Every era has its idealised physique. In the 1500s a high forehead was de rigueur for any fashionable woman, the 1900s was all about a snatched waist, the 1950s favoured a voluptuous Marilyn Monroe-esque silhouette… and in the 1990s with Pamela Anderson in her Baywatch heyday, breast implants were everywhere.
Now in the 2020s it’s all about the derrière. You can thank (or blame) stars such as Kim Kardashian and Nicki Minaj for making the peach emoji one of the most used icons on our social media accounts. Since 2014 when Kimmy stepped out on the cover of Paper Magazine, a champagne glass perched safely atop her rear it seemed to cement the status quo. We as a society have become bum obsessed.
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Beauty standards have changed over the years
According to a global survey by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery the number of surgical BBLs (Brazilian butt lifts) performed globally has grown by 77.6%. In fact it is the fastest-growing cosmetic surgery in the world. However there are many safety concerns and risks for the Brazilian butt lift. According to the NHS, “There have been a number of deaths following complications of the Brazilian butt lift (BBL) procedure,” they explain that “The risk of death for BBL surgery is at least 10 times higher than many other cosmetic procedures, and it has the highest death rate of all cosmetic procedures.” The main concern is that the injected fat can cause a blockage in a blood vessel in the lungs (pulmonary embolism), which can be fatal. In fact the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) has advised its members not to carry out Brazilian butt lift surgeries until more is known about safer techniques of fat injection into the bottom.
Pretty scary, so what to do if your heart is set on a pert derrière? There’s a solution for those of us who are scalpel shy. Enter the "non-surgical Butt Lift," but does it actually work?
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Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian have popularised the rise of bum-lifts
In order to test out the treatment, we headed to the Cosmetic Skin Clinic, an multi-award winning medical aesthetic clinic founded by Dr Tracy Mountford MBBS MBCAM. They specialise in natural facial rejuvenations and body contouring procedures.
What is a non-surgical Butt Lift?
A non-surgical Butt Lift uses a device called the EMSculpt. It is a leading non-surgical body sculpting and FDA-cleared apparatus, which not only builds muscle but burns fat at the same time. Today’s non-invasive body shaping and contouring treatments can effectively reduce fat and tighten the skin, but more than a third of one’s body is comprised of muscles, so this device targets those areas specifically. The machine induces strong (supramaximal) muscle contractions not achievable through a regular workout. One 30-minute treatment is equivalent to 20,000 squats. After around six sessions you are said to notice a huge improvement. With no gym and minimal discomfort, it has gained a slew of celebrity fans and is rumoured to be beloved by Megan Fox, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Lopez and even Kim Kardashian herself.
What to expect during a non-surgical Butt Lift?
During the treatment you are hooked up to the EMSculpt machine, with various metal pads pressed directly onto your target areas and these are kept in place with velcro straps. (They can also be used on the abdomen for those looking to work their abdominals.) Then the machine gets to work and during the treatment you can have water, and are able to watch TV or play with your phone to distract yourself, at the Cosmetic Skin Clinic there are TVs in the treatment room which is handy. Over the course of the session the therapist will increase the intensity of the machine, so that you are able to ease into the treatment.
Does EMSculpt hurt?
It isn’t completely painless, which makes sense when you think about how hard your muscles are working during a session. The first session I found very intense but you get used to the feeling very quickly, I was able to catch up on emails during the sessions.
What are the results of a non-surgical buttlift?
Despite being pretty pain adverse, and asking for lower voltage repeatedly (with my very patient aesthetician Magda) it certainly got results after the six sessions I had. My PT asked me if I’d been working out independently and I actually felt a huge difference in my muscle tone. It’s not a huge difference (you’re not going to end up with the bum of a Kardashian if that’s what you're after) but everything is certainly more lifted, and sculpted.
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