Smooth, Protect and Hydrate Your Skin
We want our skin to look good, feel good and smell good. There are a lot of words that the sales people use to convey that a body lotion, cream or moisturizer will do just that. They tell us it will nourish and hydrate. It will restore damaged skin, revitalize it and smooth roughness. The lotion they describe will provide silky, soft touchable skin with a light or subtle scent. For reviews of the best products for moisturizing, improving skin texture and protecting sensitive skin, see Body Lotions and Moisturizers.
Choose a sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. Look for the words "broad spectrum protection" or UVA protection in addition to the SPF of 15 or greater. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a "four-star" UVA rating system and will require that over-the-counter sunscreens disclose both UVA and UVB protection levels on product labels by 2010.
If you want the glow of a tan, try faking it with self-tanners or salon tanning spray treatments. Avoid tanning beds, though, because although manufacturers claim that tanning beds are free of UVB rays, they still use harmful UVA rays.
Sunscreens for the body can be of the cheaper variety than those for the face. We are more particular about moisturizers and sunscreens for the face that are non-greasy and won't clog the pores. That is less important for the body. For more information check out: Body Sunscreens.
Cellulite is a problem that most women face. It occurs in the skin of upper thighs primarily and is also often seen on the abdomen, legs and pelvic area. It occurs after puberty. It is believed that hormones play a big role in cellulite. In addition to hormones, genetic factors such as gender, race and body type also play a role in the occurrence and severity of cellulite. Men do not have cellulite due to the difference in how they store fat.
Cellulite is fat that is stored just beneath the skin. And it is a type of fat that is not as susceptible to exercise. It will be the very last fat that you lose. That is why you see skinny women with cellulite. So, exercise will help some by minimizing the volume of fat and therefore lessening the appearance of cellulite but exercise will be unlikely to eliminate all cellulite.
But cellulite is not all fat. It is a mixture of fat, water and toxic wastes. There are other factors besides weight and/or lack of exercise that contribute to development of cellulite. And if you work on these factors, cellulite can be diminished to varying degrees.
For a discussion of the various technique and cosmetics used to fight cellulite, see: Cellulite Treatments.
