Would 8 Emsculpt sessions be a waste? I was told that you plateau after 6

Question

I have done 6 emsculpt sessions and I want to do 8 but my doctor says it is against company protocol and it wouldn't make a difference since you plateau after 6. Is this true?

Danielle Shanley, MD · Answer

This is a great question. Everyone's target goal and muscle recovery may vary. With that said I would recommend doing 4 emsculpt treatments ever 2 to 3 days to allow muscle recovery and then wait 2 for muscle results and 6 weeks for fat reduction results. After 6 weeks I would reassess your definition and desire look. I would then use the remaining treatments for maintenance to prevent muscle atrophy. In my opinion 8 emsculpts is not a waist.

Andrew Campbell, MD · Answer

There is a lot of misinformation out there, and honestly, no one has a precise answer regarding EMSculpt and the number of treatments. The studies that the EMSculpt company did showed that 4 sessions were as good as 6 but as far as I know, they didn't look at doing a lot more. My opinion is that 4 seems pretty good. For those that want more, I would recommend waiting 2 months for the muscles to recover and build, then do another 4 treatments. You could theoretically continue this until you got the result you desired. 4 treatments every 2 months.
Andrew Campbell, M.D.
Quintessa

Matthew Stanizzi, MD · Answer

I don’t think an extra two sessions will hurt but it’s not clear to me that it’s a benefit either. 
You might want to consider doing an Emsculpt NEO treatment instead. The addition of radio frequency can boost results and I would consider it as an alternative or adjunct to your prior treatment.

J.D. McCoy, NMD · Answer

I started working with the Emsculpt prototype in 2016 (2nd clinic in the country) and I was a clinical site for the glute lifting study (published in Journal of Drugs in Dermatology). We have performed 1000s of treatments on males and females. The standard protocol of 4 treatments works beautifully. From my experience there is a distinct advantage to doing an additional treatment 4-6 weeks post 4 treatment protocol (my standard protocol in 4 treatments in 2 weeks, 5th treatment 4-6 weeks post last treatment). I have tried various series of treatment, and 4 still comes out on top "out of the gate". In the MRI follow up data collection there is a continued improvement in muscle thickness for 6 months (that's very interesting eh! More than the reported 16% in the study and on the brochure...actually closer to 23%). That is likely because it isn't just purely an increase in muscle and shape (lift), but there is a FUNCTIONAL improvement (you can FEEL a difference in the way that the muscle engages/contracts). Very cool. This means that you will likely see improvement/gain in muscle because you are using the muscle group differently (likely more fully engaging the contraction). That also explains why we don't see the need to continue treatments to maintain result (over time if you don't physically strain the muscle with weight bearing activity of some kind there can be a regression). However, most patients are doing some form of activity. I have found that if you take advantage of the naturally occurring improvement after your initial session (wait for 3-6 months), you can retreat the area and will see additional benefit. You can treat a different area during the "gap" in treatment of the original area. I would encourage you to not forget about the glutes. The improvement I see in patients posture and overall strength is significant when treating the buttocks. The largest muscle group on the body is the glute complex- greatest release of growth hormone and testosterone from exercising the legs (fastest muscle to atrophy when you become sedentary is the glute). Hope this helps! Cheers, Dr. JD McCoy

Richard E. Moore, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. In our office, we generally recommend a series of 4 treatments. Then if you want to see if you can further enhance your results, wait 4 to 6 weeks and do an additional 2 sessions. You may see further improvement with this but there are not studies to confirm this. Alternatively, you can wait 4 to 6 months and then have a couple more sessions to maintain your improvements. With the addition of the small applicators, our packages are now an 8 pack that allows you to treat more than one area or they may be used for enhancing or maintaining your results.I hope this was helpful - Dr. Moore.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

I think your provider has already answered your question.Having more and more treatments will lead to a point of diminishing return with less improvement from each treatment. I suggest following the recommended protocol.Best, Mats Hagstrom MD

Would 8 Emsculpt sessions be a waste? I was told that you plateau after 6

Answers (6)

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