Procedures
Who is a candidate?
CoolSculpting Procedure The ideal
individual for this procedure is within 20-30 pounds of their ideal body
weight, and are maintaining or in the process of losing weight. This is because
CoolSculpting does not suck the fat out or cause weight loss. It simply destroys fat cells and your body
needs to metabolize the fat or it will just get stored somewhere else.
The area to be treated is a "fat bulge” or
something you could grasp with hand and squeeze. This is because the machine uses suction to
pull on the fat and put it between two cooling plates. Examples would be the lower abdomen bulge or
the "love handles”. If you pinch more
than a couple of inches, it may be too thick to fit in the machine, and would
be best to lose weight first.
How does it work?
CoolSculpting by Zeltiq uses cold energy to
permanently destroy fat cells. The CoolSculpting machine works by pulling your
fat bulge into a device that has two cooling plates. The fat is held by a strong vacuum. The cooling plates are activated to the specific
temperature where fat cells are vulnerable and die, and your skin, nerves,
blood vessels, etc are fine. Multiple
areas can be done at one time.
Where does the fat go?
After the procedure, you will be the same
size, as it takes a few weeks to shrink.
Your fat is actually held inside of cells, which are more or less little
tiny packages that enlarge and shrink as you gain and lose weight. During the coolsculpt procedure, about 20% of
these fat cells are killed, and they release the fat which is slowly absorbed
over several weeks. The fat that is
released from the fat cells is no different than any fat that you eat. Fat is storage form of energy. This fat can
be burned off as calories to keep you warm, propel you while walking, make your
lungs work to breathe, etc. That is what
will happen if you are at a stable weight or losing weight. If you are gaining weight, then the fat will
just mix in with the fat you are eating and get deposited somewhere else.
It is important to know that this is not a
weight loss procedure. CoolSculpting
refers to "sculpting” or shrinking down stubborn areas. If you are not able to get the weight off,
this is not going to help. Your weight
will not change as a result of the coolsculpt procedure, you have to eat right
and exercise to accomplish that.
How safe is it/What are the risks?
The procedure has been performed hundreds
of thousands of times, with an extremely high level of safety compared to other
fat reduction methods.
Common Side Effects: Temporary numbness, mild soreness, and mild bruising. Most people say they feel essentially nothing
after the procedure, but these symptoms happen, are mild and don’t require
medication or time off work or activities.
Rare side effects: CoolSculpting is supposed to be virtually
painless, but occasionally, some people experience pain that may require pain
pills. It seems it is about one out of
100 people that experience this, so not that often, but still can occur. If we compare this to liposuction, about 100
out of 100 people would experience pain, so this rare side effect is
accepted. The numbness can last longer
than a week or so in some patients, and there has been a case of frostbite
reported as of the time of this writing, and the frost bite did resolve without
a problem. Bruising is usually absent or
minor, but the device does you suction, and a "hicky” type effect can occur
with more noticeable bruising, but this is not common.
Why choose CoolSculpting over liposuction?
This is a personal choice, not really a
true medical decision. There are
millions of people who have fat bulges that they’d like to get rid of, but only
a small percentage (maybe 5-10%) of those people would consider surgery. This is the first ever FDA approved device
that works for the other 90% of people.
If you are interested in liposuction, and
understand the risks, downtime and benefits (liposuction is safe and effective
in the proper hands, but is really a totally different commitment) that is your
best option.
But if you do not want to go through with
lipo, don’t want the downtime, the compression garments, potential time off
work, swelling and at least temporary disfigurement, than the coolsculpt
procedure is right for you.
Is it really permanent?
Yes, you typically do not grow new fat
cells as an adult, and the fat cells are destroyed. Let’s say you shrink 20% by destroying 20%
of the fat cells. It is still possible
to gain weight and grow that area again.
But then by getting back to your previous weight, you would still have
the benefit. Again, this is not a miracle,
the coolsculpt procedure destroys bulges of fat, and is not a solution to
weight gain.
Can it be repeated?
Yes.
We are typically seeing 20-25% of shrinkage after a single
treatment. The results are finished
after about 2-3 months, so that is when repeat treatment is usually considered
for additional benefit.
Is there any downtime?
No.
This is a no downtime procedure in the vast majority of people. In the side effects discussion, we talked
about the fact that infrequently there can be pain requiring pain pills, or
bruising, but that is uncommon.
Typically, no one will be able to tell you had a procedure done but only
notice gradual reduction of fat in the area treated.
Why choose CoolSculpting over (Non
surgical) lasers and other devices?
CoolSculpting is unique in that it
permanently destroys fat cells. The
other devices do work, but don’t do the same thing. Laser and radiofrequency cause the fat cells
to become leaky, or tighten the connective tissue holding the fat cells in
place. There is no permanent reduction
of fat or fat cells with other devices.
There is a procedure where injections of
medication are used to destroy fat cells.
This is referred to as "mesotherapy” or "lipodissolve”. These do work,
but much less effectively than a single coolsculpt procedure. When there are areas of fat that are not
appropriate for the machine (the machine has a shape that doesn’t work on all
areas), then the injections are appropriate.
What will happen to my skin?
The skin has the ability to expand and
contract. But this is not endless. Mild skin laxity or droopiness will typically
contract just fine. The droopiness is
from being stretched by the fat, previous pregnancy, or previous weight
issues. The skin and connective tissues
maintain much of the elasticity and will contract. However, more severe skin laxity (such as bad
stretch marks, tissue paper consistency, skin that is deflated and hangs like
an apron) may not contract much or at all.
Your health care professional has the experience to predict what will
likely happen with your skin. In most
cases the skin just shrinks right along with the fat.
