07/14/2003

By JEAN ENERSEN / KING 5 News

SEATTLE - The lumps, the bumps, that cottage cheese skin. Can you get rid of it with a cream?

"It's a bit of a fool's game to believe those creams labeled as cellulite creams are really doing anything for your thighs," says author Paula Begoun of Seattle.

Begoun has made a career of studying cosmetics. She's even written several books. She's skeptical, though many of us are not.

KING Do cellulite creams really work?

So, KING 5 News asked her to choose five of the most popular creams, at various prices. Her picks: Avon Cellusculpt, L'Oreal Body Expertise, Shiseido Body Creator, Clarins Body Lift, and Cellulite Attack.

They all promise to improve the appearance of the skin in just four weeks. The magic ingredient?

"There is a trend for cellulite creams to contain caffeine," said Begoun.

Or, a caffeine cousin called aminophylline, combined with plant extracts.

"Some scientists feel that aminophylline and caffeine help to relax the compartments of fat," said Dr. Thomas Zaydon, plastic surgeon.

Dr. Zaydon agreed to oversee the test. First, he met with the five brave subjects and rated their cellulite from one to five, five being the worst. Each woman was assigned a product and then given some rules.

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Paula Begoun - Cosmetics Cop

Four weeks later, one cream shows promise. Dr Zaydon said the woman using the Clarins Body Lift dropped her cellulite rating from a two to a one.

"I did become a believer," said the lucky contestant.

Three of the other creams, L'Oreal, Avon, and Cellulite Attack also made the skin feel smoother, but the women's cellulite ratings all stayed the same.

Even so, some of the women gave the products a thumbs up. The L'Oreal user is happy.

"I like the way my skin, you know, has improved. Not, probably not the cellulite itself, but the texture," she said.

Whether the women are happy or not, Dr. Zaydon says at best, the creams can only improve the appearance of the skin.

"There is no cream that is going to suck out the cellulite," he said.

The woman who was testing the fifth product, the Shiseido Body Creator, missed her final appointment with Dr. Zaydon. But, she said she did use the product for four weeks and does see an improvement. Again, these results are her opinion, not that of a medical expert.

The products tested ranged in price from $18 to $52.50 per tube. The Clarins, which was rated highest, also was the most expensive.