How Endospheres Therapy works

Endospheres Therapy is a mechanical massage treatment made by Fenix Group of Italy. The maker describes it as a patented technology based on compressive microvibration, with a body roller of 55 silicone spheres. As the roller turns over the skin, the spheres press and release the tissue in a rhythm, generating low-frequency mechanical vibrations. The face has a separate system. It is used for the appearance of cellulite, circumference, skin tone and, as the maker describes it, muscle toning. The free consultation is with Dr Marie Duggan, GMC 7488383, at Endospheres Clinic, 8 Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2HF.

How it is classed

The maker's technical file classes Endospheres Therapy as an aesthetic massage appliance under the Low Voltage Directive, and we have found no medical-device CE certificate. The US FDA record is an establishment registration for a class I therapeutic massager, in the category of devices "to relieve minor muscle aches and pains", with no 510(k); the FDA has neither approved it nor cleared it for cellulite. It is a massage device, and that is how we offer it. The clinic is CQC registered.

The session

1. Free consultation. Dr Marie Duggan examines the areas, explains what the maker's series measured and what they did not, takes your history, and sets out the course and its price in writing.
2. Preparation. In our practice you undress to the areas being treated and lie on the couch.
3. Treatment. The roller is passed over each area in slow passes, its spheres pressing and releasing the tissue; in our practice the operator adjusts the pressure with you. The maker gives a session as about 45 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on the areas.
4. Straight after. In our experience the skin can look pink and feel warm from the massage, and you go straight back to your day.
5. The following days. Some people feel sore after a session, like after a gym session, which a third of the women in one maker series reported, and some notice slight tingling or temporary redness. The maker asks for at least 48 hours between sessions.
6. The course. Usually two or three sessions a week, as the maker describes, then maintenance.

Which areas

Every area the device is used on, we treat. The abdomen and the front of the thighs have maker series. The backs and inner sides of the thighs have one series of nine women, and the hips and waist one of 27 women. The outer thighs, buttocks, shins, calves, ankles and feet are named in the maker's protocols and FAQ. The upper arms, neck and back are on the maker's list, the maker names heavy legs among its treatments, and the face has one series of nine volunteers; in our practice a face session also covers the cheeks. The thighs and buttocks page, the abdomen page and the face page explain each.

Who it suits

In our practice it suits an adult who wants a firm mechanical massage over a course for the appearance of cellulite, a smaller measurement at the waist or thigh, or a firmer-looking skin tone. It suits someone who will attend two or three sessions a week, maintain the result and understand that it is a massage, not a fat or collagen treatment. The maker's protocol excludes pregnancy and breastfeeding and asks for at least 30 days after hyaluronic acid fillers; we take your history at the consultation. The full guide covers the rest.