Coolsculpting kills fat cells which results in a loss of about 20% of the fat cells in the area treated. That result is permanent, however if you gain weight, the remaining cells can still expand.
I tell people that the result is permanent, but that if you gain weight, you will gain wight proportionate to the new shape. (Quenby Erickson, DO, FAAD, FACMS, Chicago Dermatologic Surgeon)
CoolSculpting Results are Permanent
CoolSculpting freezes and permanently kills fat cells. Once those cells are gone, they do not return. If you gain weight, you still have fat cells that can enlarge, even though the number of fat cells is lower.
We ask that patients try to maintain their weight for optimum results. (Shareef Jandali, MD, Fairfield Plastic Surgeon)
Gaining Weight After Coolsculpting
Coolsculpting permanently eliminates the fat cells. We always suggest to follow a healthy diet and exercise regimen after treatment for long term results because if you were to gain weight other fat cells can be affected. (Daniel J. Ritacca, MD, Chicago Oculoplastic Surgeon)
Is CoolSculpt permanent?
Like liposuction, CoolSculpt eliminates fat cells from the body. CoolSculpt does so by reducing the temperature of the fat causing the cells to die. It reduces the number of fat cells by 20-25% with each treatment.
The results are permanent unless you gain weight, as in all body contouring procedures. (Patricia A. McGuire, MD, Saint Louis Plastic Surgeon)
New fat cells following CoolSculpting
It is currently believed that following adolescence, fat cells stop multiplying (hyperplasia) but will grow in size (hypertrophy). Each of us is genetically pre-determined to increase or decrease fat volume differently.
Men tend to be “apples” with fat growth around the organs of the tummy and women tend to become “pears” with fat growth in the hips and thigh but there is quite a variation among individuals.
Patients consider fat reduction in areas that will not genetically reduce in volume with dieting, such as the: love handles, breast rolls upper, middle and lower tummy, outer and inner thighs and knees and many other areas.
Once fat cells die with Coolsculpting or are removed with liposuction or excision, they will not return or multiply but the remaining cells in the area and cells in other areas of the body may grow in size with weight gain.
CoolSculpting effects are limited to the area within the cooling plates and up to a 20% reduction in fat volume. This leaves 80% of the fat cells to fill further. Liposuction can reduce up to 80-90% of the fat cells leaving 10-20% of the fats cells to increase in volume.
Surgical excision such as with a tummy tuck will remove 100% of the fat cells. You must consider eating less or increasing your calorie expenditure with exercise by the amount of fat lost from a procedure to maintain your weight.
All these procedures are body contouring and not weight loss options. (Dean P. Kane, MD, FACS, Baltimore Plastic Surgeon)
No the fat cells once they are destroyed are gone for good. The volume of the remaining fat cells may increase or decrease with weight fluctuations but the fat cells do not return.
I would recommend you can discuss all of these issues with a board certified plastic surgeon in your area to discuss all issues regarding potential body contouring. (John J. O`Brien, Jr., MD, Saint Petersburg Plastic Surgeon)
Fat Reduction In Areas That Will Not Genetically Reduce In Volume With Dieting
Permanent Result
Fat cells that are eliminated from CoolSculpting are gone for good. Fat cells are receptacles for excess lipids that are not needed for energy. When you lose or gain weight, the volume of the fat cells change but the number of fat cells remain the same.
In order to appreciate and maintain the result from CoolSculpting, patients are recommended to maintain a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise. Fat cell numbers are fairly set in adolescence. New fat cells can only be generated if they reach “critical cell size” which is typically when a person becomes severely obese. (Michael L. Workman, MD, Portland Plastic Surgeon)
Fat reduction permanent
Once the fat cells die from the freezing during coolsculpting they do not regenerate or duplicate. However, not all of the fat cells are killed so if you gain weight the remaining fat cells will enlarge as usual.
As you gain weight your body will still be more uniform as we are targeting areas with excess fat to begin with. It is a body contouring procedure, not a weight loss procedure but should be permanent if your weight is somewhat stable. (Josh Olson, MD, Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon)
What Happens To Fat Cells After CoolSculpting
The fat cells that are frozen and killed during the CoolSculpting procedure are permanently eliminated from your body. They do not come back. But, if you do not maintain a healthy diet and an active lifestyle or if you gain a significant amount of weight then the fat cells remaining in the area can always increase in size and lessen your results. (Michael A. Zadeh, MD, FACS, Sherman Oaks General Surgeon)
Do fat cells return after CoolSculpting?
When CoolSculpting is done to a particular area of the body, it normally will cause a percentage of the fat cells in that area to be destroyed over time. Once those fat cells are destroyed, they will not come back.
