The heat. The original EMsculpt builds muscle with HIFEM, high intensity focused electromagnetic energy that makes a muscle contract in strong, rapid pulses through a 30-minute session. EMsculpt NEO delivers the same HIFEM contractions and adds synchronised radiofrequency in the same applicator, which heats the fat layer over the muscle to the temperature at which fat cells break down. So the original tones muscle; NEO tones muscle and reduces fat in one session. Chelsea Clinic runs EMsculpt NEO, and the first thing to ask any clinic is which machine it uses.
What the two energies do
- HIFEM passes through the skin and fat and makes the muscle beneath contract at a rate and intensity it cannot reach voluntarily. The muscle thickens with repetition, like training, which is why a course is four sessions close together.
- Synchronised radiofrequency warms the fat layer to the temperature at which fat cells are damaged and cleared by the body over the following weeks, and increases local blood flow. BTL describes NEO as the only treatment combining the two.
What the studies measured
In the sham-controlled trial (one group had the real treatment, the other a dummy one) of EMsculpt NEO, 72 patients had three weekly sessions on the abdomen: the fat layer was 28% thinner and the muscle 24% thicker on ultrasound at three months, holding at six. A study on the buttocks measured the muscle about 25% thicker with the combined energies against 16% with HIFEM alone. The original EMsculpt has no fat-reduction clearance; EMsculpt NEO is FDA-cleared in the US for fat reduction of the abdomen, the thighs, the upper arms and the flanks.
Which one for you
If your concern is a soft layer of fat over a muscle you want firmer, NEO, because it treats both. If you are lean and want muscle alone, NEO does that too, with the same HIFEM contractions. For the buttocks and the calves, EMsculpt NEO is cleared for muscle toning only. The worth it page sets out what to expect, and the full EMsculpt NEO guide the whole treatment.
Book a free consultation
Call Chelsea Clinic on 0207 043 1107 or use the form below. The clinician shows you the device, looks at the area, and gives you the price in writing, from £100 per session.
