The beauty industry makes millions of pounds out of so-called cellulite-banishing treatments. But is it just cashing in on our desire for a quick fix? Rachel Roberts puts one of the treatments - Endermologie® - to the test.

Dimples may have been cute when you were a kid, but the puffy puckering, known as cellulite, that can appear on your thighs and bottom when you grow up is the curse of many a woman's existence. Ninety per cent of women over 20 years old develop the dreaded dimples.

What is Endermologie®?
Developed by our French cousins over 10 years ago, Endermologie® is basically a massage machine which, it is claimed, can temporarily get rid of cellulite. Bizarrely, Endermologie® started life as a deep-tissue massage for injured horses which had the unexpected side-effect of smooth skin. The horse-owners realised they had stumbled across the Holy Grail of the beauty world.

And now for the science bit...
A mild suction pulls the skin into a small chamber in which it is gently pinched and rolled. This intensive massage of the skin breaks down subcutaneous fat, water retention and toxins, allowing the body's lymphatic system to drain it all away.

The treatment
After getting over the horror of looking like a Teletubby tobogganist in the white semi-see-through body stocking I lay down for my 40-minute treatment.

I was a little bit nervous after hearing wildly different experiences of the process. Comments ranged from, "It sucks your fat in and gives it a good pummeling", to "It's like a really nice massage." I'm glad to report that the latter remark was more accurate. Jo, my beauty therapist, rolled the Endermologie® machine - a sort of cross between a mini-hoover and massage balls - all over me and the sensation was quite enjoyable.

Jo explained that the treatment should never hurt - a trained therapist can assess what level of massage your body can take. For maximum results, the clinic recommends a course of treatments - up to 14 sessions - combined with the right diet and exercise. You'll then have to revisit every couple of months to keep those dimples at bay.

Did it work?
I felt very chilled out after the treatment, but couldn't stop going to the loo - apparently a sign that all the excess fluid had been Endermologied out of my body. My skin definitely felt softer and much firmer, but a few days later it had taken on the appearance of an over-stuffed sofa again. Hey ho. If I had completed the course, however, perhaps the effects would have lingered longer.

The verdict
If you're really, really hung up about your lumps and bumps, go for it. If not, take a beach holiday instead. These treatments can be pricey so unless you are really desperate a good tan, either fake or real, remains the undisputed camouflage of the beauty world.

Contact the Wellbeing Clinic on 0207 730 7010 for more details.