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I’ve been married all of two months, and already, I’ve gained back a lot of the pounds and inches I lost in time for our wedding last December, where I wore a figure-hugging, mermaid-shaped, backless wedding gown that did not allow for a corset of any kind. That meant I had to really work hard to get to my ideal shape and waistline, not to mention get rid of my puson, so I will look flawless on my big day.

Admiring my wedding gown before putting it on
(Photo by Love Train Studios Photography)

I’d like to believe I was able to achieve my goal, but it wasn’t without a lot of hard work and a combination of several weight-loss treatments and programs—all of which I now hope to do again in time for our honeymoon at the start of Summer 2018.

One of the fat-melting treatments I tried to make my tummy smaller and more toned is Accent Prime, a non-invasive, state-of-the-art solution for face and body contouring and aesthetic enhancement, brought to the country by SpectruMed. Using the power of combined technologies, Accent Prime offers customized treatments for facial and body contouring, skin tightening, cellulite reduction, and skin rejuvenation that reveal your natural beauty contours—with visible, reliable, lasting results.

How Accent Prime works

Accent Prime offers a pioneering device of an extra-large applicator plate, which covers a larger area and significantly reduces treatment time to approximately 20 minutes. It uses a combination of ultrasound and RF technologies to achieve superior results, giving you a naturally sculpted appearance without the pain and downtime of more invasive procedures.

Accent Prime’s Face & Body contouring treatments effectively remove stubborn fat deposits, reduce the appearance of cellulite, tighten loose skin, and visibly improve the shape and contours of the face and body so you look thinner and feel better. You can have this treatment done on your stomach, arms, thighs, and love handles to tighten the treated area as well as improve wrinkles and sagging appearance.

I had the treatment done on my stomach area, which is supposedly the most sensitive area in a woman’s body. Factors such as lack of exercise, stress, drastic diets, and age contribute to the appearance of that much-dreaded “flabby belly” that no bride wants on her wedding day. Often, even rigorous exercise isn’t effective when it comes to restoring skin flexibility.

Accent Prime works amazingly, as it gets rid of excess belly fat and produces firm, flexible skin to help you get that desired flat stomach and slender waist. Accent Prime uses high RF energy to lift, tone, and tighten the skin around the treatment area so it doesn’t sag or look loose even when the fat underneath has been melted.

One session can reduce the area by about 1cm by dehydrating the fat cells. To do this, Accent Prime combines two types of waves: Compression wave, which preheats tissue to be treated, “thawing” it for initial destruction of fat cells; and Shear wave, which repeatedly stretches and relaxes fat cells to break it down.

The process

Before the session: They measured my navel area, one inch above and one inch below the navel line. This will serve as reference for how well the treatment worked.

Step 1: The area is preheated using RF technology until the desired temp of 40-43 degrees celcius target heat is reached. This is not a time-dependent step, it varies from person to person. The therapist applied mineral oil on my tummy to help generate the heat and make the machine glide easily. She ran the machine head fast so the heat isn’t parked in just one area (think of being ironed).

She checked the area’s actual temperature from time to time. It will get really warm, so brace yourself for this. Make sure the therapist avoids the bony part of the area because this is where it can get painful. Feel free to tell the therapist when the heat is no longer comfortable. They also stop for a few seconds when the area is getting too red.

I noticed in the second and third sessions that the area heats up faster the more sessions you go through because there’s less fat there; it has already melted. The heat will also become more tolerable with each session, as the body gets used to it.

Step 2: The therapist then uses ultrasound tech on the area for exactly 20 minutes. She used petroleum jelly as lubricant, to ensure the machine head glides easily over the treatment area and avoids friction. There’s heat and a slight sting as the extra large plate is pressed into skin fast to break down fat—it almost feels like your tummy is being ironed! It melted even the petroleum jelly, which had to be reapplied. The machine has different heads: There’s a bigger one that makes heat more comfortable (i.e. for tummy area), while they use tinier heads for treating smaller areas like the arms and face, where it can be used, too. The therapist follows the contour of the treatment area to even out delivery of heat and ensure it is comfortable for the patient.

Note: This treatment is not recommended for those with vertigo or active ear infection since this particular step in the treatment causes ringing in ears that only you can hear for the entire 20 minutes.

Step 3: Post-heating via RF is again done on the treatment area for exactly six minutes. Just like the first step, mineral oil is applied on the area.

How my abdominal area looked a day (left) and a week (right) after the first session

The treatment can be done once a week. You’ll see the difference after 5-7 sessions, depending on your body type. For me, they recommended only three sessions just to try it and see the beginning of the effects.

Post-treatment reminders

1. You will feel dehydrated and thirsty after the treatment, so drink lots of water to help flush out melted fat from your system.
2. The therapist advised that this treatment should be paired with proper diet and exercise, avoiding sugar and sodium-rich food. However, you must avoid exercise immediately after the treatment, so as not to overstress the area. You may resume your workout the next day.
3. Avoid getting the treated area wet for at least an hour after.
4. The therapists discourage getting this treatment done when you have your period.

How my abdominal area looked a day (left) and a week (right) after the second session. Note that there’s a bit of bloating in the right photo. This may be because I just had my period. Well, also because I ate too much that week.

Results

Immediately after each session, my core felt tired, as if I did a tough core workout (although I did do yoga before the first session). I noticed that the treatment made me pee a lot and drink a lot, which is good. The day after each session and throughout that week, my waist and tummy felt and looked trimmer.

How my abdominal area looked a day after my third and final session

Post-treatment measurement is done before the next treatment, which is ideally the week after, so the measurements are more accurate. When I was measured before my second session (which is two weeks after the first because I got my period), I lost 3.5cm in the area above the navel and 2cm in the area below the navel, for a total of 5.5cm lost around the tummy area. And when I was measured before my third and final session 10 days later, I found that I lost 4.5cm around the navel and 3.5cm below the navel (no decrease in the area above the navel, likely because I just had lunch) for a total of 8cm removed from the tummy area.

How my abdominal area looked a week after the third and final session

A week after all three sessions, I found that I lost 15.5cm around the area above the navel and 11cm around the area below the navel (I didn’t lose any cm on the navel area), compared to my measurements before I started my Accent Prime treatment. I lost a total of 26.5cm around my tummy area since I started the treatment, which I found pretty impressive. What’s more, my abdominal area looked toned, tightened, and definitely bikini ready—or in the case last December, wedding gown ready.

Wearing my mermaid-shaped wedding gown
(Photo by Love Train Studios Photography)

Even on days when I was overeating and not working out (I was sick for almost two weeks), my tummy remained flat and toned.

Think this treatment is the answer to your summer body goals? Ask your dermatologist, cosmetic surgeon, or trusted aesthetic clinic if they offer Accent Prime. Make it a habit to check the machines used by your derma or aesthetic clinics, and ask for the best and latest technology.

Accent Prime is available in various clinics and hospitals. I believe I’ve encountered this treatment in Belo, and it’s reportedly available in Asian Hospital, Makati Med, and St. Luke’s Medical Center. Accent Prime is exclusively distributed in the Philippines by SpectruMed, which markets and promotes high-end technologies and equipment for all aesthetic procedures from non-invasive skin tightening, face and body contouring, pigmentation, hair and scar removal, to vaginal rejuvenation, dental aesthetics, and orthopaedic treatments. Their product line consists of beauty brands renowned worldwide. The provide only the best systems and devices that are US-FDA approved to ensure user and patient safety with proven clinical results.

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