The Top Five Things You Need to Know about CoolSculpting Before You Try It

March 17, 2017

What you need to know about CoolSculpting

We know what you’re looking for: that magic machine that whisks away diet-and-exercise-resistant fat. Unfortunately, magic doesn’t exist. Fortunately, CoolSculpting is pretty close. But what exactly is CoolSculpting? Here are the top five things you should know about CoolSculpting before you try it.

1. What Exactly is CoolSculpting?

CoolSculpting is a non-surgical, FDA-approved procedure that freezes stubborn fat for good to contour your body without surgery or downtime. It’s a gentle and effective method of fat-fighting where the fat cells are frozen, or crystallized, which causes them to die. Once dead, they are naturally processed and eliminated by your body, reducing fat in the treated areas.

You may also be curious about the difference between CoolSculpting and Laser Lipo. The mistake a lot of patients are making is assuming that both of these treatments have the same benefits regardless of the area being treated and the amount of fat in that area. It is important to recognize that CoolSculpting is great for treating larger fat deposits. If you can grab a handful of fat, you generally will benefit much more from CoolSculpting. Cost-wise, CoolSculpting is less expensive, and also has zero downtime. You’ll see results much faster, and it’s much less invasive.

2. Does CoolSculpting Hurt?

This is a huge question we get asked all the time. Does CoolSculpting hurt? As far as application goes, most patients report very little, if any pain at all. There will be some slight discomfort or pressure at the beginning of the application, coupled with intense cold, but it goes away pretty quickly. However, you should be prepared for some potentially moderate nerve pain a few days after treatment. While this pain does not affect everyone who has the CoolSculpting procedure, it is a possibility and we believe honesty is the best policy. Nerve pains tend to start roughly three days post-treatment and may last for two to three days. Many patients who have reported this pain have stated that CoolSculpting is still worth the incredible results!

3. How Many CoolSculpting Sessions Will I Need?

The number of sessions you will need depends on a lot of things. How many areas do you want to treat? How many CoolSculpting machines does the practice have? Does the area have a lot of stubborn fat or not very much? Are you doing full-body sculpting or just hitting one small area? All of these can factor into the number of sessions required, and of course, the final answer will be given after you meet with your doctor and determine what your goals are. At Pittman, we have two CoolSculpting machines, which allow us to do something called DualSculpting. This means procedures can be done in half the time and with fewer sessions.

4. Am I a Candidate for CoolSculpting?

This is another question that will be better answered after you meet with one of our CoolSculpting professionals, who will evaluate you physically and determine your candidacy. However, there are certain factors that can help you determine whether CoolSculpting is right for you. If you are not obese, but have noticeable bulges in certain areas, or are dealing with pockets of unwanted fat that are resistant to diet and exercise, CoolSculpting is most likely a sound solution. Try doing a “pinch test” on yourself in the desired area of treatment; if you can pinch more than 2 cm of fat, CoolSculpting may be right for you. The only way to know for certain is to have an evaluation with a certified CoolSculpting practitioner.

5. When Will I See Results from CoolSculpting?

You should start to see results after approximately three weeks, but the real changes will become more apparent around the two-month mark when your body will flush out the majority of the crystallized fat cells. Additional changes can be seen up to six months after the procedure. The results vary with each patient, but you should see results within the timeframe of three weeks to six months, with the peak occurring around two months in.

If you’re curious about what the results look like, take a peek at our CoolSculpting Before and After Gallery.

We hope this information has been helpful to you, and please feel free to contact us for more information about CoolSculpting, or to schedule an in-person consultation!

More blogs we think you will enjoy:

Contact us

First Name*
Last Name*
Email*
Phone*
Choose Your Provider*
Procedure of Interest*
Message
Preferred Method of Contact
Do we have permission to text you?
- Yes, you have permission to text me.
CAPTCHA
Phone
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

C. Edwin Pittman, MD

With a background in science and a passion for the outdoors, I have dedicated a lifetime to studying the wonders of the natural world. Endowed with an artistic flair, I grasp the delicate details that embody beauty. Merging expertise and creativity, and leveraging over three decades of plastic surgery practice, I deliver naturally exquisite outcomes to my patients.

Pittman Plastic Surgery