Nonsurgical body-contouring treatments burn stubborn fat, tone muscle.
At age 60, John Hamlin doesn’t roll out of bed each morning. He springs out in anticipation of what’s ahead in his workday. And why not? When you direct one of the nation’s most successful marketing firms, work tends to be fun.
John lost weight and toned muscle using EMSCULPT NEO.
“I’ve run this company since I started it way back in 1988 in Central Illinois,” John says of Hamlin & Associates, which caters almost exclusively to automotive dealers and lists more than 1,800 as clients.
“I moved the company to Florida 20 years ago and, boy, have those years gone by fast. Since then, we’ve expanded into a new building and developed a lot of great relationships with great people. So, yes, I enjoy going to work each day.”
John’s day doesn’t always end when he turns down the lights at Hamlin & Associates. He also serves on the board of several charities. That proved beneficial when his MDVIP primary care physician unexpectedly retired a few years ago.
“I was looking for a new primary care doctor, and an associate who is an administrator at a local hospital recommended Dr. Haynes,” John relates. “I went to meet her, and I really liked her because what she does is totally different than what I was accustomed to.”
Join the Club
Delicia M. Haynes, MD, is the founder of Family First Health Center, an integrative membership-based clinic where she empowers patients to look and feel their best from the inside out with a lifestyle medicine approach.
Unlike traditional primary care offices where long wait times and rushed appointments are often the norm, Family First offers its members prompt appointments, expanded one-on-one time with the doctor, virtual visits and more through a monthly membership. There are never any copays, deductibles or insurance hassles.
“It’s like having a gym-style membership to your doctor,” Dr. Haynes relates. “But the membership is actually secondary, because the care is the primary focus of what we do. What I promote is personalized health care. I’m like an old-time family doctor with modern technology.”
The model at Family First Health Center is called Direct Primary Care, (DPC). It’s one of the fastest-growing movements in primary care, and Dr. Haynes is among those who have helped other physicians make the transition to it.
“Most doctors really love practicing medicine, but they hate the way it’s being practiced,” she says. “This model is all about getting third parties out of the exam room and going back to emphasizing the doctor-patient relationship.”
It’s that deeper, more personal relationship that John found most attractive about Family First Health Center, where he recently expressed a desire to take advantage of one of the practice’s advanced aesthetic therapies.
“It’s a long story involving a pinched nerve in my back and me eating Smucker’s Uncrustables like they’re candy, but I recently got up to 201 pounds, which is obese on me,” John relates. “I should be at 165, so I started dieting and got down to 175.
“But then I went back to 180 and then down to 175 and, for whatever reason, I couldn’t get back to 165. So, I asked Dr. Haynes what I could do about it. She recommended treatment using the EMSCULPT® NEO.”
Two at Once
“I’m not 26 years old anymore; I’m an older guy, so I was impressed when I looked in the mirror and saw abs” – John
EMSCULPT NEO is an FDA-approved nonsurgical body-contouring treatment that burns stubborn fat, tones muscle and tightens skin simultaneously through a system that delivers rapid pulses of high-intensity electromagnetic and radio-frequency energy using an applicator at the area being treated.
“The radiofrequency component heats the fat cells to a degree where they break down, are permanently damaged. After that they are slowly removed from the body,” Dr. Haynes explains. “At the same time, the radiofrequency component is also heating the muscle in that target area. As that’s happening, the electromagnetic component creates what amounts to thousands of muscle contractions, far more than anyone could do by themselves.
“For example, a nonathlete can usually get up to 30 percent muscle engagement during a workout, and that’s on the higher end. An Olympic athlete can get up to maybe 50 percent. This technology gets you between 90 and 100 percent. That’s why it’s so effective in building muscle. In terms of losing fat, once those fat cells are permanently damaged, they go through a process called lymphatic drainage where they slowly exit the body through the lymph system.”
Ideally suited for people with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 35, EMSCULPT NEO treatments take 30 minutes and are performed while the patient relaxes on a table. During that time, the electromagnetic component delivers what amounts to 20,000 muscle contractions to the targeted area, which can be the tummy, thighs, buttocks, arms or legs. There’s no post-workout pain associated with these sessions.
“That’s one of the beauties of it,” Dr. Haynes notes. “Because of the technology, you don’t get a buildup of lactic acid, so you won’t feel sore afterward. That’s why we have people come in and do it on their lunch break. It’s so easy.”
Dr. Haynes, who was the first physician in the area to become board-certified in obesity medicine, typically recommends patients get four EMSCULPT NEO treatments about a week or 10 days apart. Studies show that, on average, this regimen will result in a 30 percent reduction in fat and a 25 percent increase in muscle.
Similar studies show that Emsculpt NEO treatments can also lead to a 14.3 percent reduction in visceral fat, which is the fat that wraps around abdominal organs and can increase a person’s risk for serious medical issues such as Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, fatty liver disease and more.
“While it’s nice to have sculpted abs and glutes, these treatments improve health, core strength and allow patients to resume or enjoy an active lifestyle as they continue to celebrate more and more birthdays,” Dr. Haynes informs.
All of these changes tend to be noticed gradually, according to Dr. Haynes. She says some patients feel, and sometimes see, a difference in muscle tone after the first treatment, but fat reduction takes a little more time. Typically, full results can be seen in as little as two to four weeks after the last treatment.
Seeing Is Believing
Intrigued by Dr. Haynes’ explanation of the treatments, John agreed to a full regimen of four EMSCULPT NEO sessions. Though he admits being a bit skeptical, he was quite pleased with the results, which came rapidly.
“A lot of people want immediate gratification, and I certainly fall into that category, and let me tell you, this delivered,” John raves. “I know it sounds like it’s almost impossible, but after a couple of weeks I was starting to notice a difference.
“I eventually got down to 165 pounds, so I hit my target weight, and I can honestly say that I saw abdominal muscles. I couldn’t believe it. I’m not 26 years old anymore; I’m an older guy, so I was impressed when I looked in the mirror and saw abs.
Like traditional workouts, the results from a series of EMSCULPT NEO treatments can fade over time. That’s why Dr. Haynes recommends patients return for follow-up sessions every three months to maintain the look they wanted and achieved. She even offers a customized membership plan for EmSculpt maintenance.
“I originally did this late last spring, and after the holidays I realized that I had probably put on about seven pounds,” John reveals. “Right after the first of the year, I told Dr. Haynes that I’m coming back for a tuneup.
“I went back because I know EMSCULPT NEO works and because I absolutely trust Dr. Haynes. She gives it to you straight. Like I said, I really like the way she does things at her clinic. I recommend her and EMSCULPT NEO to anyone.”
© FHCN article by Roy Cummings. John’s photo courtesy of John Hamlin. Before and after images courtesy of Family First Health Center. js