Regardless which area of the body you’re hoping to contour, there is a device or treatment that can give you just that with options ever evolving and expanding. We’ve all heard of the popular fat blasting fads which allow you freeze, heat, or use ultrasound energy to rid your body of stubborn fat pockets, but there is a new player in the game that may give those devices a run for their money. Unlike CoolSculpting, Sculpsure, and Ultrashape that are geared only towards fat loss, new comer Emsculpt is intended to build muscle and implode fat cells.
The craze over this new device, the first muscle building device approved by the FDA, is booming. Board certified plastic surgeons Drs. Dustin Reid and Ashley Gordon of Austin, Texas, don’t anticipate that changing, especially due to the outcome of ongoing studies proving again and again this machine is the real deal. On average patients experience a 16% increase in muscle mass and 19% fat loss after treatment is completed.
How does Emsculpt Work?
Non-invasive Emsculpt uses electromagnetic energy to trigger contractions that otherwise would not be achievable in order to build muscle and lose fat. The energy goes to the nerve and targets the entire muscle. Completing one session is comparable to doing 20,000 sit ups. “It stimulates super contractions, so it can contract the muscle more than you could even if you were just working out,” explains Dr. Reid. Doctors are able to use this device on the abdomen, glutes, hamstrings, and thighs.
In addition to building muscle, Emsculpt can also help with diastasis recti (separation of the abdominal muscles) which is common among women post-pregnancy. Drs. Reid and Gordon add that patients scheduled to undergo tummy tucks may benefit from completing a treatment of Emsculpt prior to surgery. “A lot of our patients are fit, so they’re worried about the six weeks after the tummy tuck that they can’t work out,” explains Gordon. “It’s nice to get a treatment of Emsculpt in before the procedure so that muscle is built and once they’re able to start working out again they haven’t really lost anything.”
What to Expect
After entering the treatment room, the patient will lay down (face up or down depending on treatment area) and paddles are secured with a velcro strap. The machine will begin emitting energy waves that cause intense muscle contractions. The machine has settings from 1-10 that can be manually adjusted based upon patient tolerance. The higher the setting, the more intense the contraction will become, giving the patient the ultimate payoff.
The 30-minute session cycles through 3 phases. The first two phases produce similar contractions with the first being slightly longer than the second. The third phase elicits a different muscular response as the machine taps the lactic acid out of the muscle to lessen the soreness one may feel following the session. Overall, it should feel as though you’ve just gone through a killer workout, without the sweat.
Four 30-minute sessions, spaced two to three days apart, is ideal with final results apparent a week or two after the last session The best part? There is no downtime associated with Emsculpt and, compared to other devices on the market, there are no risks involved. “No risk of burns, no downtime, no pain. There is no downside to it!” shares Reid.
Fatty layers above the muscle determine how quickly muscle definition appears, but overall treatment areas have a very rapid response with some patients seeing results after 1 session.
Who is the Ideal Candidate?
As with any other body contouring procedure, the ideal patient would be one that already maintains a healthy diet and exercise regime but can’t seem to achieve the six pack that is so desired. “It’s going to be good for someone that’s already relatively fit but just really wants to get good definition,” explains Reid.