- Sep 6, 2022
After over 2 years of working from home, many have gained weight. The interest towards weight management has increased as finally, we now meet up with friends and colleagues in person. Being body beautiful has become a necessity again.
A lot of interest has picked up with a relatively newer technology thats being promoted heavily with sponsored ads on social media to help sculpt muscles, namely the HIFEM (High Intensity Focused Electro Magnetic) technology/ EMSculpting/ EMSlimming etc. This comes as a new and exciting technology as compared to the previous wave on cryolipolisis or fat freezing.
How does HIFEM work as compared to Cryolipolysis?
Cryolipolysis works by freezing your fat till it is destroyed. The subcutaneous (superficial fat under the skin) fat is sucked up and a transducer which delivers a very cold temperature freezes the fat. The procedure may last up to an hour for one small area. Subsequently, the fatty tissue which gets depleted of blood flow undergoes an apoptotic (natural cell death) process. The body removes the dead fat tissue and voila... you notice the treatment area becomes more sculpted due to the loss of superficial fats. Cryolipolysis does not do anything to the muscles or the visceral fat.
The reason HIFEM became a significant player in the body contouring field is because it does what the cryolipolysis devices do not do... and at a shorter time. Most are now aware that its not just the lack of fat but also prominence of muscles that is important to look good. HIFEM uses high intensity electromagnetic energy to trigger focused muscle twitches and jerks. With repetitive twitching, the targeted muscle gets a focused wear and tear and naturally, the body stimulates a reparative mechanism at the muscles, leading to the muscles becoming hypertrophied or increased in size. Each treatment lasts about 30 minutes but you are required to do at least 2-3 sessions per week to see good results. To some degree, you do get some degree of superficial fat reduction too.
Are HIFEM the best there is?
It really depends on the patient, not the technology. Every technology when used correctly on the correct patient can give excellent results. One needs to be careful not to be easily influenced by commercialised treatment offers.
As HIFEM in principle targets individual muscles, its benefit is best when used on clients who are physically active with a good general physique but would like to enhance the tightness appearance of certain muscles such as the abs (abdominal) and gluts(gluteal). For such patients, you can expect the HIFEM to assist you in achieving the desired 6 packs abs or the tighter bottom.
However, for those who are physically active but still has an issue getting rid of stubborn fats especially superficial subcutaneous fat tissue such as the 'love handles' or the 'spare tires', cryolipolysis may give you a better result in trimming those fats for a more sculpted appearance.
Finally, if you are one who is physically not very active, or you find it difficult to get rid of visceral fats and would like to build some muscles... or if you find it difficult to kick start your exercise program due to excess weight, weak muscles or previous injuries, I'd like to bring to your attention another less commercialized technology which works wonders.
The Virtual Gym (HIEF:MS)
Hailing from London University, designed by Nobel award nominee Dr. Gerry Pollock; who co-founded the cardiac pacemaker technology widely used by many patients with cardiac arrythmia (abnormal heart contraction rhythms), is the FDA approved Virtual Gym - HIEF:MS ( High Intensity Effortless Fitness via Muscle Signalling).
Do take note that this technology is one of a kind as it does not use high intensity electromagnetic waves, but micro-current signaling. When we exercise, our brain send signals to our muscles to contract. The Virtual Gym sends similar signals to our muscles exactly like when we exercise to gently flex your muscles (like how the cardiac pacemaker gently flexes your heart). These signals are sent not to individual muscles, but groups of muscles in different parts of the body to give you a high intensity effortless workout. In a one hour treatment session, your muscles contract like you were doing 20 different high intensity exercises. What more, your body burns fat without a build up of lactic acid, allowing you to recover quickly with only a fraction of the soreness that you'll get from an actual high intensity physical workout.
The result of this HIEF:MS technology is much more wholesome then just purely sculpting your muscles. With the signals being similar to those sent out during exercise, feel good anabolic hormones are naturally released during a session with the Virtual Gym. As the muscles work, superficial fat gets burned. However, the burning is not limited to only superficial fat. With this technology, visceral fats are also reduced, improving your metabolic health in general. People with high cholesterol and diabetes will see improvement in their cholesterol and sugar control as well!
This muscle signaling technology is not as commercialised as HIFEM / cryolipolysis because the technology and production requires highly specific workmanship and is not easily duplicated. Pure analog waveforms coupled with high quality cables and silver lined pads are used as compared to the cheaper digital circuits in HIFEM that is easily duplicated for mass production. Thus, the actual cost of the device and cost per treatment with HIEF:MS is much higher compared to HIFEM, making it the less popular choice for treatment providers.
The treatment price for patients are roughly the same for each 3 of the treatments mentioned in this post.. however, there is no doubt The Virtual Gym HIEF:MS Technology is the most wholesome for weight management, fat reduction, muscle toning and metabolic health improvement and is therefore our technology of choice.
If you'd like to get assistance in weight management, or improve your metabolic health, visceral fat reduction and tone up your muscles, schedule a consultation with our LCP certified doctors at Ava Clinic.
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