The quest for tighter, flatter abs is not a new one. Even looking at Greek statues, the appeal of the six-pack has always been there. Although there was a period of time when a more rubenesque figure was thought to be more attractive, our fitness conscious and thinness-crazed society has seen to it that those days are long since passed. So that leaves us in the rat race of the treadmill, the spinning class and any other exercise that promises to burn fat. We eat right (OK, mostly right) and even bought at least one “as seen on TV” infomercial product. So when the fat burning gel/cream craze hit the market, we were all ears. Would this cream work? Could a gel really give us that cut and separation that it seems like everyone else gets just by breathing?

The creams and gels promising a flatter more cut stomach just by applying them topically have the same active ingredient – aminophyline – so any differences between brands are merely packaging and delivery. Aminophyline is a treatment for asthma when in pill form and, when applied topically, is claimed to break down fat cells so that they can be absorbed into the blood stream. For those of us who have had certain trouble spots of stubborn fat deposits that just won’t go away no matter how much we starve or sweat this sounds like a godsend. But does it work?

Of course the companies that market the products would have us believe that they work miracles, but the U.S. Federal Trade Commission alleges that these claims are unsubstantiated and misleading. In addition, home-based reviews have been predominately negative, with most people reporting no visible signs of fat loss above and beyond losses attributed to diet and exercise (which all of these products say is a requirement for best results). The main objection lies in the assertion that the fat is dissolved and absorbed into the blood stream. If that is the case, you will still need to be exercising more than normal to metabolize that additional fat before it goes right back where it came from.

Not everyone is so negative, however, some dermatologists have gone on the record as saying that these products may produce some results, but that the results are dependent on the continual use of the product. At $120 a tube for the high end solutions, that’s a fairly substantial investment. A personal trainer would be a much less expensive and far more beneficial in the long run.

The bottom line is that whenever anything claims to be too good to be true, it probably is. If, however, the claims are too enticing for you to pass up, do some research and compare ingredients before dropping over $100 for a tube of the cream. Since the active ingredient is constant across the board, you can save some money by purchasing a lesser-priced brand.

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