State-of-the-art body analyser can help with weight loss

Weight loss patients who are trying to shed extra pounds are being given a hi-tech helping hand – from a state-of-the-art body analyser.

Dermal Clinic in Edinburgh has secured one of the £12,000 machines which uses an array of delicate sensors to track vital body signs in seconds and help patients fully understand their body composition.

The cosmetic clinic already offers the only fully medically supervised weight loss programme in Edinburgh, one of only three such centres in Scotland.  Now its new InBody machine will give those taking part an even greater chance of shedding weight – and keeping it off.

Jarrod Partridge, who co-founded the clinic in 2007 with wife Jackie, a renowned cosmetic nurse, said the Dermal Clinic team were delighted to get the machine. The same sophisticated technology is widely used clinically and in research by experts globally in fields including obesity, nutrition and sports.

Jarrod added: ‘It really is an amazing piece of kit which gives a detailed analysis and report on a patient’s body composition in just 60 seconds. That means our patients have an incredibly simple way to get a highly-detailed and accurate picture of how their body is changing and the positive progress they are making.

‘Stepping on a set of bathroom scales will tell your overall weight, but that isn’t always the most accurate picture. For example, muscle is much heavier than fat, so a patient who is building lean muscle while getting rid of fat might appear to be gaining weight.

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The Dermal Clinic in Edinburgh has secured a state-of-the-art body analyser

‘Simple factors like water retention can also skew the figures. However, the InBody machine cuts through all of that that and makes sure our patients get the facts and figures that really matter.

‘By using it regularly a patient gets a detailed understanding of the amount of fat, muscle and water in their body at any given time. That makes it much easier to track progress and helps patients to stay focused on meaningful goals.’

To get a reading a patient simply stands barefoot on metal plates on the machine, while holding its handgrips. A special current is then sent through the body and the machine’s sensors measure the exact timing of the signals, which travel at different speeds through fat, muscle, bone and other tissues. Each InBody Test takes 60 seconds. The machine’s smart algorithms also factor in a patient’s gender, height and age and analyses the results to provide a detailed report.

The Alevere weight loss programme is a fully medically supervised programme which is available at just three clinics in Scotland. At Dermal Clinic, the Alevere programme is led by two respected Edinburgh GPs and has been in constant demand since it launched in 2013.

Jarrod added: ‘Our investment in the InBody machine has been well worth it judging by the initial feedback from patients. It’s easy to see why it helps motivation – we even have our own friendly competition within the clinic staff to see who can get the best results.’

Dermal Clinic, in Edinburgh’s Church Hill Place, is one of Scotland’s leading cosmetic clinics with a team of high quality professionals dedicated to providing specialist care for the face and body.