Coolsculpting is a relatively new and innovative health and wellness solution to help you target stubborn and problematic areas of fat that are harder to get rid of even with proper diet and exercise. This non-invasive procedure offers an alternative to more extreme methods of targeted fat reduction such as liposuction, which carries with it significant downtime post-procedure and is a highly invasive procedure.
Since Coolsculpting isn’t as widely known as other weight loss technologies, we get a lot of questions about Coolsculpting, including what it is, how it works, and what sort of results patients can reasonably expect. To help you decide if Coolsculpting might be right for you, we will address these and other questions below.
How Does Coolsculpting Work?
Coolsculpting, also known scientifically as cryolipolysis, is a method of freezing and permanently killing fat cells in stubborn areas on the body, and is FDA approved. Although not an outright weight-loss treatment solution, Coolsculpting can be used to help patients achieve their weight loss goals when combined with a sensible diet and regular exercise. If you are bothered by the last 5-20 pounds you are holding onto, cryolipolysis may be a great solution for you.
Coolsculpting uses a vacuum-like applicator with cold plates that are placed on the areas of the body where fat reduction is desired. Common places include the underarms, the waist area (including love handles), and the underside of the chin. The cold plates target the fat cells and damage them. In response to this damage, your body permanently purges these cells, allowing patients to better streamline their silhouette.
The Coolsculpting Process
To begin, your technician will mark the areas you want to target and apply a clear gel pad to the area. The pad is there to protect your skin from discomfort and gives the applicator something to latch on to.
Now the cooling process can begin. Many patients describe the cooling process as a cold, sucking, pulling, or tingling sensation. As the area begins to go numb from the cold, these feelings should subside. Most treatments require about an hour to complete, so you can now sit back and relax. Many patients choose to watch TV or read during this time.
Once the cooling portion of the treatment is done, your Coolsculpting technician will massage the targeted area to break up the fat cells, which helps speed up the body’s elimination process.
How Many Sessions Will I Require?
Most patients require 2 or more sessions, spread out over a few months, to enjoy optimal results. How many sessions you require depends on a variety of factors, so your technician can give you a more accurate timeline based on your unique needs. Most patients begin to notice significant results in as little as two weeks, though the full process typically takes between 3 and 6 months. Some patients enjoy as much as 20% fat loss after just one session.
Benefits Of Coolsculpting
Coolsculpting is becoming increasingly popular because of how seamless and easy it can be, and how it is able to target those last few stubborn pounds. Coolsculpting offers many benefits, including:
No Downtime
Recovery time can be quite long for invasive fat loss procedures, but with Coolsculpting, you can be back on your regular schedule in no time at all. You will be able to go to the gym, exercise, work, drive and get on with the rest of your day immediately after a Coolsculpt procedure, as there is little after-care required.
If you have a very busy life, non-surgical Coolsculpting may be a good choice for you, and won’t disrupt your work schedule, family time, or leisure time like surgical weight-loss solutions can.
Minimal Discomfort
Although many patients report feeling a tingling, tugging, or sucking sensation during the Coolsculpting procedure, patients rarely report feeling pain or serious discomfort. In fact, any discomfort is so minimal that some patients even choose to sleep during their procedure. Since fat freezes at a different temperature than the rest of your tissues (including your skin), Coolsculpting is able to minimize or even avoid causing discomfort.
No Sedation
Getting an anesthetic and going under the knife can be a harrowing prospect for those looking for a fat-loss solution. Coolsculpting is designed to be done without sedation, so you will have all of your faculties during each procedure, and this non-surgical procedure does not require any cutting or other invasive techniques to be effective.
Different people can react differently to sedation, and between this and the physical toll of surgery, many people require as long as 2 weeks to fully recover from surgical weight loss methods.
Treat Multiple Areas at Once
With Coolsculpting, you are not bound to treating one problem area at a time, so multiple areas can be treated during the same session using two or more applicators working simultaneously. This can allow you to enjoy the benefits of Coolsculpting on multiple problematic areas, allowing you to finally say goodbye to those last few stubborn pounds.
Minimal Side-Effects
Side effects of surgeries like liposuction can be debilitating in the short term, but with Coolsculpting, many patients report only minimal side-effects.
After undergoing Coolsculpting, some patients report temporary redness, tingling, or irritation, and may experience minor bruising. Coolsculpting side-effects are minor inconveniences when compared to liposuction, which carries risks and complications such as blood clots and infections.
Coolsculpting is radically changing the medical aesthetics space, with its appealing solution to the age-old problem of fat reduction. Designed to target those last few stubborn pounds, Coolsculpting can provide patients with a non-surgical, non-invasive solution for a more slender silhouette.
