Emsculpt NEO vs CoolSculpting: Which is Better for Me?

Emsculpt NEO vs CoolSculpting: Which is Better for Me?

Many of our patients at Glamour Plastic Surgery and Med Spa are highly enthusiastic about trying the nonsurgical body contouring treatments that we offer. Two of the procedures that patients request most often are Emsculpt NEO and CoolSculpting.  While these two treatments offer similar benefits, they produce slightly different results. In many cases, patients opt for combining the two treatments to maximize their body transformations!

Here’s what you need to know about each device.

Emsculpt NEO: What are the Benefits?

With celebrities such as Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Lopez, and Kim Kardashian raving about their Emsculpt NEO results, this treatment has generated a lot of excitement, and with good reason.

Basically, an Emsculpt NEO treatment can help you achieve in just a few minutes the kind of dramatic results that would require you to spend months at the gym working out for. In many cases, the treatment produces results that an individual would never be able to achieve through simple diet and exercise!

Emsculpt was the first device to be approved by the FDA that simultaneously burns fat and builds muscle mass. The treatment uses High Intensity Focused Electro Magnetic (HIFEM) energy to achieve body contouring without surgery. Its newest evolution, Emsculpt NEO, takes the potency of HIFEM therapy a step further by incorporating Radio Frequency (RF) energy into the treatment, making it the first and only body contouring device to combine these two potent technologies.  Emsculpt NEO provides the benefit of comprehensive, dramatic body contouring, fat reduction, and improved muscular definition without surgery, very little risk, and zero downtime.

How Does Emsculpt NEO work?

Emsculpt NEO works by delivering HIFEM energy to targeted muscle tissue to stimulate highly intense muscular contractions, known as supramaximal contractions. Each treatment stimulates over 20,000 supramaximal contractions, each of which are up to 200 times more powerful and intense than the contractions that an individual is capable of achieving on their own through regular exercise.  These contractions build muscle, increase definition, tone and strengthen the body. The addition of RF energy to the treatment heats the underlying muscle tissue as it contracts, creating a synergistic effect that enhances the treatment’s fat-burning effect, decreasing fat in the treatment area by as much as 30% while increasing muscle mass by about 25%.  Your body will then rid itself naturally of fat cells burned during the treatment, and those fat cells will be banished permanently.

During treatment, we will make you comfortable and you may lie down, relax, watch TV, read, or talk but we discourage the use of portable electronic devices during treatment, as they may be affected by the intense energy emitted by the Emsculpt NEO device.

The treatment itself will feel as though your muscles are going through an intense workout, with a gradual increase in the intensity of contractions. After your treatment, you may feel like you just got out of the fitness bootcamp; there may be some muscle soreness, but you won’t require any downtime to recover from Emsculpt NEO procedure.

Treatment usually takes less than 30 minutes, so you can get it done on your lunch break and return to work immediately afterward.

If you’re seeking improved muscular definition, six-pack abs, and/or a non-surgical butt lift, Emsculpt NEO is the optimal treatment for you. Emsculpt NEO has been approved by the FDA for use in the abdomen, buttocks, arms, thighs, and calves.

The treatment produces immediate results, much like an intensive workout would. Improvements will typically continue for two to four weeks after your last treatment, as your body continues to burn fat.  Muscle toning may continue for as long as 8-12 weeks following your treatment, as your muscles become stronger and your body gradually eliminates fat cells. You may require a single treatment to achieve your results or you may opt for a series of treatments. Once you complete your treatments, you will continue to see improvement in muscle tone and enhanced definition for several weeks.

How Do I Know if Emsculpt NEO is Right for Me?

Since Emsculpt NEO is non-invasive, it is safe for most healthy adults who want more definition in the abs, thighs, arms, or buttocks. But the ideal candidates for Emsculpt NEO are individuals who are within 10-20 pounds of their ideal weight, as Emsculpt NEO is not a weight-reduction treatment. We also recommend that you maintain an active lifestyle with regular exercise and a healthy diet in order maximize your results.

While Emsculpt NEO is a safe treatment, it may not be suitable for everyone. For example, if you’re pregnant, we recommend that you wait until after your pregnancy to undergo treatment. And, since the Emsculpt device generates and emits electromagnetic energy, it is not recommended for patients with the following conditions:

• A hernia, injury, or recent surgery near the target area
• A history of heart disease or seizures
• Any type of metal implant, such as a pacemaker or cardiac defibrillator within close proximity of the target area.

CoolSculpting: How Does it Work and What Does it Achieve?

CoolSculpting is another of our most effective body contouring treatments. For those who cannot use Emsculpt NEO, CoolSculpting provides an excellent alternative that can also help you achieve a more streamlined body contour, with increased muscular tone and definition, as well as fat-burning benefits.

The procedure works through a unique technology known as cryolipolysis delivered via a device that gently cools the subcutaneous fat in the treatment area to a freezing temperature. A study conducted in 2009 and published in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery investigated the clinical efficacy of cryolipolysis. The findings of this study demonstrated that cryolipolysis successfully reduced fat in the treatment area by as much as 25%.

CoolSculpting is FDA-approved for use in the submental region (beneath the chin) and submandibular region (beneath the jawline), as well as the abdomen, back, flanks, arms, and thighs. So, it’s an excellent treatment for eliminating fatty deposits in different areas of the body, such as bra bulges, love handles, muffin tops, and the banana rolls that form underneath the buttocks, as well as lax muscle tone and lax skin in the thighs and upper arms.

While the CoolSculpting treatment is not painful, you may experience sensations such as pulling or tugging and mild pinching or stinging, as well as intense cold. You may also feel some tingling, aching, and cramping at the onset of the procedure, but these sensations typically decrease as the treatment area gradually becomes numb during the course of the treatment.

Following the procedure, you may experience temporary swelling, tenderness, and redness.  The treatment area may appear blanched or bruised due to the breakdown of fat cells beneath the skin’s surface. The area may sting, or you may experience tingling, aching, cramping, itching, or sensitivity.  Following a submental or submandibular area treatment, you may also experience a temporary sensation of fullness in the back of the throat.  All of these minor reactions will gradually resolve themselves within days or even hours.

Although Emsculpt NEO generally produces slightly more definition than CoolSculpting, CoolSculpting delivers significant body sculpting, permanent removal of fat cells, enhanced muscle definition, and improved skin tone, while diminishing fatty bulges and bumps. CoolSculpting is even effective at banishing a double chin! CoolSculpting is a simple and painless procedure, without downtime.

Who is the Ideal Candidate for CoolSculpting?

CoolSculpting, like Emsculpt NEO, is not a weight-reduction treatment, and is most suitable for individuals who are close to their target weight, typically within 20 pounds.

Certain individuals may be sensitive to cryolipolysis and may not make good candidates for CoolSculpting. The procedure is not recommended for those who suffer from cold agglutinin disease, cryoglobulinemia, or paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria.

You should also inform Dr. Bachilo of any medical conditions you may have, including recent surgery or injury, a hernia, and/or any known allergies or sensitivity.

Can You Combine Emsculpt with CoolSculpting?

Yes! Emsculpt NEO may be used in combination with other body contouring treatments, and CoolSculpting is an ideal complement to HIFEM technology.  In fact, you can streamline your body contour significantly by combining these two procedures, producing a slimmer and smoother physique, free of bumps and bulges, and with enhanced muscular strength and definition.

If you’d like to know more about Emsculpt NEO and CoolSculpting, contact Glamour Plastic Surgery and Med Spa and schedule your appointment with our board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Bachilo today.