As Americans struggle with weight loss and strive to maintain the best image they can, they are often beset by unscrupulous advertisers offering miracle cures. One of the most difficult issues facing many women is cellulite; not surprisingly, unscrupulous advertisers seek to take advantage of consumers’ desire to rid themselves of cellulite by offering bogus “cures” that are nothing less than snake oil. The word “cellulite” is not a medical term; instead, it originated in European salons and spas to describe deposits of dimpled fat on women’s legs. Cellulite is described by advertisers as a different type of fat than found elsewhere on the body, a combination of fat, water, and toxic wastes. In fact, cellulite is nothing more than ordinary fatty tissue. Fibrous tissues connect the skin to underlying layers and create compartments containing fat cells. When those fat cells grow, they create a dimpled appearance.
Products claiming to reduce cellulite are legion, as are related false advertising claims. For example, many anti-cellulite products claim to remove “toxins” as a cure to cellulite. However, fat in cellulite contains no toxins not present in other fat cells, and the presence or absence of “toxins” has no effect on the size or shape of fat cells that make up cellulite. Similarly, products that claim to permanently “shrink cellulite” or reduce collagen are based on misrepresentations, as no cream or other product can produce that miracle.
Another popular, but perhaps no less bogus, anti-cellulite product is Hot Pants by Zaggora. HotPants allegedly contain “bioceramics” that will help you deal with cellulite. In fact, HotPants, which is also touted as a weight loss device that helps consumers “drop up to 2 dress sizes in 2 weeks,” appears to be sold on the basis of a number of questionable claims. First, Zaggora claims that its bioceramics emit “infrared rays” that both help with weight loss and cellulite appearance; however, the company website and advertising materials we reviewed did not contain a reference to a single proper study substantiating its claims. Second, Zaggora claims that its pants “boosts sweating by up to 80% and aids in eliminating the toxins responsible for cellulite.” Not only are toxins not responsible for cellulite, but sweating only has a short term effect as any fluid reduction is soon reversed by drinking or eating.
If you or someone you know purchased Hot Pants or any other cellulite cure, please contact us to discuss your legal options.