Intelligencer

Bikini-Season Quick Fixes

Summerï¿½s here! The latest in last-minute fat-fighting ï¿½science.ï¿½

By Beth Landman
Published May 28, 2006

(Photo: Kevin Taylor/Alamy)

Carboxy
What It Is
Injections of carbon dioxide into fat pockets.
Claim
According to Jennifer Bengel of Wellpath on Madison Avenue, “the carbon dioxide is literally poisonous to the fat.’’
Lag Time
One week to start to see improvement.
Price
$150 per area.
Drawback
“You could feel pressure for about twenty seconds because we are basically inflating you,’’ says Bengel. (Plus, isn’t it a greenhouse gas?)

The Titan
What It Is
Thirty-minute session with a “broad-spectrum infrared lamp.”
Claim
“Causes links between collagen molecules to break, which makes collagen molecules disoriented,’’ says cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Neil Sadick. “They shrivel, which results in an immediate tightening of the tissue and contouring.”
Lag Time
None!
Price
$1,500 per session.
Drawback
You might feel like you’re a premade order of fries at McDonald’s.

The E-Max
What It Is
Radio frequency, laser, and infrared combination.
Claim
Tightens the skin and increases collagen production, which plumps out uneven texture—appearance will be tighter and smoother after one treatment, according to cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Howard Sobel.
Lag Time
One month.
Price
$1,000 per treatment.
Drawback
Two sessions would pay for a summer share.

Caudalie Essential Slimming Serum
What It Is
Essential oils including grape seed and juniper berry.
Claim
Breaks down fat cells.
Lag Time
French women lost two inches off the hip area in 30 days, according to the company’s study.
Price
$35.
Drawback
You may smell like wine or a gin-and-tonic. And can we trust French women, who claim to lose weight by eating foie gras?

CM3 Alginate
What It Is
Brown seaweed that expands in your stomach.
Claim
It’s apparently Germany’s best-selling natural appetite suppressant. You can lose five to ten pounds in a week with no side effects, says importer Oz Garcia’s rep.
Lag Time
One week.
Price
$65 for two-week supply.
Drawback
You may be thin and have no diet-pill jitters, but a stomach full of brown algae could have you running to the loo.