I Tried a Body-Contouring Treatment—and This Is What It Really Feels Like

Here’s what it’s really like to get the body contouring treatment.

Six weeks before my brother’s wedding—which was basically my wedding, too, since as a bridesmaid, I would be on display just as much as the bride and groom—my future sister “in love” suggested I try the body contouring treatment SculpSure, which she had just done herself. She explained that her session was pretty seamless, but what really made me interested was that the treatment supposedly removed targeted fat cells. I couldn’t say no.

But let’s back up a bit. I’m a lead video producer for Health.com, but while I’m surrounded by fitness influencers and nutritionists every day for my job, my personal lifestyle isn’t always focused on fitness and healthy eating. I love ALL my curves, but I felt motivated to crack down on my diet and fitness leading up to the wedding. Side note: I’m the type of person that needs an event—whether vacation, a reunion, or in this case, a wedding—to inspire me to get back into shape.  

So, why SculpSure? This treatment, which Health beauty director Heather Muir Maffei also recently tried, is meant for someone who is essentially at their weight goal, but needs help getting rid of stubborn fat. I was the perfect candidate. I played basketball for 11 years, so I have an athletic frame, but I needed a little help tightening my abdomen.

When I walked into the office the first time to meet with Dr. Levine, a board-certified surgeon in NYC, we went over what areas I wanted to target, such as my stomach and lower back. She said people generally can sustain the hot and cool laser cycles, but talking helps it go by even quicker.

I had a total of two sessions. Lasers were placed on my belly and lower back for 25 minutes each. There was a continuous blast of hot and cool waves throughout the treatment. I have a high pain tolerance, so I didn’t feel much other than a quick sting during the initial heat-to-skin contact, and I felt like it would be manageable for anyone. The second treatment went by easier than the first. I didn’t really feel anything, which is good. 

After 14 weeks, the big question everyone asked me was, Did it work? It did. I started to see results at week 12. After the wedding, at week four, I went back to my regular eating habits, which did include some sweets, carbs, and soda. I had deprived myself of them for weeks leading up to the wedding. I also stopped going to the gym as much. Like I said, I’m at my best fitness and nutrition-wise when I have an occasion coming! With that being said, you can still see the extra definition in my abs, which lets me know that when I do get back in the gym, you’ll be able to see some packs!