I need to confess: wedding gown fittings have been a bit depressing for me. All those late nights working on the blog, and binging on supper have noticeably taken its toll on me. I'm talking about the not too pretty paunch that is slowly making its home around my belly. Despite my weekly workout routines, I’m not exactly seeing results.
So when AEON Medical reached out to me to try the UltraShape® Body Contouring treatment, how COULD this bride-to-be refuse?
Here's a little 411 about Aeon Medical and Aesthetic Centre(AMAC): is a Korean Medical Aesthetic Clinic located in Pacific Plaza, Orchard Road. Run by a Singapore and Korea licensed medical doctor, AEON provides the latest in injection techniques, skin rejuvenation, anti-ageing, facial contouring and laser technology. Furthermore, you'll also be able to enjoy medical-grade facials that use only tried-and-tested Korean products and techniques for various skin conditions.
With bated breath, I first stepped foot into this luxurious chi-chi space, where the friendly Korean staff greeted me warmly as they led me to Dr Michael Kim, who was possibly the nicest and most patient doctor to answer every single question I had.
The company behind the creation of UltraShape®is Syneron Candela, which is the #1 U.S. Dermatologist Recommended Energy Devices Brand. To understand more about the UltraShape® Body Contouring Treatment, visit Syneron Candela website (Englishand Chinese) and also like their Facebook page for updates.
The technology behind UltraShape® is pretty impressive: it essentially uses ultrasound energy to destroy the walls of fat cells in your body, releasing the fat in the form of triglycerides. The triglycerides are then processed through the liver and eliminated from the body naturally. The surrounding tissue, nerves, and muscle are left unharmed. This procedure is 100% safe, and has been FDA-approved.
The Exact Explanation Of UltraShape® - The Comfortable Fat Reduction Treatment· UltraShape®activates a natural physiological response to destroy and clear fat cells without harming the nerves, vessels or muscles, so there is no downtime and the treatment is comfortable compared to other treatments.· With an advanced technology designed to target and destroy subcutaneous fat – the visible layer of fat just beneath the skin – which can be especially hard to lose even with exercise, UltraShape® is the perfect solution for those looking to get rid of stubborn fats.· The UltraShape® treatment is based on a natural fat clearance process through which triglycerides and cell debris from the immediately destroyed fats cells are processed by the body’s natural physiological and metabolic pathways – the same pathways that handle fat during weight loss· UltraShape® uses pulsed, focused ultrasound to immediately and selectively destroy fat cells, proven to deliver an average circumference reduction of 3-6 cm in just 3 treatments.
To put things into better perspective, here is an informative video of how the procedure goes:
https://youtu.be/W4Linv-ebnA
I sat through a diagnosis with the affable Dr Kim whereby I was meticulously measured and photographed before the start of my first treatment. It was here that I learnt about the two major types of fat in the: body; visceral (fat that forms around organs) and subcutaneous (fat that forms under the surface of your skin). While I may be of petite size, I do have some subcutaneous fat that is hard to burn despite exercising and dieting ... so this is where UltraShape® comes in.
Pre-treatment
So time to get comfy! I quickly got changed into this uber-comfy tee and shorts get-up, before I was strapped up into this black-corset like contraption. The elastic bands help to push the fats into one targeted area so that UltraShape® can better focus on the fat blasting. Feels a bit tight but otherwise tolerable.
Here's a cool fact: UltraShape® actually features a real-time 3D tracking and guidance system to effectively map out the body's unique curvature, thus allowing Dr Kim to accurately reach every single blast point and ensuring a smooth complete finish. This is done by placing dot stickers followed by a rubber cross in the middle of my targeted area to allow the machine to calibrate the ideal position.
Before the actual treatment, a RF (radio frequency treatment) machine is used to stimulate the tissues and soften the area so that UltraShape® can work at its optimum level. A cooling gel is slathered carefully over my tummy to allow the tool head to glide easily without causing abrasions.
The machine gently suctions the skin to create a kind of 'pinching' motion, which is repeated all over the gather area, and kind of tickled me a bit. Other than the funny sensation of an imaginary giant octopus is suctioning you, I felt no discomfort at all. The machine does heat up during the process, so the nurses will constantly take the temperature to ensure that you don't feel any discomfort throughout your entire treatment.
And so it begins! Dr Kim's soothing voice eased me into relaxation, and I greatly appreciated how he explained each step and what it was for before proceeding. The machine head is a bigger and much rounder one compared to the RF's, and has a glass surface where the Ultrasound waves are focused.
The UltraShape® machine is actually the 3rd new and improved version of its predecessors with new options to adjust the degree of ultrasound waves to effectively penetrate to the fat layer, or the precise area-targeting for different types of the body.
And if you are worried about the level of pain, I am happy to say ... there is none!
When activated, all I hear is a slight hum and a gradual warming sensation around the area as the procedure continues. In fact, I personally felt so comfortable throughout the entire treatment that I nearly dozed off a few times during the session. Dr Kim can also select to do the targeting in a sequential or randomized manner; which was very helpful because at some points the Ultrasound targeting did get slightly prickly to certain more sensitive areas.
Once the UltraShape® procedure is done, the nurse administers another round of the RF machine to stimulate and further break down the fat layer, before proceeding with a comforting massage on the treated area with Thalgo High Correction Gel for Stubborn Cellulite. AEON really spares no expense in using high-end products like this to further booster the results of the body-contouring treatment.
2nd Session
I returned for my second treatment 2 weeks later, and this time the procedure was much faster since AEON already had my measurements earlier so calibrating the UltraShape® machine took less time.
This time I had a small pinhead-sized bruise which we believe was due to the suctioning motion of RF machine head, but it faded fairly quickly as I indulged in the post-treatment tea at the lounge. The UltraShape® procedure does not leave any form of redness downtime as compared to other methods like CoolSculpt, so you literally can go to the beach or wear a midriff without any worries!
3rd Session
It's almost bittersweet as my final session rolled by. While I will still miss the awesome experience with the AEON team, I'm really excited to see my results! I actually had a minor 100g weigh increment but I had expected it because I was (and still am) on low carb-meat rich diet to bulk up muscles. While I can barely believe my eyes on the whopping 5cm I lost, I can sure feel the slimmer waistline when donning my bodycon dresses and skinny jeans.
I did not experience any form of side effects during the 1 month treatment although I found that I got thirstier than usual after each session. Dr Kim reassured me that this is normal because when those fats are blasted into micro-bits, they pass through the liver and so keeping hydrated is normal and needed.
Thank you Dr Kim and the lovely staff of AEON Medical for giving me a head start to looking good for my big day! Sincerely recommend all my readers to check out AEON Medical and give UltraShape®, the comfortable body contouring treatment a try!
AEON Medical and Aesthetic Centre is located at 9 Scotts Road #06-02/03 Scotts Medical Centre @ Pacific Plaza, Singapore 228210.
Email the friendly team at [email protected] or give them a call at 6733 2002.
