Would You Buy This Claim?

Science matters. Yet, we rarely see public evidence of that in the form of advertising. More often, it is the ridiculous claim, the jingle, or the familiar brand image that captures our attention. Riding the T here in Boston the other day, a billboard poster, shown in the Figure, reminded me of how rare the recognition of science appears in public places. And, with an editorial due, it revealed a great topicScience matters, especially when there is evidence! Indeed, science and scientiÞ c evidence is something that needs to be considered much more often than it is, even in a scholarly journal. As if to further emphasize the importance of science, the same day, an article was e-mailed to me as an interesting Þ nding regarding the health risks of testosterone replacement in otherwise healthy men. This was followed by a link forwarded by another friend, http://www.improbable. com/2014/11/21/boob-glue-new-patent/, within which was a description of a new patent application approved for Boob-Glue.  Ever the skeptic, and knowing that coincidences are not synchronicity, it still felt as if an invisible force was directing my choice of topics. The mock advertisement for a brighter smile in just one week is typical for the claims made for goods and services as varied as toothpaste, weight reduction schemes, cellulite treatments, and home use lasers for hair removal, or wrinkle reduction! The long-term health effects of testosterone should raise some element of concern for those prescribing or using testosterone as part of a healthy aging or rejuvenation program. And, the BoobGlue, while simply silly, is part of a continuing commercialization of self-appearance modiÞ cations that come and go with great regularity. Those of you in practice for more than 25 years will remember endermology, or endermologie, which was sold as the Þ rst FDA-approved cellulite treatment! Initially, it was marketed for sale only to physicians. Along with the machine for sucking and rolling out the cellulite came a standing half shell for taking photographs. Between the large bulky treatment arm and table for delivering the deep tissue massage via rollers and vacuum and this seemingly mandatory photo documentation, all seemed very scientiÞ c and proper. Data on the device reported a 400-fold increase in lymphatic ß ow and several hundred-fold cutaneous blood ß ow increase as well. Multiple treatments were required, and it was marketed (presaging many subsequent devices) as both an effective treatment as well as a practice builder. Where is endermologie now? Sold to spas and touted as massage therapy among other beneÞ ts! Granted, a PubMed search brought up 2 recent clinical articles regarding effectiveness. One was in the Journal of Cosmetic Laser Therapy and reported both weight loss (2.717 ± 1.938 kg) and circumference changes (2.9 ± 1.6 cm) after a minimum 15 sessions over at least 7 weeks, with a patient satisfaction of 69%. Note the overlap between the degree of change and the range of error as well as the relatively minimal change recorded. The other study used the device to treat injection site indurations and indentations Would You Buy This Claim?