Why Muscle Strength Matters More Than Ever and How Pure Impact Can Help – by Dr Anjali Mahto, London Dermatologist
At Self London, we treat structure as seriously as we treat skin. Muscle is not cosmetic. It is foundational: to how you age, how you move, and how you feel in your body. That is why we brought Pure Impact into the clinic. This is not a trend. It is a tool for long-term health.
I train five times a week. I care about muscle not for how it looks, but because it stabilises my joints, supports my metabolism, and helps me remain independent and powerful in my own body. Pure Impact was never a commercial decision. It reflects how I live, and how we think about health at Self London.
If you are serious about ageing well, it is time to treat muscle as a medical priority.
Muscle is the true marker of ageing well
By our thirties, we begin to lose muscle mass unless we train with intention. That loss accelerates through perimenopause and into later life. In men, testosterone declines gradually and strength often fades without warning. For both men and women, the effects are not just visual. Loss of muscle affects blood sugar, energy, posture, bone density, and brain function.
Muscle is not just tissue. It is a metabolic organ. It regulates insulin sensitivity through GLUT4 receptors. It improves mitochondrial health. It protects against frailty, reduces fall risk, and helps us manage stress through anti-inflammatory myokine release. It even supports cognitive function by increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), especially when fast-twitch fibres are engaged.
Pure Impact allows us to activate these systems in a targeted, efficient way without joint strain, nervous system fatigue, or the time commitment of daily training.
How Pure Impact works
Pure Impact uses high-intensity electrical impulses to contract your muscles directly. Unlike traditional exercise, which depends on voluntary recruitment, this technology stimulates deep motor units that are often underused — especially in the glutes, core, adductors, and hamstrings.
At Self London, each protocol is overseen by a clinician and delivered by our lead laser therapist, who is also a qualified personal trainer. Treatments are tailored to your needs, whether you are training for performance, recovering from a setback, or noticing changes in strength due to hormonal shifts.
This is not a pre-set programme. It is structured, intelligent intervention for those who want to support their body for the long term.
What happens during a session
Each treatment lasts around 30 minutes. You will wear gym clothing or shorts, as the applicators must be placed directly onto bare skin. Once secured, stimulation begins, deep, rhythmic contractions that feel like a high-rep training session without the joint load or spinal compression.
Your therapist adjusts the intensity as your muscles adapt. Most patients experience delayed onset muscle soreness, particularly in the early sessions, followed by noticeable improvements in strength, stability, and movement quality.
There is no downtime. You may train the same day or use the session as active recovery depending on your lifestyle and goals. Most patients report improved gluteal engagement, enhanced posture, and clearer core activation within the first few sessions.
Who it is for
We see several types of patients benefiting from Pure Impact.
Some are women in their forties and fifties who have trained for years but are noticing softness, instability, or a change in body composition. They feel different — not because of effort, but because of physiology. Pure Impact helps them reconnect with strength they once had, or build it for the first time.
Others are time-poor professionals — lawyers, doctors, founders — who want to maintain structure but cannot commit to five weekly training sessions. This treatment gives them meaningful muscle activation in just 30 minutes, with results they can feel and track.
We also see gymgoers, lifters, and athletes who already train hard. For them, Pure Impact supports fibre recruitment, gluteal activation, symmetry, and off-season hypertrophy. Many use it during deloads or to enhance unilateral training.
There is also a discreet group of patients who simply want to look stronger, to see more tone, shape, and definition. We respect that. Looking strong often reflects being strong, and Pure Impact supports both.
Finally, we treat patients who understand muscle as a marker of longevity. They track their data. They are working on healthspan. For them, muscle is not aesthetic, it is biological capital.
The science of strength
When you activate muscle with electrical stimulation, you increase fibre recruitment beyond what voluntary movement can offer. This includes fast-twitch fibres associated with metabolic regulation, balance, and explosive power. Research shows improvements in glucose disposal, mitochondrial function, neuromuscular signalling, and lean tissue preservation — all without increasing cortisol or placing load on joints.
Pure Impact also improves muscle–nerve connection. This leads to better recruitment during regular training, helping you move more efficiently and with greater power. For women in perimenopause and menopause, this is critical. Hormonal decline affects muscle protein synthesis, fat distribution, and joint stability. By stimulating muscle with intent, we can counteract these shifts, reducing the risk of sarcopenia and increasing strength when it matters most.
Treatment protocol at Self London
We recommend four sessions over two weeks as an initial course. Maintenance varies depending on age, goals, training frequency, and life stage. Some patients return monthly. Others every quarter. A few use it intensively before events or holidays.
Every plan is designed for the individual. There is no one-size-fits-all, and no packages sold. You will be assessed carefully, treated respectfully, and given a plan that suits your body and life.
Why we offer Pure Impact
Self London does not offer fads. We offer structure. We do not chase trends. We invest in treatments we believe in and use ourselves.
Pure Impact supports the foundation that holds everything else in place. It makes you stronger from the inside out. And it does so quietly, efficiently, and with clinical integrity.
If you want to feel strong again, or build the strength you never had, we will help you get there. Not through gimmicks. Through structure.
At Self London, we believe that muscle is medicine. Whether you want to feel more stable through your hips and spine, reduce future injury risk, or simply support your body through hormonal and metabolic shifts, Pure Impact offers a way to train smarter, not harder. It is for patients who think long-term. Those who value structure. Those who know that strength is not just a gym metric, but a cornerstone of intelligent ageing. If that resonates, we would be glad to guide you.
