Bingo wing blaster that’s ‘as effective as 10,000 bicep curls’

Tummies can be cinched in or, if all else fails, surgically tucked. Breasts can be augmented, either with padding or something more permanent. And there are injections that can smooth wrinkles and plump ageing skin.

But one body area has proved to be a tougher nut to crack: the dreaded bingo wing. Many women find that no matter how many bicep curls they do, the area under the upper arm becomes saggy. 

Indeed, a recent survey by a fitness company suggested up to 71 per cent of women hate the appearance of their arms.

Long sleeves or artfully draped shawls can disguise a multitude of sins. But the only surgical option is a complex operation that involves cutting away excess flesh, which comes with inherent risks and scarring.

For the vast majority of women, there are bigger things to worry about but for those seeking an intervention, help may finally be at hand. 

A new non-invasive treatment called EMSculpt, which zaps the upper arms with high-intensity electromagnetic energy, is proving to be remarkably successful.

Rapid pulses of these waves – emitted by curved ‘paddles’ the size and shape of a large iron and which are strapped to the body – activate the nerves that control the muscles, making them contract spontaneously. 

One 30-minute EMSculpt session is the equivalent of doing 10,000 bicep curls and 10,000 tricep dips, claims Czech manufacturers BTL. The result is an 18 per cent increase in muscle mass in both the upper and lower arm, leading to significantly less wobble.

Grandmother-of-six Tiffany Suchard became one of the first in Britain to try the new treatment earlier this year. The businesswoman and self-confessed gym fanatic injured her shoulders 18 months ago.

‘I think, at my age, I was overdoing the exercise a bit, and I started to feel quite a lot of discomfort in my shoulders when reaching up for things or even pulling open a door,’ admits Tiffany, who prefers not to reveal her age but reveals she modelled with Twiggy in the 1960s.

When she finally visited her doctors, she was told that she had torn the rotator cuff in her right arm and damaged the one in her left. The rotator cuff is a sheet of muscle deep within the shoulder, which essentially holds the joint together, and supports its wide range of motion.

Injuries to the shoulders are extremely common – up to a quarter of the population suffer one at some point, with prevalence rising with age. Damage to the rotator cuff accounts for seven out of ten cases, studies suggest.

Tiffany underwent surgery on her right shoulder. ‘It recovered well but I had to stop doing a lot of the arm exercises that I used to do,’ she says. ‘The upshot of it all was my arms started to look less toned. I began to feel a bit self-conscious, especially in some of my favourite sleeveless dresses and tops.’

EMSculpt was launched in the UK in 2018, and initially treatment was limited to the midriff and buttocks. Now specially designed attachments mean it can be safely used on the arms and thighs, too.

There have always been some people who do not respond to non-surgical body treatments that promise to slim and tone parts of the silhouette. But studies suggest that almost all of those who undergo EMSculpt experience some degree of positive result. 

The treatment has a 90 per cent approval rating from user reviews on realself.com, the site often dubbed ‘the Tripadvisor of cosmetic surgery’. Researchers report no complications or side effects after EMSculpt.

During the arm procedure, the patient lies on their front, with the front of their upper arms supported in the curved paddles, to target the bicep muscles. The paddles are attached with wires to a machine, which controls the intensity of the electromagnetic pulses.

The pulses can cause more than ten muscle contractions a second.

As the treatment taps directly into the nerves, it is able to target the entire muscle.

‘We start patients at low intensity, and gradually work up to full power,’ explains Dr Rita Rakus, who has a clinic in London (drritarakus.co.uk) offering the treatment. ‘It can feel a little odd to begin with but you quickly get used to it.’

After 15 minutes, patients flip over to lie on their back, with the backs of the arms resting in the paddles, to treat the triceps.

Tiffany had already had EMSculpt treatment on her midriff and had been delighted with the results, which she revealed in these pages. 

So she jumped at the chance to test the new arm application. She had six sessions, each a week apart. ‘It’s a strange feeling – different to when it’s on the tummy,’ she says.

‘The pulses make your arm jerk, and you have to resist it or they move, so you feel a bit like a puppet – but it’s not uncomfortable.

‘I fell asleep during one treatment. Afterwards, you’re a bit achy, as if you’ve been lifting weights. 

‘But that goes after a day. I noticed my arms looked a bit more toned after just one session, and after six, I’m so pleased – they seem so much better. I’m looking forward to wearing my sleeveless gowns, and even bought a new one to celebrate.’

Seven studies of the treatment, which costs £750 a session, have been held, with positive results.

The research used photographs and CT scans to assess the treatment’s effectiveness. After four sessions of EMSculpt, muscle size increased by 18 per cent.

‘The ideal patient is already in fairly good shape but just needs a bit of extra help,’ explains Dr Rakus. ‘Men love it too, as it gives them bigger, more muscly arms.

‘The best thing is that patients not only look better, but because it improves muscle strength, they tell us they feel stronger and more stable too.’