truBody: what truSculpt and truFlex actually do

Radiofrequency body contouring heats fat tissue to a temperature that damages fat cells while the overlying skin is kept comfortable. Damaged fat cells are cleared by the body over the following weeks to months, which is why the result appears gradually rather than immediately.

Muscle stimulation works differently. It uses electrical stimulation to produce contractions stronger and more frequent than voluntary effort, in order to train the muscle. The aim is tone and definition in the treated area, not fat reduction.

Which one is appropriate depends entirely on what you are unhappy with. A soft area that pinches is a fat question. A flat area that lacks definition is a muscle question. Many people want both, which is why they are often planned together, but they should be explained separately so you know what each part is buying.

Both are delivered as a course of sessions over several weeks, and both show their result over the months afterwards rather than on the day.

This is not weight loss. Non-invasive contouring addresses defined areas that have not responded to consistent diet and training. It is not a treatment for obesity and it does not substitute for weight management. If overall weight and metabolic health are the goal, the medical weight programme is the appropriate route and we will say so.

It is also not surgery. Where there is significant loose skin, or a large volume of fat, the honest answer is that a non-invasive device will underdeliver and a surgical consultation is the better conversation. We would rather tell you that at the consultation than after a paid course.

The change is measured in modest, real terms: a better line in clothing, a flatter contour, a defined area that was not defined. People who arrive expecting a transformation are disappointed by a result that other people would be pleased with, and expectation setting is most of the reason for that gap.

A result is also not held automatically. Fat cells cleared do not return, but the remaining ones respond to weight gain, and muscle tone fades without continued training. What happens afterwards decides how long the result lasts.

We would not treat someone whose actual goal is weight loss, because it will not deliver that and it would waste their money.

We would not treat significant skin laxity with a non-invasive device and imply it would tighten, because it will not to the degree required.

There are also medical reasons these devices are not appropriate, including certain implanted electronic devices, pregnancy, and some conditions affecting the treatment area. That is part of the consultation, and the manufacturer information lists the cleared uses, which we will give you.

Where we think a treatment is the wrong answer, we say so. That is the more useful service, even though it is the one that does not generate an appointment.