Inge van Lotringen Better... not younger

Tried & tested: my pick of the best body boosters

AFTER a grim winter, the hint of spring in the air this week made me feel quite giddy. And I’m not the only one: my inbox is full of letters asking about treatments to tone your body in time for the summer season.

I usually get requests for advice with only weeks to spare. Unfortunately, while some non-surgical tweaks can erase niggles that healthy eating and exercise can’t touch, the scalpel-free nips and tucks take months to show results.

That’s why this is the right time to talk about the procedures I rate (and, I’m not easily impressed). None will make you lose weight quickly, but will bring about small changes to boost your confidence. And that is often worth the (considerable) investment.

ZAP THE ‘SADDLEBAGS’: CRYOLIPOLYSIS

YES, I mean ‘fat-freezing’ or CoolSculpting, which has been demonised after supermodel Linda Evangelista’s much-publicised bad experience.

But it’s no riskier than most other non-surgical fat removal technologies and by far the most effective for minimising ‘pinchable’ fat pockets on bums, tums, arms, chins and thighs: nothing else has made such a clear difference to my saddlebags.

The cryolipolysis technology uses paddles to freeze fatty bulges, killing fat cells in half an hour to an hour. It feels like freezer burn for a few minutes before the area goes comfortably numb. Your flesh thaws quickly but you can feel a bit bruised (for the abdomen, it can be a few days’ discomfort).

Over the following three months your lymphatic system rids the body of the dead cells, and you lose volume permanently. A second or even third cycle of treatment is often required after those three months to get a truly satisfactory result.

Use an experienced practitioner, and don’t opt for inferior technology. Stick to the doctor-approved Deleo Cristal Pro and Zeltiq CoolSculpting (search coolsculpting.com for clinics). Cost varies from €470 to €950 per paddle per treatment.

TONE THAT TUMMY: EMSCULPT NEO

THIS machine emits high-intensity focused electromagnetic energy to contract muscles in an area of your choice (such as glutes or abs) 20,000 times in 30 minutes — equivalent to 30,000 crunches. Meanwhile, radiofrequency heat helps local fat cells ‘burn’ their contents and shrink (the cells aren’t killed off as with cryolipolysis), firming skin and making it look smoother and tighter.

It’s good for post-partum tummies and can give you a mild washboard stomach if you don’t have too much padding.

Despite some claims, this should not be seen as a weight-loss treatment. Over four weekly half-hour sessions, you simply lie there with a paddle strapped to your ‘area’. The contractions it induces are seriously uncomfortable, but not painful. Prices start at €600 per session and results can last a year.

SMOOTH OUT CELLULITE: SUNEKOS CELL

SUNEKOS Cell is an injectable which is formulated to help correct the inflammation and under-the-skin tissue thickening that contributes to cellulite. It won’t work for severe (very pitted and hard) cellulite, but it made my ‘mild’ orange peel skin less obvious — one of the few treatments that ever has. The treatment area is stippled with ouchy but bearable injections (you can opt for local anaesthetic). Expect small red spots or bruises for a week or so. You need two to three treatments, two to three weeks apart, with full results four weeks after the final one, lasting up to a year. A session starts from €250.

BLITZ BINGO WINGS: EXION BODY

THIS is a new machine I haven’t tried but, looking at the patented technology and speaking to doctors I trust, it sounds good. ‘I love it for plumping slack, crepey skin on the arms,’ says body-sculpting specialist Dr Galyna Selezneva (drritarakus.co.uk).

This ‘skin remodelling’ is thanks to new ultrasound-assisted radiofrequency technology, increasing hyaluronic acid in the skin alongside collagen and elastin. It’s painless — the area is massaged with a handset emitting pleasant warmth for ten to 30 minutes. Results last six to 12 months.

You’ll pay from €300 per session for the minimum course of four sessions, a week or so apart.