I try my best to live a healthy life: eating nutritious foods, tracking and limiting my consumption of not-so-good stuff, going to barre classes, getting enough sleep. But sometimes these efforts don't feel like enough, especially as I get older and time and gravity start taking their toll. I'm definitely not as slim as I used to be 10 years ago, nor as firm! Cue cosmetic devices like the Silk'n Silhouette Body Contouring & Cellulite Reduction Device ($289.99 on sale for $249.99 at London Drugs), which promise to step in and be that little bit extra that will give us the firmer, slimmer silhouette of our dreams. I received one of these devices for review and I've been testing it on and off for the past two months. Here's what you need to know about it!
Silk'n Silhouette promises to firm skin, contour the body for a more toned and firmer appearance, and combat cellulite. It uses 3 different energy sources to target skin's surface and the layers just underneath. Bi-polar RF energy promises to firm deeper layers of the skin up to 10 mm below the surface; LED light energy improves the surface of the skin; and IR light energy improves skin texture. The electronic device looks like a giant computer mouse with a pink handle and comes with an adapter for different international outlets. Also included? A manual with detailed diagrams and recommended times for treating different body parts, and a tube of the Silk'n Slider Hyaluronic Gel.
I don't have cellulite, but I did have a few areas like my upper arms and my belly that I was eager to test the Silk'n Silhouette on. To start using Silk'n Silhouette, you first smooth the Slider Hyaluronic Gel over the treatment area. This gel helps conduct the energy being emitted from the underside of the Silk'n Silhouette into the skin, and it contains hyaluronic acid, a humectant that draws water into skin and helps hydrate it. I'm not a huge fan of its thick and sticky texture, but the device won't activate properly without it.
Then it's time to start gliding Silk'n Silhouette in slow back-and-forth strokes, starting with 2 minutes on the lowest energy level setting to warm up the treatment area (in this case, my upper arms). You can tell the device is working and properly activated when the bottom of the device emits a red light upon making firm contact with your skin. Silk'n Silhouette is a completely painless treatment (I cannot stress that enough!). There are built-in sensors on the underside of the mouse to keep the device from overheating and burning skin. Throughout the entire duration of the treatment you should feel no more than a pleasant warming sensation.
After the 2-minute warm-up is over, it's time to crank up the energy level setting to medium or high depending on what you're most comfortable with. The higher the level, the more efficacious the treatment, but even on the highest setting you don't feel anything more than a warming sensation on your skin. You can use Silk'n Silhouette on the belly, back, thorax, upper arms, hips, buttocks, thighs, or calves. Depending on the body part, treatment time varies from 10-15 minutes. For upper arms, each arm requires 2 minutes on low and 10 minutes on medium/high, meaning the treatment is 24 minutes in total.
I liked that the treatment was safe and easy to do (especially from the comfort of my couch while watching Netflix!), but my biggest pet peeve was how quickly the Slider Hyaluronic Gel dried out. It only took 1-2 minutes of using the Silk'n Silhouette before the gel lost its slip and became tacky to the touch and the device started to drag on the skin. Although the Slider Hyaluronic Gel is available for sale separately, you'd still be using gobs of product if you used Silk'n Silhouette regularly. I started keeping a spray bottle full of water close by to re-wet the slider gel whenever it started feeling dry, and that helped extend the time between re-applications and kept me from using too much product. I also wiped any excess off with a damp towel at the end of a treatment.
After a single treatment, I noticed that my upper arms did appear slimmer and more toned, and the muscle definition I worked so hard to cultivate in barre was more apparent. The results lasted 1-3 days. Silk'n Silhouette definitely works, but to be frank I don't know whether to chalk up the results to the three energies targeting the skin or the fact that running the device over my arms essentially forced me to give myself a gentle warming self-massage for 12 minutes, thereby boosting circulation and reducing swelling in the area. Using this device to slim and contour is definitely not a substitute for diet and exercise. However, I could see myself whipping it out and using it the night before a big event if I wanted to wear a sleeveless dress, just for that little extra oomph of body confidence.
For the best results, Silk'n recommends using the Silhouette twice weekly for 10 weeks as an intensive treatment, then once every 2 weeks for maintenance. That meant that if I wanted to see the toned arms of my dreams, I'd be spending 48 minutes a week using the Silk'n Silhouette during the 10-week period. And if I were treating more than one area at a time (like my upper arms and my stomach), I'd be spending 2+ hours a week running an oversized mouse over different body parts! For 10 weeks!! This considerable time investment is probably the biggest deterrent to me using Silk'n Silhouette regularly. I started off trying to do my upper arms and belly, determined to see what the results would be like after 10 weeks of intensive treatment, but around week 3 or 4 I gave up. If I had an extra 2+ hours a week to use the Silk'n Silhouette, I'd honestly rather use that time to exercise, read, cook, or spend time with my husband.
Final take? Silk'n Silhouette really works. There are quite a few online reviews and testimonials from regular users who swear this is the only thing that has made a difference to their cellulite or to specific body areas. I would definitely use this before a special occasion and I can see how with regular use you could achieve lasting results. I love that the treatment is completely painless and is convenient for home use. That being said, the treatments are a considerable time suck, so take that into consideration if you're thinking of buying one of these devices.
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