For the right body, yes. EMsculpt NEO builds muscle and reduces fat in the same 30-minute session, you go back to your day afterwards, and the result is measured. In a sham-controlled trial (one group had the real treatment, the other a dummy one) of 72 patients, the abdominal fat layer was 28% thinner and the muscle 24% thicker on ultrasound three months after three sessions, and the change held at six months. In our clinical judgment it is worth it for someone who exercises, has a soft layer left over a muscle they want firmer, and a body mass index under about 30. It changes shape, not weight; it is not the treatment for loose skin or cellulite, and a large bulge you can pinch is CoolSculpting's job, which we also offer.
What the studies measured
- Abdomen: the sham-controlled trial above; and in the manufacturer's study for the US clearance, 42 patients lost 3.2 cm from the waist on average and 88% lost at least 1.5 cm. The fat layer was 30% thinner on ultrasound, 93% reported none to minimal discomfort and no adverse events were recorded.
- Flanks: fat 29% thinner and the oblique muscles 27% thicker on MRI after four sessions.
- Upper arms: fat 25% thinner and the triceps 24% thicker in the 25 people scanned at three months, with satisfaction rated 85%.
- Buttocks: muscle about 25% thicker with the combined energies against 16% with the muscle energy alone.
BTL's own headline figures, 30% less fat and 25% more muscle, are the manufacturer's study averages.
What you are paying for
Four sessions of 30 minutes, about a week apart, from £100 per session, priced per area and per course in writing, with a price match and finance available. No numbing and no needle, and you go back to your day: you feel strong muscle contractions and a warmth like a hot stone massage, and the muscle is sore for a day or two afterwards as after heavy exercise. In our experience the result shows from two to four weeks after the last session, and it is measured at three months. The cost page sets out the price.
Who gets the most from it
A soft abdomen in someone who trains, love handles over the obliques, a flat bottom, arms that have lost tone, inner thighs: a layer of fat and a muscle underneath it, in a body that, in our experience, is not far from its target weight. The fat clearance covers all skin types on the abdomen and the thighs, skin types I to IV (skin types run from I, the palest, to VI, the darkest) on the flanks, and skin types II and III with a body mass index of 30 or under on the upper arms; the clinician checks your skin at the free consultation and says what is safe. The full EMsculpt NEO guide sets out who it suits and who it does not.
How we check it worked
A before photograph and measurement at the consultation, the same at three months. Our patients review the clinic on review.clinic, where you can read what they say.
Book a free consultation
Call Chelsea Clinic on 0207 043 1107 or use the form below. The clinician looks at the area, tells you plainly whether EMsculpt NEO or CoolSculpting is the right plan, and gives you the price in writing.
