As a beauty writer you become very adept at dismissing headlines that simply sound ‘too good to be true’.
But then there’s always a tiny part of me that secretly wonders ‘what if’? Which is why I ended up trying Emsculpt.
I figured, summer’s around the corner, what have I got to loose? A few lunch times and potentially a wobbly tummy?
So the press release read, ‘ this new body contouring procedure builds muscles and burns fat by powerfully contracting muscles to a level that standard exercise cannot achieve.’
I mean, come on, you’d be tempted right?
Before and after EmSculpt
Especially with the summer holiday and the prospect of wearing a bikini on the beach fast approaching.
Well HIFEM (high-intensity focused electromagnetic technology) delivers the equivalent of 20,000 sit-ups without you having to do a thing.
HIFEM produces high-intensity muscle contractions causing a release of epinephrine that breaks down fat. Activating 100% of the muscle it’s the equivalent of 20,000 sit ups in a 30 minute time period. I mean seriously, has anyone ever actually managed to do that many sit ups?
Surely not even Britney Spears in her hey day was doing that many?
They are big claims. Tempting claims. Which is why I jumped at the chance to try it. With two kids under my belt and a slipped disc in the mix sit ups aren’t exactly top of my to do list these days.
But dazzled by the science I thought I’d give it a go. I visited Riverbanks Aesthetic & Wellness Clinic in Hertfordshire to satisfy my curiosity.
So how does it work?
Dr Ravi Jain explains, "Unlike the traditional approach towards body shaping through freezing or other aesthetic devices to generate fat cell death, this is a non- surgical contouring treatment which uses an electromagnetic field to simultaneously build muscle and cause fat cell disruption. Muscles represent 35% of the human body, but existing aesthetic treatments only address fat. This is the first device that goes beyond waist-line reduction and addresses not only fat loss but abdominal contouring through muscle tone.”
A fan of the treatment he also explains “What I love about HIFEM is that it's so simple yet incredibly effective – with noticeable results in muscle tone and strength after just a few sessions. With HIFEM, I am offering my patients a safe and pain-free treatment that will make them feel stronger from the very first session. They can also leave the clinic and immediately resume their normal routine, with no aftercare or downtime required. This makes HIFEM an easy and convenient option for anyone looking to build strength, confidence, and comfort in their body.”
The principle is that by dramatically increasing the metabolic rate of what’s going on around the muscle and with the hyper contraction of the muscle, the fatty acids on the muscle cells leak out. This results in a 15% fat burn on top of the muscle building. The fat-burn effect is more of a residual effect from what the device is doing to your muscles.
What does it involve?
The process is relatively painless. A typical treatment takes around 30 minutes and a course row 4 sessions is recommend for optimum results. The device straps on over your stomach area and then a practitioner turns up the power. Dr Ravi Jain started at a lower power then worked up. Starting at 80% or 100% can hyperstress the muscle.
It’s essential you find a trained practitioner who knows exactly how to handle the device. The contractions occur a few seconds apart and feel strange, like a super-intense vibration that reaches your very core. There is no downtime so you can return to your daily activities after each session. Expect to see results two to four weeks after the initial session and you will continue to see improvements for several weeks following the procedure.
It’s not an alternative to exercise and a health lifestyle but it’s an effective treatment for targeting the tummy.
Best results will be seen after 3-months with continued improvement over a 6-month time period.
Who’s it good for?
Anyone that wants to tone their tummy or thigh area. It's also proving popular with women struggling with diastasis recti, which is when the two muscles that run down the centre of the stomach separate after pregnancy.
This treatment does not claim to be a dramatic fat loss treatment. I liked it because it targeted the deeper muscles that I was unable to work out because of my back problem. After the course I felt able to start moderate exercise and I am now spinning twice (?) a week. So for me it helped me get back into exercise. Do I have a 6 pack? Don’t be ridiculous.