AGE HALF AS FAST-STARTING NOW

THE BESTN FOR WRINKLE SINCE RETIN-A (PAGE 10)

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InlTAnI BRfAST UPLlfTS How mu(~ (Qn (reQm~ do for droop?

R emember the test that was supposed to determine if you should or shouldn't go braless? Well , if, 20 years later, you 're able to hold the pencil in place under your breasts, you probably see the appeal of creams that claim to firm and tone them. No substitute for a surgical uplift, most are

simply a cross between a moisturizer and an astringent, drawing water into surface skin (which causes it to swell) while simultaneously creating a tight-ening effect. (Elancyl goes one step further with its new Bust Firming Treatment, which also includes albumin-egg whites, the same thing old-time movie stars used to use for instant "face-lifts" before going on camera.)

Popular with European women, whose habit of topless sunbathing dam-ages breast skin's support structure, these products are just slowly catching on here. "In this culture, women simply aren't comfortable with their breasts," explains Marianne Huss of Clarins, which markets five products that focus on what the company calls the "natural bra"-the skin between the chin and nip-ples-and on toning it to better support the bust. Another reason may be the temporary nature of the effects . According to Dr. Alan Kling, M.D. , assistant clinical professor of dermatology at New York City's Beth Israel Hospital, "If you massage, moisturize or use an astringent, you can create something that might translate as better tone for an hour or two. " In other words, you may want to think twice before throwing away your bra.-Jean Godfrey-June