Have you given up on the idea of beating the bulge since diets and strict exercise regimens have failed to yield satisfactory results? How about a treatment which specifically targets the offensive bulges and promises to melt the fat? The Hypoxi treatment, conducted with some cutting-edge machines, is the latest to join the fitness/beauty circuit.

Vesna Pericevic Jacob is no newcomer to the fitness scene in Delhi. The Pilates instructor has just unveiled her fitness centre called Vesna’s Wellness Clinic, a spiffy outfit complete with a Pilates studio and the latest arrivals from Austria — the Hypoxi machines.

Dr Norbert Egger, an Austrian, first introduced the world to Hypoxi in 2006. He established that if blood flow could be stimulated to specific regions of the body, the rate at which fatty acids were metabolised in that region could be accelerated. Subsequently he introduced the Hypoxi machines.

“There are certain areas of the body which don’t shape up through diet control and exercising. Basically, the body doesn’t burn fat in areas with poor blood circulation. Hypoxi machines target the fat in the stomach region, the hips, the buttocks and thighs by activating metabolism in these areas,” says Jacob.

There are four machines — the Vacunaut, S120, L250 and the HypoxiDermology — each with a specific function and each attached to a heart-rate and body temperature monitor. After a health check-up, the treatment is customised depending on what suits the person the most.

“At times, a single machine works best for a client and at other times it requires a combination of machines,” says Jacob.

According to Jacob, it’s essential to have carbohydrates two hours before the treatment begins. Once the session is over, you cannot eat for another two hours and when you do it must be only proteins. She recommends a course of 12 treatments (Rs 3,500 per session) for effective results.

The Vacunaut

The Hypoxi Vacunaut works best for the abdominal regions. You slip into a body suit that’s attached by wires to a machine that gets to work as you walk on a treadmill.

Jacob says that the bodysuit has a complex network of 122 integrated pressure chambers that work directly on the stomach region.

As you walk on the treadmill, the Vacunaut creates low pressure in these chambers to stimulate blood supply to the fat tissue around the stomach and hips.

After this, high pressure is created in the chambers to accelerate the blood flow to the muscles being exercised. So if you walk the treadmill for 30 minutes, the fatty acids get transported directly from the problem areas and are burnt as fuel for movement.

The L250

Jacob says that the L250 it is very effective for women who have a tendency to put on weight around the hips, buttocks and thighs especially during pregnancy. “This machine targets fat by stimulating circulation to these specific areas,” says Jacob.

The machine is like a lie-down-bike which means that you lie on your back and pedal in the airtight chamber while vacuum technology (through the Hypoxi skirt that you wear during the treatment) is used to increase blood circulation in the waist, butt and thighs, accelerating fat metabolism. This works exactly like the S120 but the procedure becomes easier for clients with back problems.

The HypoxiDermology

This one promises a youthful, glowing and healthy skin by producing collagen through a non-invasive route. “This treatment prevents acne, pigmentation and wrinkles by basically detoxing the body,” says Jacob.

For the treatment you lie down in the lounger-like machine wearing an airtight body suit with 400 integrated pressure chambers located around the stomach, hips, buttocks, thigh and knees. The alternation of high and low pressure in the suit in a way exercises the skin, stimulates circulation and lymphatic drainage which encourages the supply of oxygen and nutrient rich blood to the tissue. “This promotes collagen production and works as a detox for the body,” says Jacob. As a result, the skin becomes smoother, firm and elastic.

The S120

You sit upright in this machine with your lower body enclosed in a chamber with pedals. According to Jacob, the chamber creates an atmospheric pressure similar to what you’d experience at 1,600 feet. So, your lower body feels as though it is working at a higher plane. “The body’s metabolism is more active at a higher altitude,” says Jacob. Before the treatment begins, a heart-rate and body temperature monitor is strapped to your chest and thighs and you have to wear a wetsuit-like Hypoxi skirt around your waist.
During this 30-minute session, first an ‘under’ or low pressure is created in the chamber through which blood is drawn into the fatty and dermal tissue. This is followed by high pressure which stimulates the transport of the fatty acids in the blood to the muscles — for use during the therapy which results in effective fat loss and lymphatic drainage.