn to a tan or that you need to burn before tanning to give the tan a good base. According to many experts there are no known circumstances under which a sunburn a good thing. Aside from being painful, the burn can damage the skin in ways that not readily apparent. Continuous overexposure to UV or ultraviolet rays can result in the skin aging prematurely or worse overexposure can lead to the development of skin cancers letter in life.

Another potentially dangerous myth is that people with darker skin do not need to use sunscreen since darker skin pigments act as a natural sun block. According to many experts dark skinned people should follow the same basic advice about sunscreen and use a product with an appropriate SPF rating.

Whatever your skin type, just remember that skin cancer can be fatal so it pays to take all appropriate precautions against overexposure to UV rays.

Cellulite has been a skin care buzzword for many years and is not a legitimate, recognized medical condition. Despite the dubious origins of the term, a plethora of myths have sprung up about what causes it and how to get rid of it. The popular mythology of cellulite defines it as an unsightly fat deposit that gives the surface of the skin a sort of orange peel look. The mere mention of the word cellulite is often a cause of dread and self-loathing for many folks who may be overly concerned about their body image. Preying on the overly self-conscious the marketplace has been flooded with cures and treatments that are said to help us deal with this terrible affliction.

Some of the so-called ways to eliminate cellulite range from the mundane and ridiculous, to the patently absurd. There is the usual assortment of creams and gels that claim to almost magically breakdown these miserable little fats cells. And lets not forget those specially designed skin scrubbers, sponges and loofahs that will make those unsightly fat deposits disappear. The simple truth is that these products, just like the snake oil cures of earlier times, have no other purpose than to separate the gullible from their hard-earned cash. The only good news about these creams, scrubbers and other contraptions is that they are not dangerous.

The simple truth is that there is no such thing as cellulite and fat by any other name is fat. Experts agree that the best way to maintain a healthy look is to eat right, exercise, do not smoke and get enough sleep. The money you save by not falling for the myth will bring a smile to your face and smile always improves your appearance.