Body contouring
Body contouring targets the shape of a specific area. Weight management targets overall body fat and health. They are different goals, and confusing them is the most common reason people are disappointed.
Choose your side
The honest version, before the detail
Everything below expands on these points, with sources.
- 01Contouring shapes a specific area. Weight management addresses overall body fat and health. They are different goals.
- 02Contouring works alongside a weight programme. Treating while you lose weight can help limit loose skin and protect muscle, especially with GLP-1 medicines.
- 03truBody, truSculpt and truFlex are non-invasive, in-office treatments.
- 04It is delivered as a series, and you get the full plan and total cost up front.
This is not a weight loss treatment
Contouring addresses defined areas that have not responded to consistent diet and training. It is not a treatment for obesity and it is not a substitute for weight management. If overall weight and metabolic health are the goal, the medical weight management programme is the appropriate route.
It also works alongside a weight programme. We sometimes treat while you are losing weight, to help prevent excess loose skin and to maintain muscle mass, especially for patients using GLP-1 medicines.
truBody, including truSculpt and truFlex
These are non-invasive, in-office treatments. In this practice they involve no downtime.
Changes appear gradually, over a period of weeks to a few months, and the treatment is normally a series of sessions. A single session is not the treatment.
truFlex can also be used in rehabilitation: for back pain, after surgery, and as adaptive therapy.
Benefits, risks, alternatives and candidacy
This appears before the booking button on purpose. You should be able to decide with the risks in front of you.
What it may do
- May improve definition and tone in a treated area over a course of sessions.
- May help build muscle and prevent muscle loss, including while you are losing weight.
- Non-invasive, and in this practice delivered without downtime.
- Results build over weeks to months rather than appearing immediately.
Risks and side effects
- Temporary redness, tenderness, swelling or firmness in the treated area.
- Results vary between individuals and some people see little change.
- Results are not maintained automatically. Significant weight change afterwards alters the outcome.
- A series is generally required, and the full course is costed up front.
Alternatives, including doing nothing
- Resistance training and nutrition targeted at the same area, which is free and has broader health benefits.
- Medical weight management, where overall body fat rather than shape is the actual goal.
- Surgical referral, where a surgical result is what you want.
- Choosing not to treat.
Who may not be a candidate
- Pregnancy, implanted electronic devices, skin cancer or active skin infection in the treated area, certain metal implants and some medical conditions change or exclude this option. Candidacy is assessed individually.
Answered before you ask
Is this the same as weight loss?
How many sessions?
Where this information comes from
Primary sources only: regulator publications, specialty society patient guidance and manufacturer information. Not marketing pages.
Book a body contouring consultation
We will tell you honestly whether contouring or weight management is the right route for what you actually want.