Like many of us stuck home over the past year, Sandra Hinke fell out of her beauty and fitness routines during the pandemic. When spring came and she was ready to trade her loungewear for more revealing clothes, the retired teacher wasn’t thrilled with her appearance.
“I usually work out a lot and I was always very consistent with my upkeep, but being in the house for a year really took a toll on my body,’’ said the 53-year-old, who lives in Dix Hills, LI. “I wanted to get myself beach-ready.’’
So, she signed on for radiofrequency microneedling treatments, meant to improve skin laxity and decrease wrinkling, from dermatologist Marina Peredo, who has offices in Dix Hills and on the Upper East Side. These were followed by the topical application of exosomes, an experimental cell-based therapy thought to promote tissue growth factors and speed healing.
“I immediately felt my skin was tighter,’’ she said of the procedure, which requires three 30-minute sessions and cost $5,000 in total for her neck, chest and arms. Her skin was only red for a day or two. “I had done my face before and now my body matched,’’ she added.
Doctors say they’re now seeing an influx of people looking for ways to quickly take their look from housebound to hot girl summer.
“We have experienced a dramatic increase in [requests for] body treatments over the past few months,’’ said cosmetic dermatologist Anetta Reszko, who has offices on Park Avenue. “Eighty percent of the requests used to be for the face, but now at least 50 percent are for the body.’’
Being home so much over the past 18 months led Sher Jansen to become more critical of herself. “I had a lot of time to fixate on the things that bothered me,’’ said the 26-year-old emergency room nurse who lives in Stamford, Conn., with her husband and toddler.
Jansen turned to Reszko for help tightening the skin on her tummy, and around her elbows and knees. She underwent two radiofrequency microneedling sessions spaced two weeks apart at a total cost of $7,000.
To further target her abs, she added on two weeks of biweekly sessions of Emsculpt Neo at a total cost of $3,000. Emsculpt toning devices are hugely popular with celebrities such as Olivia Culpo, Megan Fox and Addison Rae, and can deliver the results of doing 20,000 crunches in 30 minutes, using a combination of electromagnetic energy to contract and tone the muscles and radiofrequency to melt fat.
“My skin is much tighter, my stretch marks dramatically lessened and I have my abs back,’’ Jansen said. “I’m headed to Spain this summer and I’m excited to buy some bikinis. I have a form-fitting silk dress I love but it’s been sitting in my closet because it shows every imperfection. Now I’m definitely packing that!”
Dr. Paul Frank, a dermatologist with offices in the West Village and on the Upper East Side, notes the demand is due to buzz about the latest machines as well as timing.
“The [Emsculpt] Neo addresses the trifecta of skin, fat and muscle,’’ explains Frank, whose practice has a full range of cutting-edge devices. “These new technologies have created awareness, and there are so many requests because the coming-out party of people from COVID collates with summer.’’
Here’s a closer look at microneedling, Emsculpt and other rapid ways New Yorkers are fast-tracking a better body with no knives and no down time.
Skinfluence microneedling with radiofrequency
“Radiofrequency tightens existing collagen and elastin and makes the skin younger-looking,’’ said Peredo of the 40-minute procedure, during which tiny needles deliver pulses into the skin. She adds exosomes to help build new collagen and reduce redness. One to three sessions are required two to three weeks apart, and packages range from $2,000 to $5,000.
1047 Park Ave.; 212-754-6363, SkinfluenceNYC.com
Emsculpt Neo
Getting toned without actually having to exercise is one of those futuristic concepts that finally arrived with Emsculpt, which uses electromagnetic energy to contract muscles while you lie back and relax, and was initially approved by the FDA in 2018 for use on the abdomen. The new version adds on radiofrequency to melt fat cells, so there is more weight reduction. The machine’s use has been extended to the butt, and last month to the arms and legs as well. Four 30-minute sessions at $850 each are recommended for initial change. “You can quickly get a six-pack or lifted butt without working out,’’ said Reszko. Of course, using this as a supplement to speedily amp up results of a traditional gym routine is best for overall benefits.
1112 Park Ave.; 646-759-8449, DrAnettaReszko.com
Sia’s Beauty butt lift treatment
A smooth, firm butt is a coveted beach asset, and apparently lack of activity and lots of time sitting on the sofa leads to rough patches and clogged pores as well as some sagging. Karen Hong’s $175 treatment at Sia’s Beauty in Soho begins with cleansing and extractions, followed by exfoliation with a mask of mixed acids, and a HydraFacial machine to further deep cleanse and infuse serums. A second Valmont mask containing Swiss apple stem cells nourishes and locks in moisture, and finally a combination of lymphatic drainage massage and cupping techniques perks up the skin for a firmer appearance.
“I used to work out every day, but during the pandemic I sat in my house and gained a few pounds,’’ says Barbara Phillips, 57, who lives in Bayside and works in fashion sales. “When I heard about this new treatment that could tighten my butt, I said, ‘Sign me up!’ I don’t want to say this about my own bum, but it looks great and the skin is so smooth.”
145 Grand St.; 347-247-6381, SiasBeauty.NYC
Vicki Morav’s Combination Slimming Treatment
Vicki Morav’s new Upper East Side spa offers a killer combination of therapies for ultimate toning for $840. The “Beach Body Ready” treatment begins with a 20-minute of calorie-burning infrared sauna session, followed by full-body exfoliation using microdermabrasion or fruit acids and loofah, 75 minutes of lymphatic drainage massage, and finally, 35 minutes radio frequency machine to tighten skin all over the body. “You feel less bloated immediately,’’ promises Morav.
19 East 71st St.; VickiMorav.com
Rescue Spa’s Celluma LED lights
A 45-minute session during which you relax under a blanket of lights ($225) at Rescue Spa in Flatiron is meant to speed up circulation, even skin tone, reduce both puffiness and bumpiness, and give you an overall glow that adds to your wow factor on the beach. It also has a side effect of easing muscle inflammation, so your strut will be a bit bouncier. Rescue owner Danuta Mieloch recommends leaving with a Tri Light Body Sculpt Fit ($295), a new at-home device that uses LED lights along with heat and microcurrent to extend the treatment’s benefits. “It allows you to really work on areas that are problematic for you,’’ she says.
29 E. 19th St.; 866-772-2766, RescueSpa.com
Rebalance Revita-Slim IV with Repechage Peppermint Sea Twist Body Shaping Therapy
Repechage owner Lydia Sarfati has partnered with the ReBalance Integrative Medicine and Anti-Aging Center on the Upper East Side to offer treatments like this one, which for $300 reduces the appearance of cellulite and assists with lymphatic drainage. An IV vitamin infusion is administered while you are exfoliated with bamboo brushes, wrapped in hot seaweed-soaked bandages, covered with Mylar, and massaged with slimming and firming creams containing caffeine and seaweed. Measurements are taken before and after, and many see a loss of about an inch and a half in total, according to Sarfati, who says the result should last at least five days.
635 Madison Ave.; 212-380-1764, RebalanceNYC.com