In my mind I imagined myself “tall and thin”, but my clothes told me otherwise. Here’s my experience with Coolsculpting on my stomach a few years ago, the results I saw, and how I came to the conclusion that it was the right decision for me. Hopefully, it will inform you about the process and help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.
Coolsculpting is the near-freezing (and thus killing) of fat cells in an area of ​​the body where they are not desired. The dead cells are then slowly flushed out through the blood and liver. In addition to the torso, Coolsculpting can also be done on the chin and upper arms. See Official Coolsculpting website to describe well which body parts are the best candidates for Coolsculpting. The procedure is performed in a licensed physician’s office, and the common name for Coolsculpting is cryolipolysis.
Who needs to think about cold sculpting?
If you are overweight, have excess fat all over your body, Coolsculpting will not help you much. However, after losing weight with diet and exercise, you can determine which part(s) of your body needs the most attention. Coolsculpting is intended for spot reduction and not for full body use.
Finding a doctor
I confess I googled “Coolsculpting” to find a doctor in my hometown. There were two, so I chose one. I have never had any cosmetic procedures done, and therefore have no way of judging past experiences with any doctor. These days, the Internet is full of reviews and opportunities to find doctor information, so if you’re not comfortable learning more about your potential doctor, the information is out there. I know there are a number of Facebook pages that allow you to ask for reviews and opinions on a doctor, so that might be one avenue to consider. However, always consider reviews and do not rely solely on them when making your choice.
I was lucky because my experience with the doctor was good. Although I balked at the price of the procedure at first, I later understood the reason for the high price after he explained to me that his expensive car was leased and that it tracked each use and he was charged accordingly. So there wasn’t much chance of a deep discount, so I had to pay sticker price because there didn’t seem to be any wiggle room.
For my procedure I wanted Coolsculpting on my stomach and a “spare tire”. Although I would like to lose weight, I have thin arms and legs, so losing weight makes me look like I’m walking on toothpicks. Coolsculpting was a good option to make my midsection look a little slimmer and allow me to look more proportionate.
What happens during freezing?
Coolsculpting is performed in sections. I had two treatments on my stomach during the first visit. A month later, treatments were done on the right and left sides of my torso. On the third visit, a month after the second, my stomach was healed again. The treatment is somewhat painful as the fat on the torso is absorbed closer to the applicators. Cold isn’t a problem, it actually feels good, but suction brings out the grin and bear it attitude. After the treatment, my doctor massaged the treated areas. It really hurt. I don’t know why it ends the treatment, probably to make sure the fat cells don’t build up, but I was happy when it was over.
My pain was gone immediately after the treatment and I walked out of the doctor’s office pain free. I had no side effects from the Coolsculpting treatment on my stomach, but I did have bruising on my “love handles”. Luckily it wasn’t bikini season and no one ever saw my bruises. Since before and after pictures were taken, I could see the improvement, which was a good psychological boost. Fat comes out of the body slowly, it doesn’t happen overnight. So no one has ever commented on my slimmer figure, but my clothes fit so much better. Looking at my slightly slimmer figure, I was motivated to improve my diet and exercise. A multifaceted approach is necessary to maintain health. diet, exercise and spot reduction have kept me looking good.
Against
- It is expensive. Insurance does not cover such elective cosmetic procedures. It costs several thousand dollars per visit, an average of three visits to deal with excess fat on the body.
- It is somewhat unfortunate. But this pain can be overcome by remembering that it is only temporary and will pass in a few minutes.
- Side effects experienced by some patients include redness, numbness, firmness, minor swelling, bruising, itching, and diarrhea.
- Conditions that exclude Coolsculpting include pregnancy, any autoimmune disease, history of any bleeding condition, or taking blood-thinning medications.
Home appliances on the market
The fat cells are not actually “frozen”, they are brought down to 39-41 degrees, the point at which the fat cells die. It is important that this is closely monitored by a doctor as the outer layer of skin, nerves and muscle tissue can be damaged. There are affordable skin cooling devices on the market, but the results may not be as predictable. You can easily give yourself scars, burns and blisters. Home experiments cannot be shipped at a constant temperature and there is no suction. I once thought about buying a machine for home use, but after doing some research I decided against it.
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