Smooth Selling : Despite the lack of conclusive evidence that thigh creams really work, Southern Californians are buying them. Doctors say the preparations don’t appear to do any harm.

The ads are everywhere--but the jury is still out.

Thigh creams are being touted by distributors and manufacturers as the easy panacea to unsightly bulges and dimpled skin. And Southern Californians--longing for firm, smooth thighs in a seemingly endless shorts season--are buying them.

Marketed with such names as Smooth Contours and Skinny Dip, the cosmetic creams sell for about $25 a jar and are typically recommended for twice-a-day use on the upper thighs.

But some dermatologists and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are hesitant to endorse them as effective.

Kathy Lewinski, 35, a registered nurse who works in a dermatologist’s office in Westlake Village, figured she might as well try a thigh cream and see for herself if it worked. She has been using one brand regularly for the last few months.

She tested the cream on just one thigh--for comparison purposes--and also on both hips. She said she has found that it works better on her hips. “They look firmer,” she said. “Even my husband thought I had been exercising.”

Most of the creams contain aminophylline, an asthma medication that some research suggests could be slightly effective in reducing thigh size.

But because the creams are classified as cosmetics, they do not have to be proven effective, only safe, said Mike Shaffer, an FDA spokesperson in Washington.

“They appear to be relatively safe, but we’re not aware of any conclusive evidence that they work,” Shaffer said. “Of course, people expect a certain amount of puffery when it comes to cosmetics.”

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Dr. Randolph Capri, a Westlake Village dermatologist, tells patients that the thigh creams may work, but adds that there has not been enough research to know.

The premise is feasible, he says. The aminophylline could be absorbed through the skin and actually shrink underlying fat cells.

“On the positive side, the thigh creams don’t seem to have any negative effects. They seem safe,” he said.

Some of Capri’s patients have tried the cream on areas beyond the thighs, such as the upper arms, abdomen and even under their eyes.

Several of his employees have used the thigh creams, and a few are convinced that their arms or thighs are better looking as a result, he said.

Capri warns that although the creams are safe to use on their bodies, they should not be used on the face.

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Capri said the drive to find a quick and painless way to reduce fatty trouble spots is understandable, especially since there are no alternatives beyond either diet and exercise, or liposuction, a surgical procedure.

Dr. Bente Berman, an Agoura Hills dermatologist, is skeptical.

She thinks the creams probably create the sensation of skin tightening or firming, but no measurable effects.

Yet the only side effect that she has seen has been an irritant dermatitis--a short-term rash.

“I kind of make light of it. If the creams were such a great thing, everybody would be using them,” she said.

But Berman does have her own jar of cream at home. A patient brought it in for her to try. She hasn’t tried it--yet, she said.