It can be difficult attaining an ideal body contour when the body is determined not to cooperate. Sometimes pesky little bumps and bulges like tummy pooches, double chins and love handles are inclined to be a bit stubborn, refusing to go away even with a perfect diet and exercise. That’s why Premiere Center for Health and Wellness in Cincinnati, OH offers CoolSculpting treatments.
Does CoolSculpting Reduce Fat on Any Part of the Body?
CoolSculpting is most often used on the abdomen, lumbar region (love handles), inner and outer thighs, bra bulge, back, beneath the buttocks (banana rolls), and upper arms. The FDA has also cleared its use for treating double chins with a special applicator known as the CoolMini, and doctors frequently use it off label as well, most commonly to tone hips, knees, and other bulges that fit into the applicator.
What Is CoolSculpting?
CoolSculpting is an FDA-approved treatment that shapes the body’s contours using a fat-freezing process called cryolipolysis. The treatment slims down stubborn areas without surgery thanks to a device that uses controlled cooling to kill targeted cells without harming neighboring vessels, nerves, skin, or muscles. Each treatment normally lasts under an hour, and there is no downtime.
What Are the Benefits?
There are a number of benefits that make this treatment attractive, including:
- Easier body contouring procedure than liposuction
- No anesthesia, incisions, or downtime
- Good results that last over time when paired with a healthy lifestyle
- Comfortable after the skin is numbed from the cold
- Great motivator for kick-starting a healthy lifestyle
What to Expect
In most cases, people need two or three treatments spaced up to 20 weeks apart. It might, therefore, take a few months to see optimal results. The amount of time required for a given appointment will depend on the size and number of treatment areas. In most cases, sessions last from 35 to 60 minutes. There are some doctors who offer a version of treatment known as DualSculpting in which two machines treat multiple sites simultaneously.
As the session begins, patients normally lie down so the provider can map out the treatment area with a pen. The practitioner then lays a protective gel pad over the skin before applying a paddle to the treatment area. Skin and fat are suctioned into the paddle, which lowers the tissue temperature to -10ºC.
At the end of treatment, the provider withdraws the paddle and massages the frozen tissue. The massaging helps the body to begin cell excretion. This process is facilitated by using what is called the Zimmer Z Wave Pro or a similar radio-wave device to break up the crystals.
Patients are immediately able to walk out of the office and get on with their day. The body gradually flushes out the damaged unwanted cells over the next three to four months.
Is Treatment Painful?
After a few minutes of intense cold and pressure, the treatment area tends to go numb. As a result, the experience is not typically painful. Patients have even commented that they felt comfortable enough during treatment to read, watch television, or take a nap.
According to the manufacturer, it is possible to experience sensations such as pulling, tugging, or tingling at the treatment site, but these subside as the area becomes numb. The applicators that were originally used required significant suction to position bulges between two cold panels, but they were replaced by CoolAdvantage applicators, which reduce suction by providing full-surface cooling.
Safety
Because the positioning of the applicators on the patient is so critical to providing full contact, the applicators are designed to trigger an alarm and discontinue working whenever the skin is no longer in full, direct contact with the applicator panels. This also avoids moisture accumulation and frostbite.
Effectiveness
Clinical trials show a 20 to 25 percent reduction in fat-layer thickness after a single session, and one independent study found that treatment reduces thickness in the treated area from about 15 to as much as 28 percent. Moreover, a little over three-fourths of patients evidence an observable improvement in skin laxity within one to three months, with treatments on the inner thighs enjoying the highest levels of satisfaction.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
Because the treatment is designed as a fat reduction treatment to help sculpt the body and not as a solution to weight loss, it works best for relatively fit people who are within 20 pounds of their ideal weight and who simply wish to target pockets or bulges that have not responded well to diet and exercise.
How Long Does It Take to See Results?
After your first visit, you will notice an initial reduction of fat, with results becoming visible as quickly as three weeks later. It will probably take about two months however to see the most dramatic results. This is because the body will continue to eliminate treated cells for as much as six months following treatment.
The results are gradual because rather than remove the fat, as occurs with liposuction, this treatment releases the fat to be naturally metabolized and eliminated by the body. The exact rate at which this happens depends on each person’s individual biology.
This means results can be cumulative, with the provider literally sculpting over time. With each additional treatment, the patient obtains further reduction of the residual fat. There are a range of applicator sizes so that areas requiring larger applicators, in the beginning, might be contoured with smaller applicators during later appointments.
