Buyer Beware the Brassage? The Naked Truth About 'Healthy' Underwear
ABC News examines underwear that claims to banish cellulite, drain toxins.
March 30, 2009 — -- Attention women: What if you could detoxify your breasts and get rid of cellulite by wearing a special bra and panties? Some clothing manufacturers are suggesting that their products can do just that.
The Brassage, billed as a revolutionary "wellness bra," retails for as much as $59. It's produced by Intimate Health, an apparel company run by Christina Erteszek, the daughter of famous lingerie designer Olga.
"I have seen a lot of breasts in my life, more than any man could dream of," said Erteszek, who claimed to be wearing a Brassage during her interview with ABC News.
Regular bras could be hazardous to your health, she says, because they trap toxins in the breasts. Her Brassage, however, has "massaging" bumps sewn into the sides that "stimulate lymphatic flow," flushing those toxins away.
Asked if she is implying the Brassage helps prevent breast disease, Erteszek said, "Yes. Of course." But, she went on, "I say, 'help to prevent.' I'm making no medical claims that it does prevent."
There's no evidence the Brassage helps prevent anything. And there's no scientific data to support Erteszek's statements, according to breast cancer researcher Dr. Susan Love, clinical professor of surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
"We really have no data that toxins are accumulating in the breast tissue every day, and that they are not being allowed to drain out because of people wearing bras," Love said.
The Brassage Web site says the Brassage is "doctor designed" and patented. But the inventor of the "micro-massaging" bumps in the Brassage is not a medical doctor; he's a chiropractor.
Solidea, the catalog company that carries the Brassage, also sells Micro-Massage Anti-Cellulite panties, tights and tummy bands. The Brooklyn, N.Y., company imports the support hose from Italy.
A promotional DVD claims, "The special three-dimensional relief fabric effectively models and reduces cellulite on the buttocks, hips, thighs, and legs."
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