Understanding how to improve your body composition—beyond just the number on the scale.
Body contouring is often seen as a cosmetic solution, especially as summer approaches.
But in reality, it is based on a much more fundamental principle: improving body composition.
It’s not just about losing fat, but about optimizing the balance between muscle mass and fat mass—two factors that are essential to metabolic health, posture, and tissue quality.
Is this a quick fix before summer?
An alternative to training?
Is this treatment purely cosmetic?
These are valid questions that deserve careful consideration so we can better understand what body contouring really is.
The number on the scale does not distinguish between muscle, fat, water, or bone density.
However, muscle mass is a metabolically active tissue. Scientific literature shows that an increase in muscle mass helps improve insulin sensitivity, increase resting energy expenditure, support core stability, and reduce the risk of lower back pain.
Starting at age 30, progressive muscle loss can reach 3 to 8% per decade if it is not offset by adequate exercise. This loss affects muscle tone, posture, and body shape, even in the absence of significant weight gain.
Less muscle often means a slower metabolism and a feeling of sluggishness, even in an active person.
.
The number on the scale does not distinguish between muscle, fat, water, or bone density.
However, muscle mass is a metabolically active tissue. The scientific literature shows that an increase in muscle mass helps improve insulin sensitivity, increase resting energy expenditure, support core stability, and reduce the risk of lower back pain.
Starting at age 30, progressive muscle loss can reach 3 to 8% per decade if it is not offset by adequate exercise. This loss affects muscle tone, posture, and body shape, even in the absence of significant weight gain.
Less muscle often means a slower metabolism and a feeling of sluggishness, even in an active person.
.
At the clinic, we use various complementary body contouring technologies, including EMSCULPT NEO and EXION, to target muscle mass, adipose tissue, and tissue quality.
EMSCULPT NEO combines high-intensity electromagnetic stimulation (HIFEM) with synchronized radiofrequency.
This technology induces supramaximal muscle contractions, enabling deep activation of muscle fibers—something that is difficult to achieve through voluntary training alone.
Clinical studies report:
• up to a 25% increase in muscle mass
• up to a 30% reduction in body fat
• a reduction in visceral fat of up to 17.4%
EXION has a greater effect on tissue quality.
Using a combination of radiofrequency and targeted ultrasound, this technology stimulates collagen production, improves skin firmness, and supports the structure of the underlying tissues.
Such a functional impact
In certain contexts, particularly in the postpartum period, functional improvements may be observed.
Clinical data report:
• an improvement in abdominal diastasis of up to 19%
Body contouring is not a treatment for significant weight loss.
It is designed for people whose weight is relatively stable, who are committed to improving their health, and who want to optimize specific areas of their body despite their efforts.
It may be suitable for people who already exercise, follow a balanced diet, and want to improve their muscle tone and definition or target stubborn fat deposits.
A medical evaluation helps determine whether treatment is appropriate based on the patient’s health status, goals, and expectations.
Every year, the pre-summer season sparks a collective push to get in shape. This is often when demand increases.
However, body composition should be a priority throughout the year, not just as a season approaches.
Muscles require repeated stimulation and a biological recovery period to grow. After a standard course of four sessions spread over two to three weeks, muscular adaptations gradually take place.
Clinical data indicate that optimal results are generally observed approximately eight to twelve weeks after the last session, once the physiological changes have taken hold.
What we’re working on are actual muscle fibers. The visible results reflect a real internal change that takes time.
Summer can serve as a benchmark. Muscle health, however, remains a year-round concern.
Body contouring is neither a seasonal trend nor a miracle solution.
It is a medical device that can improve body composition when incorporated into a healthy lifestyle.
If your weight is stable, you’re active, and certain areas remain stubborn despite your efforts, an evaluation can help determine whether this approach is right for you.
A structured consultation with our body contouring specialist, Audrey Painchaud, provides a personalized assessment and recommendations based on your individual physiological profile.
