The Beauty Brains continue to be amused by so-called anti-cellulite products like Murad, and Anushka. A few weeks ago we blogged about France’s Garnier`s Flat Stomach Roll On and today we present an entry from China: the Setoff Chili Oil Stomach Mask.

The Stomach Mask is marketed in China by the Yousong Refinement Chemical Company and costs about $10 US. As the name implies, it’s made with chili oil extract and it claims to penetrate deep under skin to eliminate orange peel (another name for cellulite), burn fat, and promote metabolism. Ah, if only this were true… But as we previously pointed out, anti-cellulite products don’t really do much.

Fortunately, the label is entertaining. Let’s take a closer look, shall we? First, across the bottom of the package we see it`s billed as a Natural Roughage Formula. While this sort of makes sense if you`re on a high fiber, colon cleansing diet, I`m not sure what that means in terms of a fat burning stomach mask. Come to think of it, I don`t even know what a stomach mask is!

Then there ae the packaging graphics: the image of the noble Tiger butterfly flying low across the Pink Bubble Ocean before swooping majestically toward the magical land of Dripping Green Ooze. Clearly this is meant to symbolize the never ending struggle of free-spirited beauty against the relentless pull of societal norms. Then again, it could just be a butterfly.

Finally, there is the obligatory Naked Torso, inexpicably caught in the sites of some sort of Chili Pepper Assault Rifle. It’s really quite haunting when you stop to examine it.

Needless to say, don`t waste your money on products like this. They are fun to make fun of, but they have no basis in science.

Lucia longs to learn: I’ve heard about a method called UltraShape, which claims it can literally melt fat with ultrasound without affecting surrounding tissues. The best part is, you can melt a pound of fat without anesthesia and then go right away to your daily routine. Is that possible? How can they make sure they are not burning other tissues? Is it available in the US?

The Left Brain responds:

UltraShape is a type of non-invasive body contouring that uses focused ultrasound waves to melt away body fat without an incision. Each treatment takes about an hour and you can go right back to work after the session. The FDA is expected to approve UltraShape for use in the US in 2007 but at the time of this writing, I couldn’t confirm if that has actually occurred yet.

We couldn’t find any peer reviewed scientific literature that documented the effectiveness of UltraShape, but unlike cellulite creams like Murad or Cellulean this method does appear to work to some extent. However, there are some limitations. First, unlike liposuction, this procedure doesn’t work on large fat deposits. That’s because it breaks down the fat but the body has to process the melted fat cells. Second, you can’t treat fat that is located under tattoos or scar tissue. And third, you’re supposed to maintain a negative calorie intake for four day after treatment to make sure the released fat is properly processed by your body. While the process is claimed to be safe, there is a slight risk of medical side effects so you should ask your doctor if you’re seriously interested in this procedure.

Finally, check out the before and after pictures on the UltraShape website. It’s interesting that most of the people do look a bit better in the after picture, but they really don’t look that bad in the before picture in the first place! You have to decide if the expense of this treatment (about $1000 per session) is worth such limited results.

If anyone in the Beauty Brains community has tried this method, let us know what you think.