If someone who was treated gains weight, the fat cells in the body can enlarge. This includes the fat cells that remain in the treated area as well. So, the results are not temporary if weight is maintained. (Michael I. Echavez, MD, San Francisco Facial Plastic Surgeon)
CoolSculpting and fat cells
CoolSculpting removes fat cells from an area permanently and long term studies show that it does not come back to the treated areas when weight is stable. Even when there is weight gain the amount of fat gained in the treated area will remain proportionate.
Fat cells get bigger and smaller with weight gain and loss. Only in morbid obesity do patients make more fat cells. There are thousands of happy CoolSculpting patients. Choose an experienced doctor with a history of success and commitment to your success. (Alexis Parker, MD, Denver Physician)
Fat cell loss after CoolSculpting appears to be very long lasting.
It does not seem that the fat cells regenerate to a level above the natural attrition rate. The results are very persistent.
We can be confidant of this because of studies that show the results really do last for many years, through weight loss and gain the treated area stays thinner.
Experience shows that it is a great treatment with overwhelmingly happy patients over years. (Susan Van Dyke, MD, Paradise Valley Dermatologic Surgeon)
The number of adipose cells or fat cells are more less fixed by the time an individual reaches adulthood. When a person loses weight, the fat cells deflate – but remain in the body.
When weight is regained, these cells can store fat again. With CoolSculpting, the 25% affected eventually die. However, the remaining 75% of cells can expand and store fat. Justin Harper, M. D. . (Justin Harper, MD, Columbus Physician)
Fat cell death following Coolsculpting
Coolsculpting triggers a type of cell death of adipocytes called apoptosis. This leaves cell walls intact and has the advantage of not scarring.
It is similar to the way our calls die naturally. Other techniques like RF, HIFU (Ulthera), Kybella, and liposuction create necrosis, a different type of cell death, which can result in scarring.
In general, you are born with your fat cells, and they change more in size rather than number as you age. Every year, about 10% die and are replaced. You can increase this number with extreme weight gain, and reduce them through surgery or those methods mentioned above, but number of fat cells and overall weight are independent because fat cells can vary significantly in size from one person to another.
Body contouring procedures are not designed to reduce your overall weight (that is determined by things like diet, exercise, and bariatric surgery). It is used to change where your weight is carried. Weight redistribution after body contouring is a reality for patients who gain weight, but if patients are treating their problem areas, that redistribution can be a good thing. (Stacey Folk, MD, Denver Plastic Surgeon)
Will fat cell return after CoolSculpting?
The number of fat cells is established by the time we complete adolescence, but it is still possible for the fat cell to enlarge by taking in excess calories for storage even though the fat cell number will not change.
The fat cell number is not affected by the body’s normal “exchanging” of old cells. The only way to decrease the number is to permanently remove fat cells via liposuction, LaserLipo, CoolSculpting, etc. However, the body is genetically pre-programmed to store fat if we consume more calories than we burn up in a day’s time.
(This is how our ancestors who lived in times of famines were able to survive.) So I always remind my patients that CoolSculpting, LaserLipo, liposuction, etc does not give us a free pass to consume as many calories as we want.
If we take in more calories than we burn up, our bodies will know to store this in areas where there are still fat cells present. Although the fat cell number is decreased, the amount of fat volume could seem like more, since the remaining fat cells got fatter.
This is especially important to realize since one of the body’s favorite areas to store fat is the deep or belly fat under the abdominal muscles and this type of fat can lead to increased risks for diabetes, heart disease, and strokes.
The important thing is to maintain a healthy balance in the amount of calories consumed and the amount of calories burned up – which is why being active is so important because this can help improve your metabolism. (Mary Beth Mudd, MD, Columbus Physician)
CoolSculpting is great at treating stubborn fat. No wonder it is the #1 non-invasive fat removal treatment in the world. Once the fat cells are destroyed by CoolSculpting and eliminated by your body within weeks, they do not come back.
Results are long lasting with a healthy and balanced lifestyle. (Alain Michon, MD, Ottawa Physician)
Do fat cells return after Coolsculpting treatments?
Coolsculpting is an non-invasive treatment that permanently kills and eliminates fat cells from the body. With each session, approximately 20-30% of the fat cells in the treatment area will die and be removed naturally from the body through the lymph system and liver.
Contrary to popular belief, you can not grow new fat cells in the body after the age of about 18 so once the fat cells are removed, they are gone for life. Long-term studies have shown that results are consistent and persisting so long as a person maintains their weight and lifestyle.
Changes in the body are not due to new cell grow or fat cell migration but rather result when a person gains weight and the remaining fat cells in their body expand. Put simply, the key to maintaining your Coolsculpting results is to maintain your weight and a healthy lifestyle. (Marcia Fleming, MD, Vancouver Physician)