CoolSculpting & Addressing Sagging Skin
CoolSculpting™ is a revolutionary way to eliminate unwanted fat without having an invasive surgical procedure such as liposuction. However, CoolSculpting™ likely won’t give you the skin tightening effect you’re looking for.
Laser skin resurfacing is an option as well as other nonsurgical treatments which offer good results, but the only sure way to get rid of excess skin tissue is through an abdominoplasty or tummy tuck.
I suggest you meet with a board-certified plastic surgeon who offers both services to see which will benefit you the most. (Michael Chiaramonte, MD, Washington DC Plastic Surgeon)
CoolSculpting does not tighten skin
Coolsculpting only treats the fat cells and will not tighten the skin. Having loose skin after the procedure is always a possibly and it depends on the elasticity of your skin. It’s best to schedule a in person consultation and learn about which options suits your needs. (Robert G. Aycock, MD, FACS, Bay Area Plastic Surgeon)
CoolSculpting will not tighten your skin, it is only for fat removal of small pockets of fat. See a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon to learn what options may be available to you. (Miguel Delgado, MD, Bay Area Plastic Surgeon)
CoolSculpting: Skin laxity
CoolSculpting does not claim to tighten skin; some patients do see a natural firming along with their fat reduction, however its not guaranteed with the treatment. CoolSculpting doesn’t cause loose skin, but some patients may notice laxity more once they reduce the subcutaneous fat.
A specialist can best help you determine if you are a good candidate, and help you set expectations for what you can expect in your results. In some physician directed practices, like Imagine Body Sculpting Centers, a doctor can evaluate your skin further and make recommendations if it is a concern of yours.
Most patients love their CoolSculpting results either way! (Vincent A Marino, MD, Scottsdale Physician)
Tightening after CoolSculpting?
CoolSculpting does not tighten the skin. Neither does it cause laxity. The skin will naturally tighten up over the lost volume. (Sheryl D. Clark, MD, New York Dermatologist)
Coolsculpt only targets the removal of fat, therefore, it is not the best option for you. If you were to get rid of more volume under your chin, you would be left with even more skin sagging.
My advice is to partner up with your local cosmetics Doctor to discuss skin tightening treatments. (Paul Flashner, MD, Boston Physician)
Unfortunately cool sculpting will not give you any noticeable results. If you are seeking a noticeable difference and most cost effective option, I recommend you have a lower face and neck lift given the laxity of your skin.
There are no other alternative options to correct this level of skin laxity in your sub-mental region. (under the chin) This will surgically rid you of any excess / loose skin in the lower face and neck area and will make an extremely noticeably youthful appearance. (Navin K. Singh, MD, Washington DC Plastic Surgeon)
Skin tightening treatments may be necessary after Coolsculpting
If you had good skintone to begin with, then you would see it recoil with the loss of fat from coolsculpting. If your skin is loose or lax, then you may benefit from a skin tightening procedure in a few months–Profound RF microneedling carries minimal downtime and is very effective.
Be sure to wait to tighten the skin after you have experienced optimal fat reduction-another round of coolsculpting, kybella injections, etc may be indicated. (Vaishali B. Doolabh, MD, FACS, Jacksonville Plastic Surgeon)
Loose abdomen after baby
I think you would benefit from combination treatments including Coolsculpting and RF tightening. Coolsculpting won’t tighten skin so RF like Exilis or Venus will help. Vanquish is RF and can be used as well for the fat and tightening.
I use Z Wave with all Vanquish to enhance results. (Steven F. Weiner, MD, Panama City Facial Plastic Surgeon)
CoolSculpting is a fat reduction procedure. I do not consider it a skin tightening procedure. I believe, you will likely require fat reduction and skin tightening to get the results you want. Consider combining CoolSculpting with one of the radio frequency or ultrasound based skin tightening procedures if surgery is not an option. (Shaun Patel, MD, Miami Physician)
Best treatment for fat reduction and skin tightening on arms
CoolSculpting can be used to reduce fat on the arms but it will not tighten the skin. SculpSure can also be used to treat fat on the arms and it is possible that there could be a bit of skin tightening with it as well.
I would not say that one is more effective than the other in terms of fat reduction though. (Michael I. Echavez, MD, San Francisco Facial Plastic Surgeon)
I recommend that you start with CoolSculpting to decrease the fat and even out the liposuction if necessary. In my 10 years of experience doing CoolSculpting, I have found that in most patients and in most areas the “fat follows the skin.”
