20 Feb Woman Shares Emsculpt Experience with InStyle
“My lower abs are super defined” says Pia Velasco, who shared her journey with Emsculpt in a recent InStyle article. There’s a reason it’s one of the top non-invasive treatments at Parson Skin Center—and it’s the perfect complement to a healthy, active lifestyle. Like a lot of people, Velasco had spent years doing hundreds of crunches with little to no results. She has also been an athlete her entire life, so she knew what she was doing at the gym. After running several marathons and committing herself to an active lifestyle, she was fed up when her lower abs stayed hidden under a small layer of fat. “All bodies are beautiful and I’m very proud of mine—but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t sometimes wish my abs would show,” she says.
Even the healthiest people struggle to get definition sometimes. Blame genetics. However, when Velasco heard about Emsculpt, she had to try it out. It’s the FDA-cleared device that uses High Intensity Focused Electromagnetic (HIFEM+) technology to firm, tone, and strengthen muscles. You can use it just about anywhere including the abs, buttocks, arms, calves, and thighs. Most people require around four 30-minute sessions spaced one month apart to get the best results. This process can define and tone the body and works best on those who are at or near their goal weight, like Velasco. Otherwise, you can certainly benefit from getting stronger muscles, but Emsculpt works best when paired with a solid strength-training regimen. It’s not a replacement for workouts, but a complement to them.
What to Know About Emsculpt
Any adult might be a good fit for Emsculpt. However, those with pacemakers, who are pregnant, or who have metal implants in certain areas may not be suitable. If you are a good candidate, you’ll be asked by your provider pre-treatment about any metals in your body (this includes some IUDs). All jewelry will need to be taken off before your treatment, too. Next, the area is cleaned so a paddle can be placed on the target muscles. There will be a pulsing sensation as the muscles contract. Intensity can be increased during the session for maximum benefits. Emsculpt isn’t painful—after all, it’s just muscles contracting as they would during a workout—but it can be an unusual sensation for first-timers.
Many Emsculpt clients will scroll through their phone or even livestream their experience on social media. You can schedule back-to-back Emsculpt sessions to treat more than one area, such as the buttocks followed by the abs. During each session, you’ll experience 20,000 supramaximal contractions at the target site, which is the same as doing 20,000 crunches, lunges, curls, or other such move—and in just 30 minutes. So, expect to feel sore the next day and get ready to feed those muscles protein right after the treatment. According to your muscles, they really did just do 20,000 strength moves! So be kind to them.
Your Emsculpt Experience
Drink a lot of water, perhaps infused with BCAA, after your treatment. Stretching can also be helpful to reduce DOMS. A quick lymphatic drainage massage on the treatment area, which can be self-administered, can also reduce soreness. You won’t see results right away, but you’ll start to see them about four weeks after your last treatment and improvements will continue for up to three months. Remember that you’re actually working out these muscles and this isn’t a “cheat,” when it comes to muscle building there is still nothing that gives instant results. You wouldn’t see results the day after your first day lifting weights, so expect the same with Emsculpt.
For Velasco, she started her Emsculpt journey at the end of last summer. She says the contractions felt more intense during the first cycle, but admits that is because she had done an “intense ab routine” that same morning. Muscles that are already tight are going to feel contractions stronger. However, “Other than that, there wasn’t any pain associated with it,” she says. “With the right attitude you can laugh it away, as I did with every treatment.”
Results You’ll Love
According to Velasco, “Results-wise, consider me impressed.” She got four treatments and “noticed more defined ab lines on my upper abs after the second treatment, but was even more impressed with the flatter and more defined lower ab area after finishing all sessions.” Velasco says, “Now, it’s been a few months since my final treatment and I’m still seeing the results. To say I’m thrilled would be an understatement, and while I started off a little skeptical, I’m a complete convert now.” To schedule your own “conversion,” contact Parson Skin Center today for your consultation or appointment.