Six-pack abs, the rippled midsections that grace models in Men’s Health covers and Calvin Klein ads, are beyond the reach of many men, but that doesn’t stop them from trying. From 2000 to 2009, the number of men in the United States undergoing abdominoplasty (tummy tucks) more than doubled, to 4,670, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

And for the surgically disinclined, a growing number of products, from toning creams to artfully applied body makeup and self-tanners, are promising to give men more-impressive looking abdominal muscles. None will turn Zach Galifianakis into Brad Pitt, but some men are reporting noticeable results.

Stefan Pinto, a freelance writer and a model who lives in Los Angeles, writes a fitness column for Examiner.com. In June a publicist sent him a free tube of Lab Series Skincare for Men Ab Rescue Sculpting Gel ($30 for 6.7 ounces), which the company says, “Tightens, firms and smooths the appearance of the midsection with caffeine, creatine and soya protein.” Since July, when he began using the product, Pinto, 40, has been chronicling his bare midriff with photographs posted on Twitter and Facebook.

Though any changes seem imperceptible from the photos, Pinto said he has found the product worthwhile.

“If you have abs and you want to make them really pop and show up more, then fine, go ahead and use this,” he said in a telephone interview. But Pinto, who in addition to a strict gym regimen eats eight servings of vegetables daily and avoids dairy products and bread, said, “If you think you can go into a store and buy something and get all these results, then you’re fooling yourself.”

Like popular anti-cellulite creams marketed to women, many products that promise more defined abs contain caffeine, which is also used in some facial creams marketed to reduce puffiness.

“When you first glance at these products, it sounds like it’s snake oil, but when you dig deeper it seems like there is some efficacy to it,” said Dr. Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas, a dermatologist in New York and assistant clinical professor at the Yale University School of Medicine. “When you add caffeine it causes blood vessels to restrict, and it turns out that’s a great trick for making skin appear less puffy.”

Alexiades-Armenakas cautioned men against expecting dramatic results from such products. “But even a 10 percent improvement would make a difference to some people,” she said.

Shopsmart, which like Consumer Reports is published by the Consumers Union, reported in 2009 that there is “some preliminary evidence by researchers” that caffeine may firm skin, but emphasized that such products are “effective only as long as they are being used, and generally it takes four to five weeks to see any difference.”

Dave Vito, a 65-year-old competitive bodybuilder from Cleveland, said that no matter how much he works out, his skin lacks elasticity, even when his abdominal muscles are developed. “You get a little hanging skin,” he said.

On the recommendation of a trainer, he tried AmiLean lotion by Ideal Marketing Concepts ($70 for 8 ounces), which in addition to caffeine contains aminophylline. (Alexiades-Armenakas, the dermatologist, said aminophylline is “in the same class of molecules” as caffeine and serves a similar vessel-constricting function when applied topically.) Vito used the product for three months while training for a June competition in California, where he won in the bantamweight (he weighs about 140 pounds) and over-60 divisions.

“I’m not sure if it was dissolving fat,” Vito said. “But it did tighten my skin.”

Vince Kandis, a founder of Ideal Marketing Concepts, said that men account for about 20 percent of sales of the product, which was introduced last year and is marketed as a general “slimming lotion” for all over the body. Advertising of the product has thus far concentrated on women, but this will change in January, Kandis said.

Melanie Mills, the lead makeup artist for “Dancing With the Stars” and a spokeswoman for St. Tropez tanning products, said that for faster results, the male dancers on the show, who often perform shirtless, have custom tans to appear more buff.

“Those guys on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ have fabulous bodies but they don’t want to go out there without us helping them out,” Mills said.

The secret to tanning abs, Mills said, is “contouring the recesses.” After applying a product like St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Spray ($35 for 6.7 ounces), she recommends using a finger to spread a dab of tinted face lotion like Wash Off Instant Glow Face ($15 for 1.6 ounces) in abdominal indentations.

“Even if guys don’t have the full-on total abs, just a line down the middle of the stomach helps create some definition,” Mills said.

Meanwhile, the Abs in a Box kit by It Cosmetics ($34.50) offers both a defining cream containing caffeine and a makeup palette to both darken contours and lighten the summits of muscles.

“Its a great alternative to plastic surgery or crazy things like that,” said Jamie Kern Lima, a founder of the company, which also makes a women’s Abs in a Box kit (it sells about five times as much as the men’s).

All shapes can benefit, she said.

“If you’re 60 pounds overweight, you’re not going to draw on a six pack, but you can use the same techniques to look 5 or 10 pounds lighter,” Kern Lima said. “And if you’re 10 pounds overweight, you can’t draw on a six pack, but you can create a washboard effect.”