Body toning devices offer benefits beyond aesthetics

Cosmetic physician Tahl Humes, D.O., Denver, Colo., describes the market for body toning devices as broad and going beyond purely cosmetic indications.

READ MORE: Physicians offer insight on body toning technologies

“Of course, these devices are popular in aesthetic practices, but can also be used in a practice doing medical weight management or rehab,” she says. “In a medical weight management practice, a device like truSculpt flex can be used alongside a fat reduction technology like truSculpt iD to take body shaping results to the next level. This way, patients get full body sculpting instead of just fat loss. The technologies can also be useful for rehabbing sports injuries to build strength in a recovering area or for elderly patients who want to strengthen muscles.”

There are differences in the devices that providers might consider, she says.

Emsculpt and Cooltone cover the whole treatment area and providers hope to capture the muscle in order to stimulate it, she says.

“With truSculpt flex, we are placing each handpiece applicator directly on the muscle for direct stimulation. truSculpt flex is a direct stimulation where the others are indirect stimulation of the muscle.”

Emsculpt and Cooltone treat one muscle area at a time, for example the abs or glutes. truSculpt flex allows providers to treat two areas at a time.

READ MORE: The current nonsurgical fat reduction landscape

Dr. Humes recommends that doctors who are considering investing in one of these devices do the following:

• Speak with other doctors who have the technology and see not only how they like it, but how their patients and staff like the

• treatment.

• Look at befores and afters from peers and other doctors, not just company studies.

• Ask their peers questions, such as: What kind of results are you seeing? What has your patient feedback been like? How

• does your staff like performing the treatment?

• Do research and look at the studies that are out there.

“Compare them and make the ultimate decision on your own,” Dr. Humes says.

Disclosures:

Dr. Humes reports no confl icts of interest.