Cellulite is the dimpling of skin surface that exhibits an
‘orange peel-like’ or ‘cottage cheese-like’ appearance; it
mostly occurs in the gluteal−femoral region of post-adolescent
women. It approximately affects in 85% women
older than 20 years1. Subcutaneous fat protrusion into the
dermis is considered to be the major cause, but its mechanism
is not clearly understood2,3. Cellulite is caused by
several factors including enlarged fat lobules, excessive
tension, stress, or decreased collagen4-6. Cellulite usually
leads to cosmetic problems, but its treatment is not well
established.
Slimming cream (ZONEㆍ5 Slimming Zone Smart Silhouette
Cream; Skin & Tech, Seongnam, Korea) contains 3.5%
water-soluble caffeine and xanthenes, and exerts lipolytic
effects through the inhibition of phosphodiesterase (PDE)
and induction of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)
in adipocytes7. Caffeine can penetrate the skin barrier to
reach the dermis where fat protrusion occurs. Commercially
available slimming cream contains 3% caffeine8. Although
caffeine is basically hydrophilic, its water solubility is very
low. Therefore, higher-concentration formulas require large
amounts of surfactant or alcohol, which can cause skin
irritation. The slimming cream tested in the present study
contains water-soluble caffeine invented by the manufacturer;this cream contains 3.5% caffeine, which is a higher concentration
than other commercially available forms with
only a small amount of surfactant. Therefore, it is expected
to provide better clinical efficacy without increased skin
irritation. Accordingly, this study evaluated the efficacy
and safety of the abovementioned slimming cream for the
treatment of cellulite.