By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS    

The Clínica Dermatólogia Isela Méndez in Colonia Polanco this month became the first and only medical facility in Mexico City to offer Emsculpt, a revolutionary noninvasive procedure that simultaneously burns fat and builds muscle.

Designed specifically to target problem areas such as the abdomen, buttocks and thighs to create a more athletic form, Emsculpt technology is the latest tool in the ever-expanding business of clinical body contouring (which has, in the last five years, exploded into the fastest-growing sector of aesthetics medicine, registering an average 25 percent growth per annum since 2014, according to Mexico’s National Association of Aesthetic Medicine, or ANME).

Approved by the U.S. FDA late last year, Emsculpt, which uses high-intensity focused electromagnetic field (HIFEM) technology to trigger thousands of supramaximal muscle contractions to occur in the desired area, was developed by the multinational BTL Industries, a global leader in medical devices for physical therapy, cardiology and aesthetics, and has become the latest craze in nonsurgical fat reduction.

But unlike other noninvasive or minimally invasive therapies to remove stubborn fat pockets — such as CoolSculpting, or cryolipolysis (which used extreme cold to dismantle fat cells), SculptSure laser treatments (which targets subcutaneous through controlled heat), Kybella (which employs injections of deoxycholic acid to break down fat cells on contact) and ultrasound therapies (which depend on sonic waves to weaken fat cell walls and force them to release fatty acid deposits) — Emsculpt functions by activating targeted muscles and putting them into overdrive, which triggers them to signal fat cells to discharge their deposits.

“Emsculpt is different because it is the only system that builds muscles and burns fat all at the same time,” said internationally acclaimed Mexican dermatologist and derma-surgeon Isela Méndez, who owns and supervises the Clínica Dermatólogia Isela Méndez, during a cocktail reception at that facility to introduce the new Emsculpt equipment on Wednesday, Feb. 6,

“Emsculpt causes muscle tissue to undergo supramaximal contractions, remodeling the inner structure of the region and resulting in muscle building and body contouring.”

Méndez went on to explain the process stimulates muscles that cannot be achieved by voluntary muscle action, so it can tone stubborn regions that do not respond to normal exercise.

A single half-hour Emsculpt session produces 20,000 supramaximal muscle contractions.

And while during voluntary muscle contraction in exercise workouts, muscle fibers are able to relax after each nervous stimulus, Emsculpt generates muscle contraction so quickly that there is no time for relaxation.

Consequently, Emsculpt causes intense destruction of fat cells and stimulates deep remodeling of muscle tissue, thus slimming and toning in tandem.

Méndez also pointed out that Emsculpt is the only approved noninvasive therapy to treat the buttocks region, lifting and shaping the derriere to create roundness without affecting size.

The upside of Emsculpt is that it is quick, safe and effective, rendering immediate and dramatic results in both men and women after just four half-hour sessions spaced at three to four day intervals, although the full effects of Emsculpt therapy can take up to two to four weeks to produce noticeable changes in abdomen or buttocks size, shape and tone.

It is also, for the most part, painless(although some patients report mild discomfort similar to tiny electrical shocks), and there is no downtime or need for anesthesia or incisions.

The procedure is conducted under medical supervision in the doctor’s office and the patient does not even have to undress.

Patients are simply strapped onto a bed and the physician slowly revs up the intensity of the HIFEM waves, speeding up the muscle contractions depending on individual tolerance.

The downside of Emsculpt is its price tag,

A single session can run as high as $500, and most physicians recommend at least four sessions to get optimum results. (In the United States, a single session can cost up to $1,000.)

It is also not suitable to patients with pacemakers or other metal devices in their bodies, it cannot be used on all areas of the body, and it is no substitute of a healthy exercise routine and wholesome diet.

“Emsculpt is one more tool – a very important one – in the endless battle for a more beautiful, sculpted body,” said Méndez.

“It is a real game changer in the sense that it tones muscle and burns fat all in one process, and in that it can target specific areas that exercise and diet cannot. But, at the end of the day, getting and keeping a sculpted body requires a holistic approach, and, yes, diet and exercise are important elements of that methodology.”

More information

Isela Méndez’ dermatological clinic is located at Calle Plinio 118B in Colonia Polanco (tel: 5280-7256 or 5280-4218).

It is the only clinic in Mexico City authorized to offer Emsculpt therapy, and all sessions must be programed in advance through the clinic’s medical staff.

 For more information, consult the webpage http://www.iselamendez.mx.