These are two different machines from the same maker, and the shared name confuses people. Emtone treats the skin and the fibrous bands under it, so it is aimed at cellulite dimpling. EmSculpt treats the muscle below, so it is aimed at tone and definition. Neither one does the other's job.
| The difference | Emtone | Emsculpt |
|---|---|---|
| What it feels like | Heat with a rhythmic thudding | Strong involuntary contractions |
| Cost | Priced as a course of four | Priced as a course of four |
A handpiece worked over the skin It sends radiofrequency heat and mechanical pressure waves into the skin at the same moment. The heat reaches the dermis. The pressure reaches the collagen bands, or septae, that tether the skin down and create the dimples.
Side by side
Emtone
A handpiece worked over the skin
It sends radiofrequency heat and mechanical pressure waves into the skin at the same moment. The heat reaches the dermis. The pressure reaches the collagen bands, or septae, that tether the skin down and create the dimples.
Emsculpt
A paddle strapped over a muscle group
It sends a pulsed magnetic field into the muscle, which forces it to contract. There are no electrodes and no gel, and the field passes through clothing. The contractions are stronger than any you can produce yourself.
Emtone
A smoother surface, graded by eye
In three studies, cellulite ratings improved in 93% to 95% of people. Hip and thigh measurements fell about 2.1 to 2.3 cm at three months. A trial in 46 women found skin stretch and recoil rose 37.6%, against no change in untreated women.
Emsculpt
A couple of millimetres more muscle
A review of 14 studies of electromagnetic body contouring found muscle thickness up 2.2 mm on average, and fat thickness down 5.5 mm. Only one of the 14 compared the device against a sham.
The applicator is strapped over the muscle. It sets off repeated contractions.
Emtone
It does not build muscle
The published work measured cellulite ratings, body measurements and skin stretchiness. It did not measure muscle.
Emsculpt
It does not smooth cellulite
It does not remove fat or tighten skin, and it does not act on the bands that cause dimpling. No study has measured cellulite or skin laxity after EmSculpt.
Emtone
Heat with a rhythmic thudding
Clinics describe it as a hot deep-tissue massage.
Emsculpt
Strong involuntary contractions
The power is turned up to the strongest level you can bear. Soreness the next day, like the day after hard exercise, is common.
Emtone
Four treatments over two to four weeks
About 20 to 30 minutes per area. That figure comes from the study protocols.
Emsculpt
Four sessions, 5 to 10 days apart
Each one runs about 30 minutes. The four-session figure comes from a study that used eight abdominal treatments, and found four gave 86% of the improvement.
Emtone
Priced as a course of four
The result is a graded improvement in how the skin looks. Judge the price of the whole course against that.
Emsculpt
Priced as a course of four
Then wait two to three months to judge it, against a couple of millimetres of muscle.
Emtone
There is no real home version
Creams work on the surface. The dimples are anchored millimetres down, and a cream does not reach that far. Home radiofrequency wands run at a fraction of clinic power.
Emsculpt
There is no real home version
Toning belts pass a weak electrical current through the skin. The clinic machine drives a magnetic field through clothing and fat. The honest home version is exercise.
Emtone
Emsculpt
Emtone
No FDA clearance could be found under the Emtone trade name. BTL files under model numbers rather than trade names, so this page states no indication and no clearance number for it.
Emsculpt
EmSculpt's own cleared wording is muscle and nothing else. The clearances whose device descriptions match it cover improvement of abdominal tone, strengthening of the abdominal muscles, and development of a firmer abdomen, plus strengthening, toning and firming of buttocks, thighs, calves and arms. The words skin, laxity, dermis, collagen and cellulite do not appear in any of them. That match is an inference, because the FDA does not publish a link between BTL trade names and clearance numbers.
BTL does not publish instructions for use for either device. Allergan publishes safety information for CoolTone, a magnetic muscle stimulator in the same FDA device class. It lists metal and electronic implants as contraindications, and names epilepsy, malignancy, bleeding conditions, recent surgery and hernias near treatment sites as cautions. That is Allergan's document about Allergan's device, not EmSculpt's own labelling.
Common questions