Next, a large push at the beginning of the 21st Century was made by multiple medical device companies to produce a nonsurgical method for fat reduction and body contouring. This was the beginning of a scientific movement towards producing a device that could create real, durable, meaningful, and lasting results to patients seeking body contouring without surgery. The first foray into this new world was Zerona. Zerona developed a noninvasive laser technology that would reduce fat permanently. This “cold laser” was the first true medical-level attempt at nonsurgical fat reduction, and although its results were extremely limited, it ushered in a new player in the market named Zeltiq®. Zeltiq was a nimble, innovative company based on the West Coast in California. They developed the concept of “cryolipolysis”, which is using extreme cold temperatures to induce apoptosis, also known as cell death, in fat cells. This approach, unlike Zerona, offered a permanent reduction in fat. The cryolipolysis machine was named Zeltiq initially, and was initially FDA approved not for fat removal, but for pain reduction during excisional skin procedures in Plastic Surgery and Dermatology. Zeltiq received its FDA clearance for pain reduction in 2009.
While Zeltiq was effective in reducing pain during skin procedures, it was also noted to reduce the subcutaneous fat burden in areas that were treated. Plastic Surgeons started to use Zeltiq “off-label” for fat reduction. By 2010, use of this device off label was more common than on label usage. This lead Zeltiq to obtain formal FDA approval for fat reduction in the lower abdomen and love handle areas, which it received later that year in 2010. Not long after receiving its body contouring application, the device was renamed “CoolSculpting”. This device was successful in creating alterations in fat deposits in many patients, leading it to become the most popular body contouring device over the last few years. Despite its popularity, this platform is unfortunately dependent on a single treatment pathway, limiting its application across multiple body types. In other words, CoolSculpting can effectively reduce fat deposits, but it only treats fat, and at a high pricepoint, and with months of numbness following treatment, CoolSculpting offered a huge, quantum leap forward in technology, but also left a great deal to be desired.
How Does Emsculpt Neo Work?
Strong is the new sexy, no matter who you are, or where you are in life. For men, strength has always been sexy. For women, power and presence are part of your aesthetic. Our approach to your aesthetic at Ocean Drive® is based on this understanding, and Emsculpt NEO offers the finest possible results without surgery currently available. While CoolSculpting was clearly a big leap forward in nonsurgical body aesthetics, it clearly leaves much to be desired from a consumer standpoint. In response, BTL developed Emsculpt Neo to deliver a better, more organic, more comprehensive result at a cheaper pricepoint, without any concerns for protracted pain or downtime.
This device employs a proprietary form of electromagnetism for creating muscle mass through muscle hypertrophy, in combination with fat eliminating radiofrequency energy. The true promise of this device lies in its High Intensity Focused Electromagnetic technology (HIFEM). This proprietary magnet forces your muscle plane to undertake tectonic, isometric-type supraphysiologic muscle contractions at the muscle fiber level. This direct stimulation at the basal muscle layer results in spontaneous hypertrophy (aka growth) of the muscle that is treated. Beyond the HIFEM technology, Emsculpt Neo also provides radiofrequency energy that passes through the skin without injury to permanently reduce fat cells by forcing them into apoptosis, or cell death. Basically, it does everything CoolSculpting does through radiofrequency, but then Emsculpt really distances itself by creating nearly a 20% increase in muscle mass. This increase in mass will also confer a benefit towards muscle function and efficiency, which is why professional and semi-professional athletes swear by this technology.
Both types of energy are delivered to a treatment area simultaneously, allowing for muscle growth and fat reduction simultaneously. Treatments last 30 minutes, and the intensity is geared towards what the patient can handle. As a general ballpark, to understand what you receive:
- Abdomen – 30 minutes = 30,000 Crunches
- Glutes – 30 minutes = 30,000 Squats