I cannot guarantee this however. Once the fat is reduced and there is less subcutaneous fat the loose skin is easier to treat with a tightening device such as Thermage or Profound SQ. I also fractional CO2 to tighten body skin.
Combination treatments work very well for these complex problems. (Alexis Parker, MD, Denver Physician)
Coolsculpting and skin laxity
Coolsculpting is a non invasive fat reduction treatment. Only fat cells are targeted and therefore it cannot address any skin related concerns. An in person assessment is always best. Please consult with a board certified plastic surgeon. (Martin Jugenburg, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)
CoolSculpting is safe and effective for contouring and reducing fat in the arms. After selective and controlled exposure to cold, the fat cells are destroyed and then the body removes them gradually over the next two to three months.
This allows the skin to accommodate to the loss of fatty tissue, and the final result is slimmer arms with good skin quality and elasticity. (Leyda Elizabeth Bowes, MD, Miami Dermatologic Surgeon)
CoolSculpting is designed to reduce excess fat, its main function is not for the treatment of excess or sagging skin. Patients typically are pleased with their results and do not see hanging skin after the treatment. (Daniel Shapiro, MD, Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon)
Coolsculpting is designed to treat pockets of fat, unfortunately it will not remove excess skin. Medicaid will not pay for any cool sculpting treatments. Please visit a certified physician to determine which treatment would be best for you. (Janet Allenby, DO, Delray Beach Dermatologic Surgeon)
CoolSculpting and skin removal treat different conditions. CoolSculpting is used to reduce isolated areas of unwanted fat, but it will not tighten the skin. Skin removal by surgery will tighten the skin and fat removal can be done at the same time, if needed. (Michael I. Echavez, MD, San Francisco Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Coolsculpting is usually not a good options for bariatric patients because it will not tighten loose skin. Coolsculpting is never covered by insurance and is indicated for patients with pockets of fatty tissue and little to no excess skin.
You would most likely require skin removal procedures such as a tummy tuck, lower body lift, breast lift, brachioplasty, thighplasty, etc. The only skin removal surgery covered by insurance is a panniculectomy and, even in that case, you must prove that you suffer from skin rashes for a certain amount of time despite treatment.
I recommend that you consult with a board certified plastic surgery to discuss your options. (Nicholas Tarola, MD, Nashville Plastic Surgeon)
First of, coolsculpting is a great procedure for non invasive fat reduction but does not cause tightening on its own but can be utilized with other non invasive tightening procedures eg, radiofrequency.
Exilis can be utilized to both tighten and reduce fat. Neither of these two procedures will make as much of a change as liposuction with tightening ( smartlipo or jplasma). (Mark Berkowitz, MD, Sterling Heights Oculoplastic Surgeon)
Please know that you are not alone-the inner thigh skin is universally loose/lax. Coolsculpting is not expected to tighten the skin, only remove some of the fat–check to make sure that you had adequate fat reduction (the pics show bulging which could be a side effect of CS)
If you don’t want surgery, consider Profound radio frequency micro needling for skin tightening.
If you don’t mind a minimally invasive surgical procedure, combine liposuction with the JPlasma subdermal coagulation to see more dramatic improvements. (Vaishali B. Doolabh, MD, FACS, Jacksonville Plastic Surgeon)
Does CoolSculpting Tighten Skin
While the CoolSculpting procedure targets stubborn fat pockets and eliminates 20-25% of the fat cells in one treatment, it is not intended as a “skin tightening” procedure. Depending on your level of skin laxity in your abdomen area, you may be a better candidate for ThermiRF/ ThermiTight.
This procedure stimulates collagen reproduction to tighten and rejuvenate loose skin. (Patrick L. Basile, MD, Jacksonville Plastic Surgeon)
Fat is very sensitive to cold so when the applicator is placed on an affected area, only the fat cells are treated. If you have a pocket of fat that you want to improve, then that’s what CoolSculpting is recommended for.
There are both non-surgical and surgical treatments that are better for skin laxity. If this sounds more like what you’re interested in, set up a consultation with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. (Robert G. Aycock, MD, FACS, Bay Area Plastic Surgeon)
How much skin is left over after coolsculpting depends on how much tissue you have to remove. If through the treatments you are able to debulk large amounts of fat, then there could be a moderate amount of excess skin as a result.
If you have very healthy skin, some patients will get skin contraction once the fat has been removed. It’s very difficult to tell which category you fall into without examining you. In my opinion, it is best to see a plastic surgeon who also offers cool sculpting, that way you are able to learn about all of the surgical and non surgical options. (David A. Sieber, MD, San Francisco Physician)