CoolSculpting was designed not as a weight loss treatment, but as a device to be used in people who are at or near their ideal body weight.
The procedure targets isolated areas of unwanted fat in these individuals.
Generally speaking, people with more fat may require more treatment sessions to obtain their desired goal. Having more treatment sessions will increase the total cost that is needed. (Michael I. Echavez, MD, San Francisco Facial Plastic Surgeon)
CoolSculpting reduces 20-25% in each area that is treated. The idea is to sculpt the body and give it a more defined look. Results from CoolSculpting takes about 2-3 months for you to see your optimal results.
This treatment will help reduce the fat in your abdomen but should not replace diet and exercise. (Robert G. Aycock, MD, FACS, Bay Area Plastic Surgeon)
CoolSculpting: Is it for Weight Loss?
CoolSculpting iS an amazing treatment that permanently removes 20-25% of the fat from the areas that are treated. The results are smooth and natural looking. However, CoolSculpting is not designed for weight loss. It is designed to be most effective on those who are within 10-20 pounds of their goal weight.
The majority of patients will need to treat a minimum of 2 times in order to achieve optimal results. For those who do not fit the ideal criteria as good candidates, CoolSculpting can help to reduce the various bulges that keep clothes from fitting well.
Keep in mind that results do take about three months to fully show. You can treat again after one month . If you treated now, and then again in one month, you would see full results of both treatments by the end of March.
That might be a little late for you. Additionally, you would want to schedule an in-person consultation to see if you are a candidate for CoolSculpting. They would need to see and feel your fatty tissue to know if CoolSculpting is right for you with everything! (Edward Stokes, MD, West Hollywood Physician)
Belly Fat
Bottom Line: It won’t help enough to make a big difference, or, be worth the money. It’s a good procedure, but, it’s really for “fine touches”, and, doesn’t work very well if people have significant excess fat. (Lauren Chavez, MD, Albuquerque Physician)
350 lbs – Is CoolSculpting able to help lose belly fat?
We see so many ads on TV and media for CoolSculpting and it sounds like everyone should do this. However, the reality is that while CoolSculpting is a great treatment to reduce localized fat deposits, it is not a weight loss treatment.
Alternative To Liposuction
Best results are seen in patients who are within 10-30 lbs of their ideal body weight.
One thing to consider is that CoolSculpting results are not seen for 2 months after the treatment with final results 4 months after the treatment session.
The other option would be to consider possible liposuction or LaserLipo for more rapid fat loss (Mary Beth Mudd, MD, Columbus Physician)
Coolsculpting selectively freezes fat cells to induce programmed cell death. initially, it was recommended for fit individuals with a stubborn fat pocket. (Suzanne Kim Doud Galli, MD, PhD, FACS, Washington Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Are CoolSculpting results slower if you have more body fat?
I think is no, the amount of body fat you have will not be major factor in how long the physiologic process takes.
Although everyone will experience different rates of apoptosis, or programmed cell death after CoolSculpting, I don’t think total body fat is going to influence this process. The range of time it takes to see results is anywhere from 2 up to 4 months.
The limiting factor of how much fat can be treated though, is dependent on the size of the CoolSculpting applicator(s), that is how much tissue will fit inside of it. In order to tell you specifically if you are a candidate and what areas can be treated, you do need to have a consultation and evaluation.
During an evaluation, your CoolSculpting provider will measure areas on your body and determine which applicators will be used. Depending on your desired outcome and expectations, your provider may recommend more than one treatment.
Multiple treatments will cost more. Multiple treatments may also be done over a period of time, which would take longer to see effects. It could take longer to treat, if you have more body fat requiring a staged approached with multiple sessions. (Brian Opitz, MD, Greensboro Physician)
Would CoolSculpting help reduce a fatty liver?
A good way to understand the CoolSculpting procedure is that it only affects tissues above the muscles (specifically targeting the subcutaneous fat). So the procedure cannot treat fatty liver or visceral fat. We all have subcutaneous fat (underneath the skin) and visceral fat (fat within the abdominal cavity that surrounds internal organs).
We are happy to CoolSculpt subcutaneous fat to give your body a more “sculpted” look by eliminating stubborn fat in the diet and exercise resistant areas, but visceral fat (a precursor to heart disease and diabetes) is diet and exercise dependent.
Often fatty liver disease can be reduced through diet and exercise as well. (Darin Jackson, MD, Omaha Emergency Medicine Physician)
CoolSculpting will not help reduce fat in a fatty liver. CoolSculpting will only reduce fat that is just below the surface of the skin. The liver is much deeper within the abdominal cavity and would not be affected by CoolSculpting. (Michael I. Echavez, MD, San Francisco Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Type of fat that Coolsculpting targets
The abdomen contains both visceral and subcutaneous fat. Coolsculpting targets subcutaneous fat (the soft fluffy fat) directly beneath the surface of the skin. If you can pinch it, it is likely subcutaneous. Visceral fat is underneath the muscle and can not be removed by coolsculpting but it is removed with diet and exercise. (Olanrewaju Ladipo, MD, Smyrna Physician)
Visceral fat is easy to spot. It generally is very hard to the touch and is not pinchable. Where subcutaneous fat is easy to grab. If the upper abdominal area is distended and hard most likely the patient is NOT a good candidate for CoolSculpting. (Michael Temkin, DO, San Ramon Physician)
The fat that coolsculpting treats is known as your subcutaneous fat. Subcutaneous fat is surface level and lies above your abdominal wall. This fat can be pinched and can therefore be treated. . (Martin Jugenburg, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)
Where does Coolsculpting make the fat go?
When the body interacts with the cryo- lipolysis of cool sculpting. The fat cells that undergo a aptosis are excreted from the body. Once he cells are destroyed and excreted from the body this area of fat does not return.
But what sometimes may be frustrating for patients is that adjacent areas can look more prominent once the treated area completes its process of apotosis or cell death. For a confluent and full treatment of an area if there is a concern for adjacent areas looking full compared to a treated area.
Then a program of prolonged surveillance with adjacent treatments could be part of the original plan. (R. Brannon Claytor, MD, FACS, Bryn Mawr Plastic Surgeon)
How long does coolsculpting last
Coolsculpting is permanent. The fat that was treated and eliminated does not come back. If you were to gain weight, the remaining fat cells would expand to accommodate the additional fat. (Jean M. Casello, MD, Northborough Physician)
Coolsculpting is great at eliminating stubborn fat that refuses to go away. Results are also permanent. Once the fat cells are destroyed by the Coolsclupting treatments they do not come back. After each Coolscupting treatments, you will have 20-25 % less capacity to store fat per treated area.
Results are improved by adding the Zimmer Zwave to Coolscupting. (Alain Michon, MD, Ottawa Physician)
Patients who are massive weight loss patients or who have massive skin stretch with striae may not that the fat reduction capability of Coolsculpting is not well suited for their treatment. (R. Brannon Claytor, MD, FACS, Bryn Mawr Plastic Surgeon)