You’re between the ages of 35-50, you’ve been working out daily, and not a single cookie has passed your lips since college. And yet, there’s that stubborn fat around your abs and/or buttocks that simply will NOT disappear in-spite of your clean eating, Zumba™ classes and weight training routines. Instead of throwing your hands up in the air in utter frustration, there very well may be a solution. And it’s not plastic surgery.
Call your board-certified dermatologist. There’s an FDA approved treatment out there called Emsculpt™. Emsculpt™ treatments are non-invasive. But what is it and how does it work?
In a February 2019 article in Town and Country Magazine, New York City dermatologist Arash Akhavan explains, “the name Emsculpt™ is actually derived from the science behind the treatment. “The first two letters—the E and the M in Emsculpt™—is the technology behind it, it uses electromagnetic energy to get the muscles to contract in the area you’re treating.” Dr Akhavan added that the process is like how we contract our muscles naturally. “Emsculpt™ takes over that process to a much stronger extent than our bodies are able to,” he continues. “Using this electromagnetic energy causes the muscles to do what are called super maximal contractions.”
In a September 2018 article in Allure Magazine, Dr Akhavan is quoted as standing behind the product’s safety stating, “The safety of the magnetic mechanics underlying the device has been supported by numerous studies over many decades. There have been no serious adverse events ever recorded with Emsculpt™.”
Board-certified dermatologist Dr Margo Weishar of Pennsylvania is quoted on healthline.com regarding Emsculpt™: “It would be like doing 20,000 sit-ups in 30 minutes — well beyond the capacity of the most ambitious workout,”
People who’ve undergone the treatment say that the procedure feels weird, almost too wrong to be right. Some say it feels like you’re going through a very intense workout. Men and women also claim it’s worth it and would do it again. Many people undergoing Emsculpt™ treatments generally report seeing clear results right after the initial two-week period. Some people report seeing results after the first treatment. In fact, in a May 2018 article in Women’s Health Magazine, New York City Dermatologist is quoted as saying, “I see about five patients per day, and none have had any complaints,” she says. “Half notice an immediate effect after one treatment, but 84 percent report a significant difference one month after completing the series; 90 percent, three months after.”
The writer Marissa Gainsburg of the aforementioned Women’s Health Magazine article stated after she had the Emsculpt™ procedure, “My stomach didn’t look much different after my first session, but it felt harder when I poked it. At the gym after my second treatment, I swear my torso was sturdier during rows and lunges. After the third visit, I could hold planks for two straight minutes.”
Initial Emsculpt™ procedures are typically done once every 2-3 days over the course of two weeks and each targeted area (stomach or buttocks) receives 30 minutes of the electromagnetic treatment at a time. Men and women getting the treatment can resume normal activity right away after the 30-minute session. Maintenance treatments are said to range from once a year to once a month, depending on the individual.
But, can Emsculpt work for those that don’t practically reside in a gym? Perhaps. In her “Honest Review” article on Byrdie.com in October 2018, writer Faith Xue states that after receiving a few Emsculpt™ treatments, she was finally able to do a “crow pose” in yoga class, as her abs were definitely stronger. She also stated, “I should emphasize that though effective, Emsculpt definitely isn’t a miracle cure. You’ll ideally be eating healthy and working out along with the treatment, which will give you the best results. But I was impressed that even with the very little I work out and the pasta dinners I indulged in, I was still able to see results.”
There are many types of diets and treatments out there that claim quick results, but Emsculpt™ seems to be among the top of the list of actually tried, true and tested. While, like most cosmetic procedures, it isn’t cheap, according to studies and many years of testimonials, Emsculpt™ is a credible and perhaps worthwhile pursuit.
Lasting Impression Medical Aesthetics: Roel Galope, DO
(201) 255-7201
