Exilis: Stories

I'm fit and exercise regularly. Was considering lipo to remove some stubborn fat from my arms, but found out about Exilis and decided to give it a try. The doctor recommended a minimum of 6 sessions, and told me that it would take at least 3 sessions before results became evident

Pros: Non-invasive, little downtime, quick
Cons: PAIN, cost, several sessions needed

I'm writing about this to address the issue of discomfort which is actually much greater than what the doctor or brochures said (warm soothing massage... yeah right).

While there was no burn (I have some redness and swelling which should go away by the next day), when the applicator was being massaged against my skin, it felt like someone cruelly agitating a giant bruise (my entire underarm). The heat can become unbearable, although there is a break of a few seconds for respite. Those will seem like VERY long minutes although the actual treatment time of 15 mins per arm (5 mins first cycle fat reduction, 5 mins second cycle fat reduction, 5 mins third cycle skin tightening). The technician told me that if the pain became intolerable, I needed to let her know so that she would reduce the intensity.

I wanted to see how long I could go on my recommended setting, so I had a full session on that. Technician told me my pain tolerance level was very high because apparently, Exilis for the arms (thinner skin) actually feels more painful than for other parts of the body.

To be honest, am not overly keen on the next 5 sessions, but now that I know what to expect in terms of pain, will focus on results.

Results from 1st session: Doctor had told me not to expect visible results until 3rd session. Also - that I needed to drink a lot of water and continue with a healthful eating regime.

The swelling/redness from 1st session disappeared within a day. Skin definitely feels tighter and smoother at the underarm area and I do believe that there seems to be a teeny bit more definition than previously.. may also be due to the fact that I am continuing my yoga regime.

2nd session today.
This session was *much* more comfortable! Once the machine heated to 40 degrees (which takes a minute) and the pain started, I alerted the technician and she turned the power down slightly. This made a big difference to my comfort level and it was really more of a sensation like that of said "hot-stone massage". On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 was the most uncomfortable, the first session had a discomfort level of 9. Today's session was about 4.

There was little redness and no swelling at all after 2nd session. It may have been due to either the reduced power or that I took arnica before the session.

Am quite happy with the lack of pain now and looking forward to the rest of the sessions.

5/6 session today.

Didn't update for Session 3 and 4 - session 3 was fine, just like session 2. Session 4 was quite terrible - had a different technician who was obviously less experienced. Even at a lower power, the pain was quite high. I wonder if it had anything to do my not taking arnica for the 4th session as well.

My arms - the skin is definitely much tighter and there's more definition especially where the lower part of the upper arm is. Less flabby. But the results so far are not as dramatic as I would like/want, but maybe that's where I need to manage expectations. My arms definitely look better than they did at the start, but the results are subtle. I am guessing if you want dramatic changes, liposuction might be a better option. I just didn't want invasive surgery or downtime.

I had today's session with my usual technician and it went well. Tolerable pain and actually got comfortable towards the end. It has to do with the way she uses the applicator (long spreading strokes with medium intensity) which made it much better than the previous session with the other person.

I took arnica yesterday and today, and my conclusion is that it does make a difference, especially in terms of redness/swelling/feeling of bruising post-session.

Session 6/6 today

After the treatment, doctor did measurements - turns out I lost about 1.5cm off the circumference of each arm. I was kind of hoping for 1.5cm specifically from the bottom of the upper arms.

Minus: Subtle results
Plus: Skin tightening and definition

Would I repeat Exilis again? I really don't know. Not a fan of the heat - if you've ever wanted to know how long 5 minutes could feel, just have a session of Exilis on your arms ;)