weight tape measurement obesity waist thumb Any product that promises to help you lose unwanted pounds while also dropping your blood pressure, clearing your skin, stabilizing your blood sugar, and elevating your mood sounds like a great thing. Companies marketing weight-loss patches have their own test results supporting these claims, as well as loads of personal testimonies attributing major health benefits to patch use. And considering that many American adults are overweight or ]]>obese]]>, effective weight loss strategies are certainly needed. But do weight-loss patches really work and are they safe?

A wide variety of skin, or transdermal, weight- and fat-loss patch products are available for purchase on the internet. Some focus on dropping pounds overall by “resetting your body chemistry;” others are designed to shed fat by “revving up your fat-burning furnace.” In their marketing, the patches are said to influence the body’s metabolism by altering the hormones involved in weight management, such as insulin, leptin, and thyroid hormones, along with other hormones such as estrogen, cortisol, and serotonin. All patches contain a collection of ingredients, mainly herbal, that enter the body through the skin.

Patches are usually worn on a hairless, lean part of the body like the shoulder, wrist, or ankle. A new patch is applied daily. Skin patches are designed to provide even dosing over a 24-hour period.

Unproven Safety Record

While fat-loss patches are marketed extensively online and through many distributors, including home-based networking businesses, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not test them for safety and efficacy. This means the claims of these products cannot be guaranteed.

The skin patches claim to act in two basic ways: by boosting metabolism and reducing appetite. Some ingredients claim to rev up the metabolism; others put a curb on appetite and cravings. Many patches promise other benefits including increased lean body mass, boosted energy, lower blood pressure, and improved alertness. But the Federal Trade Commission, which investigates fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace, puts it bluntly when they say, “There’s nothing you can wear or apply to your skin that will cause you to lose weight.”

As with any herbal remedy, many weight-/fat-loss patch ingredients are drugs that are classified as “natural plant derivatives.” This does not automatically mean they are safe. Safety issues are not readily known for many patch ingredients but any consumers using a weight-loss skin patch should be aware that they are allowing herbal drugs to enter their bodies. Therefore, it’s wise to consult a doctor before using these patches, especially if you are taking any prescribed medicines or are being treated for a medical condition.

Best With Diet and Exercise

There is no shortage of anecdotal success stories from weight-loss patch believers who profess to have lost lots of weight and achieved considerably improved health. But is it the patch itself or could it be the increased attention to a healthy lifestyle that’s at the root of these successes? One manufacturer openly explained that patch use “puts a whole new idea in your head how to get healthier.” So perhaps weight-loss patch believers are experiencing positive results because of healthy changes to their lifestyles, along with—or wholly aside from—patch use.

For those who do claim to lose weight or fat while wearing a patch, the loss happens gradually in most cases. However, most patch marketers advertise that long-term weight- and fat-loss maintenance is best achieved with a proper diet and exercise plan. No surprise there. In the end, the patches may help you shed a few pounds or get into a smaller dress size, but there still appears to be no getting around the fact that changes in lifestyle, like improved diet and more exercise, are needed to keep the pounds off—and keep healthy—for good.