Janie Lawrence tests the latest weapons in the war on cellulite

Is your body free of cellulite and ready for the summer? No, nor is mine, although I've lost count of how many women's magazines have posed that question since March.

	Get rid of cellulite: try these spa treatments

Such is the obsession with the orange-peel effect that there is now a plethora of treatments available.

According to Dr Trisha Macnair, reporter for Radio 4's Case Notes, they are all pointless and we're wasting our money.

"Cellulite is highly related to oestrogen and begins in puberty. It's a change in the skin when you get more fibrous tissue beneath the surface and tiny fibrous tethers pull on it. It's a natural ageing process."

Not surprisingly, Kristin Schaefer Centofanti, head of research and development for Ultratone, disagrees.

"That's like saying once you're flabby, you'll always be flabby. It's such a defeatist attitude."

Ultratone uses electrical impulses to target particular areas of cellulite.

"Electrical activity is intrinsic to all living processes.

If we mimic this impulse with a machine we can transform the body."

So, con job or beneficial treatment? There was only one way to find out.

Would our cynical volunteers be swayed by three sessions of the latest salon treatments?

FIVE OF THE BEST CELLULITE BUSTERS

Eporex
5/5
From £80 per treatment
(020 7436 3936; www.thefaceandbodyclinic.co.uk)

This is really mesotherapy without needles. A gel, a blend of herbs, vitamins and minerals, was applied to the area to be treated.

The idea is to push this through the skin using an electric current, so I had to place my hand on a small mat and immerse it in conductor gel.

The front of my thighs have always been a bit lumpy and stored extra water which gives them a bloated and mottled effect.

I was very doubtful that a treatment could improve their appearance, but I'm astonished at the results. My skin looks so much younger and smoother. Kate Molloy

Ultratone
4/5
From £35 per treatment
(020 7935 0631)

Pads with a small electrical pulse are attached to different muscles.

It feels weird because your muscles contract and move on their own and you get localised pins and needles, although it wasn't unpleasant and the strength of each pad could be adjusted.

After the second treatment several people told me I had lost weight.

I noticed a smoothness to my cellulite and everything seemed firmer. Alex Molloy

Gerard's seaweed treatment
4/5
From £50 per treatment
(Call 020 8202 2020 for your nearest salon.)

First you're exfoliated front and back, then smothered in seaweed and wrapped in clingfilm.

After the seaweed is removed there is a vigorous massage. It was very relaxing and I could ceertainly see and feel a change in skin texture after the first treatment.

After all three there was a very visible change. I'd have the treatment again. Catherine Ashby

Accent radio frequency device
3/5
From £150 per treatment.
(0800 028 7222; www.sknclinics.co.uk)

I was assured that the treatment would "melt away my fat" and my skin certainly got warm enough.

First some oil was applied to my skin and then a machine warmed it up to 40 degrees. Another machine then delivered electrical pulses to the heated area.

I could see a difference in the texture of my skin afterwards and it definitely felt smoother, but I didn't lose any inches. Suzanne Noble

Crystal Clear
3/5
£75 per treatment; new spa opening in Mayfair
(08705 934 934; crystalclear.co.uk)

The magic ingredient is a hand-held machine that gives sharp pinches to dimpled thighs and bottom.

It didn't shift my cellulite entirely, but I did notice a 30 per cent improvement in skin tone and texture, thanks in part to a deeply relaxing massage.

Best of all two pounds had dropped off. Casilda Grigg