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Myth: 'I was born with this thick, glossy, fast-growing hair.'
Most celebrities don't flat-out deny wearing extensions, so this one is more like a lie by omission. But it's important to acknowledge that the looks we see on the red carpet are the result of hours of professional styling and countless products, hairpieces, and enhancements.

When it comes to hair growth -- which scientists estimate at half an inch per month -- celebrities appear to be setting records. Remember when Katie Holmes got tired of her bob haircut? It transitioned from short to super-long in a matter of weeks, not years. Since that's pretty much impossible, she was almost certainly wearing extensions to add the extra inches.

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Myth: 'I was in a bikini six weeks after having my baby -- it was muscle memory.'
The postpartum bounce-back rate among celebs is incredibly fast, with models like Gisele and Heidi Klum winning the race. Six weeks after giving birth to her son Benjamin, Gisele was back to pre-baby shape, telling "Vogue" that she hadn't exercised much and saying, "I think it was muscle memory."

When asked what a "normal" amount of time to get back to your pre-baby figure would be, Erika Schwartz, MD, an expert in hormone therapy, starts with the ideal scenario: "Without complications during birth, if a woman follows a healthy diet, increases sleep to 8 hours a night, and gets exercise three to five times a week while breast feeding for an average of three months," she says, "it takes about eight months to a year." She also warns that if you don't take care of yourself, you may never get back into shape.

While Gisele may have literally bounced back into shape, many celebs turn to extreme workouts. Kate Hudson reportedly exercised three hours a day after her first baby, and Halle Berry worked with trainer Ramona Braganza, using the 321 Baby Bulge Be Gone method and putting in at least an hour a day.

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Myth: 'A vegan diet makes my skin glow.'
Alicia Silverstone is just one of many enthusiastic vegans in Hollywood, and she gives her diet full credit for her appearance. But swapping turkey for tofu isn't necessarily the healthiest route for you. "You need to listen to your body," says Frank Lipman, MD, founder of Eleven-Eleven Wellness Center in NYC. "Some people do really well on a vegetarian diet, but some people just aren't meant to be vegetarians. If you're not feeling vital every morning -- your skin should look good, you shouldn't have bloating and fatigue -- then whatever diet you're on is probably not for you."

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Myth: 'Juice fasts are the best way to drop pounds.'
Beyoncé famously used the Master Cleanse to drop 20 pounds before filming "Dreamgirls." "I lived on water, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup for 14 days," she said. "It was tough; everyone was eating and I was dying." Gwyneth Paltrow and Naomi Watts have both professed their love for Organic Avenue juices. But it's important to know that not all juices are created equal. "Juicing is a great way to get nutrients into your body -- but drink green juices," says Lipman. "A lot of the juices are too sugary." Fruit-based juices can actually cause you to gain weight, and Beyoncé's Master Cleanse juice had hardly any nutrients at all -- not exactly a healthy way to lose weight.

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Myth: 'I used leeches to detox.'
Demi Moore told David Letterman in 2008: "I was in Austria doing a cleanse and part of the treatment was leech therapy. These aren't just swamp leeches though -- we are talking about highly trained medical leeches." She went on to say how fantastic she felt, explaining that the leeches had "cleaned her blood." But if you're looking for a new, effective way to cleanse, this probably isn't it. "It's an old Asian remedy, and it's not really detoxing," says Lipman. "It may work on a small part of the detox system, but you need to support the liver and the gut for a true detox." Lipman advocates the Be Well Cleanse, a combination of supplements and probiotic shakes that also incorporates two small meals a day, and ditching the water parasites.

Celebrities appear to have flawless skin and perfect bodies. And although most of them work unbelievably hard to look that way, they often credit the latest miracle serum or supplement instead of 'fessing up to pricey spa treatments and hours logged at the gym.

While we know these A-listers have armies of dermatologists, trainers, and stylists working behind the scenes, we want to believe that it's easy to look as good as they do. (If there were a pill that could give you Scarlett Johansson's skin or Gisele's hair -- no matter how big of a skeptic you are -- wouldn't you take it?)

Which is why we end up dishing out money on celeb-endorsed products or starving ourselves on crazy fad diets -- only to find out that we've been duped by another celebrity beauty lie.

Skip ahead to see the biggest celebrity beauty lies.

We turned to experts to help dispel some of the myths celebrities have us believing -- from the ones that we know are far-fetched (like detoxing with leeches) to the ones that seem like they could work (juice fasts, anyone?). Read on to see which myths are totally busted.
BY DAWN DAVIS | SHARES
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