The July issue of Nashville Lifestyles featured our all-inclusive guide to relaxation and rejuvenation. Each day we'll be sharing one of our favorite wellness practices and procedures with you.
Emsculpt
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If we’re being honest, the first place I heard about Emsculpt was on Instagram—from a slew of reality TV stars who were suddenly all posting videos of themselves laying in doctors’ offices with paddles strapped to their stomachs and rear ends. Tone your butt and belly while relaxing in an air-conditioned office? Yes please!
I did my research and discovered this magical procedure was called Emsculpt, and Dr. Fichtel of Transformative Dermatology in Franklin offers the service.
Now to be clear, Emsculpt is not a weight loss treatment. The non-invasive HIFEM® (High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic) technology induces powerful muscle contractions that fast-forward the toning process. This results in a more sculpted and toned body in a matter of sessions. (Plus it’s the only non-invasive “butt lift” option out there!)
“Emsculpt can benefit anyone who would like a more toned and shapely abdomen and butt,” says. Dr. Fichtel.
“The most rewarding part of working with Emsculpt are all the happy patients that see transformation right before their own eyes,” she says. “The firming, toning, fat-melting, and lifting happens fast, with zero downtime. No other body sculpting treatment addresses both the fat and the muscle, which is really the foundation of the six-pack cut look, and the butt lift. In addition to zero downtime or residual discomfort, it’s safe, comfortable, totally noninvasive (you even leave all your clothes on), and amazingly effective.”
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I’m getting ready for my wedding, and though I’ve been working hard with my trainer and eating clean since January, I’m still 4 pounds shy of my 30-pound weight loss goal. More importantly, my body is just starting to show muscle. But with only a few months to go, the chance to move the process along was one I was ready to take.
Walking in to Dr. Fichtel’s office I was nervous. I’ve never had any work done, let alone been zapped by electromagnetic pulses. But Transformative Dermatology is a beautiful and calming space. Designed by the doctor herself, each treatment room looks like something out of a boutique hotel. Chic wallpaper, elegant fixtures, and cozy fur blankets make the space feel more like a friend’s upscale living room.
I opted to work on my abs, so I laid down on a comfy-yet-clinical exam table and the nurse hooked me up to what can only be described as an electrified championship wrestling belt. She wrapped it around my midsection snugly but not uncomfortably. She then explained that the machine’s frequency goes up to 100, but that we would be starting way lower than that. She said people usually work up to 100 (or close to it) over the course of several treatments. (For the record, I only made it to 30.)
Then it was time to begin the treatment. For a half hour, the belt buzzed and pulsed. With each zap I watched (and felt) my stomach muscles tense up and release. There’s no rhyme or reason to the rhythm of the treatment, so my attempts to guess which pulsing series would last longer or zap faster were futile.
The procedure doesn’t hurt at all, but it does feel weird the first time you try it. The best way I can describe the feeling is if you were out in a heavy rainstorm and you can’t tell if the rain that’s pelting you is ice or just really big drops of water. It’s that same sensation. It doesn’t feel bad, but it definitely feels intense.
The best part? Dr. Fichtel says you can see results in as little as four to six 30-minute treatments.
“My posture has become much better due to my improved core strength,” says Dr. Fichtel, who swears by the procedure for herself, too. “My abs are much more toned and defined, and my clothes fit better. Maybe even more impressive has been Emsculpt’s ability to defy gravity and genetics. I have struggled with flat butt syndrome my entire life, and no amount of squats or ‘Buns of Steel’ videos have helped. My greatest, most elusive wish for perkier lifted buns has come true with the Emsculpt. It is definitely my favorite of all time, and has quickly become my patients’, staff’s, friends’, and family’s favorite device too.”
I’m excited to go back for more, but even after one treatment my muscles felt tighter. There’s no after-treatment pain, but I did feel like I’d spent way more than a half hour at the gym the next day. Which seemed like a very promising sign.
Transformative Dermatology, 1909 Mallor Ln., Ste. 302, Franklin, 615-905-4994; transformativedermatology.com