How Soon Can You Schedule a Second Treatment?
Receiving a second treatment within 30 to 60 days can enhance the treatment results. After the first treatment triggers a response around the targeted cells, which dissipates in 60 to 90 days, a second treatment within the first 60 days will generate a stronger response leading to greater reduction.
How Long Do Results Last?
The results should last indefinitely provided one does not gain weight. Gaining weight expands the remaining fat cells in the treated areas and might also result in contour irregularities, but a healthy diet and regular exercise will help optimize the results.
Maximizing Results
Doctors have found that vigorous massage for at least two minutes immediately after treatment can increase volume loss. This is why the Zimmer Z Wave Pro is often used. But the best way to maximize treatment results is to start with a thorough consultation and evaluation so the appropriate size and orientation of the handpieces can be carefully planned to appropriately sculpt a specific body.
This is not a one-size-fits-all treatment. In certain respects, it is a bit of an art form in which experience and an eye for body shaping can improve results. Another important factor in maximizing results is to maintain a healthy weight after the entire process has been completed.
Is It Safe?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has certified CoolSculpting as a safe medical treatment, but it is important to make sure you set realistic expectations and get the real thing. Knockoff machines from outside the U.S. have found their way into spas and practices. Such devices lack the regulation and studies verifying their technology, including their rate of cooling, maximum temperatures, standardizations, and safety precautions and triggers.
What Are the Side effects?
It is not uncommon to feel itchy one to two weeks after treatment. This is a histamine reaction to the process of clearing the unwanted cells from the body and can be addressed with oral antihistamines. (Histamine is a compound released by cells in response to certain reactions, causing the contraction of smooth muscles and dilation of capillaries.)
Other possible side effects, which include redness, firmness, or tingling, can last for a few days to several weeks. Also, after CoolMini treatment for a double chin, some patients have reported experiencing a feeling of fullness in the back of their throat for one or two weeks. If you have any concerns, talk to your provider.
How Long Do Side Effects Last?
Though there might be a mild side effect during the first few weeks following treatment, every patient has different levels of effect. Some may experience minimal reactions typically lasting no more than four weeks, but for the majority, any side effects almost entirely dissipated within two weeks.
Who Is Qualified to Offer Treatment?
The machine can be operated by a number of trained medical professionals, such as technicians, nurses, physician assistants, and of course, physicians.
How Much Does Treatment Cost?
Cost will depend on the number of areas treated, their size, and how many sessions are scheduled. It also varies according to the experience level of the provider and where the practice is located.
Is Cryo-Lipo the Same Treatment?
Cryo-lipo is a general term some practices use for cryolipolysis or fat freezing, but be wary if considering other cryolipolysis treatments. They often use knockoff machines that do not have the same safety features, which adds risk to the treatment. CoolSculpting is the only FDA-approved cryolipolysis treatment in the U.S., and it has been researched for more than 15 years. Imitations that cost less might fail to yield comparable results.
Can I Duplicate the Treatment at Home With Ice Packs?
The simple answer is no. There is no effective home treatment, and if attempted, it can injure the skin. At a doctor’s office, there are safety measures to help ensure that skin is not damaged, such as measuring the skin’s temperature throughout treatment and stopping the process if the temperature drops below a certain level. Patented gel pads also protect the skin, and the application ensures specific treatment areas are targeted. These safety measures cannot be duplicated with ice packs at home.
Can This Treatment Be Combined With Others?
CoolSculpting can provide even better results when combined with Emsculpt—a body contouring treatment that uses high-intensity focused electromagnetic (HIFEM) technology to induce muscle contractions. Emsculpt’s primary benefit is muscle toning, but it also helps to eliminate fat cells as well.
Why Premiere Center for Health and Wellness?
At Premiere Center for Health and Wellness, we offer 200 Brilliant Distinction Points for each body sculpting session you have done, which is worth about $20 in coupons toward more CoolSculpting or any Skin Medica Products, Peels, Botox, or Juvederm. Treatments result in proven, noticeable, and lasting results so you look good and feel great from all angles.
In less than an hour, you could be rid of stubborn fat without surgery, needles, anesthesia or scars, and without any downtime. There are no pills, no supplements, and no damage is done to your healthy skin. To find out if CoolSculpting is right for you, contract Premiere Center for Health and Wellness in Cincinnati, OH today and schedule your first consultation. We also help with hormone health for women and men in addition to offering various other services!