It's bathing-suit season again. There you are, trying on bikinis in the fitting room of a chic boutique. What's that cottage cheese doing on your upper thighs? Can it be Cellulite?

It's time to come clean: How much do you know about your cellulite? It might surprise you to discover that some of your most basic assumptions are based on myth. Here's your chance to find out whether you know the fat truth.

False. Even very slim women can have cellulite on their thighs, buttocks and hips. Cellulite results from the skin losing its elasticity and firmness. This allows fluids and fat deposits into the lower layers of the skin.

Tip: Being overweight is a major contributing factor to those dimples on your thighs. Yo-yo dieting can cause your body to hold onto more fat deposits in the lower body.

False. Cellulite can develop as early as puberty but is not easily noticed due to the suppleness of young skin.

Tip: Avoid anything that accelerates the skin-aging process such as prolonged sun exposure.

False. Heredity is not a primary factor.

Tip: Your genes, your gender, the amount of fat on your body and the thickness of your skin are influencing factors. For example, thinner skin and excess body fat makes cellulite more visible.

False. Because cellulite is nothing more than regular fat, no foods cause it particularly, or can help reduce it. Fizzy drinks don't cause it.

Tip: Excess calories in general are the cause. See below.

False. From a medical point of view, cellulite is nothing to worry about. The term cellulite is not listed in medical dictionaries.

Tip: It is often confused with the medical condition cellulitis, which is a painful inflammatory skin condition, which is completely different.

False. In the current limited repertoire of cellulite treatments --none have been established as a cure-all.

Tip: Massage your skin with or without any lotion or cream may have some limited benefits by improving blood circulation and lymphatic drainage. Regular massage also helps maintain smoother skin.

False. Because tight bands of fibrous tissue cause cellulite, extracting the fat layer that resides just under the skin may actually worsen that dimpled look.

Tip: Many physicians recommend liposuction for contour improvements in patients with stubborn fat deposits, but not as a primary cellulite treatment.

False. In fact, the idea that drinking more water will help any skin condition is erroneous. Nor does drinking more water eliminate any cellulite-causing toxins. Over-hydration can actually increase the appearance of cellulite.

Tip: Water loss as a result of perspiration or compression, will temporarily improve the appearance of cellulite.

False. Even the fittest female athlete can develop cellulite. Still, the less fat you have, the less likely it is to spill over that web of fibrous bands. Eexercises targeted to the buttocks or thighs will tone muscle, but won't eliminate fat from that particular area.

Tip: Exercise is still the best natural defense against cellulite. Aerobic exercise--walking, running, swimming, cycling--burns calories and improves circulation.

False. On its own, dieting cannot eliminate cellulite. Cellulite is trapped in the connective tissue and cannot be burned by metabolism. Eating well is always a good idea, but specific foods won't prevent or cure cellulite.

Tip: An anti-cellulite diet is any good diet--low in fat, high in soluble fiber, with limited sweets, fat and preservatives. (The body easily breaks down fiber for energy, so there's less left over to store as fat.).

The good news is, just because you can't buy a miracle cellulite cure doesn't mean you can't take concrete steps to prevent cellulite's onset and minimize its appearance. Here are some, easy things you can do to get started today: