There are a number of reasons why CoolSculpting doesn’t work. Today in our marketed world a lot of physician offices have access to data and technology that can be beneficial to their practices. Traditional, I have witnessed firsthand the botched results that my patients face when they get cool sculpted. This is because again, a lot of dermatologists use CoolSculpting technology and they do not have a vast understanding of what is needed to remove unwanted fat. I have even heard that family practitioners and even dentists offer CoolSculpting technology. In order to get the best results when regarding your own body, it is always best to consult a plastic surgeon like me.
Plastic surgeons have tremendous knowledge and depth of not only fat disruption but also the text of skin and skin redundancy. This is where I see a lot of mistakes and this is why CoolSculpting doesn’t work, it is because the knowledge of both fat and skin is not addressed. I myself have even seen plastic surgeons fail with this, and again the importance of understanding the healthcare provider at hand and the experience they have. It is essential that you do your research and find that perfect plastic surgeon. First, before I go into why CoolSculpting doesn’t work, it is important to understand how cool sculpting operates.
Coolsculpting is a procedure where the physician takes a wand and literally waves over the body area you do not like and freezes the fat cells. Fat cells, like any other living cells and organisms, need adequate body temperature to survive. When they are frozen, they die and our body is smart enough to auto-kill the dead fat cells, which are recognized as debris, and removes them. This process is known as Cyrolipolysis. Cryo meaning cold, lipo meaning fat, and lysis meaning the breakdown of a cell, aka the death of the fat cell. It is important to understand that this process takes time to clear the dead fat cells. That is why patients usually do not see their results in about 1-3 months. Compared to VASER Liposuction, which is what I perform, results are seen immediately after your surgery on the same DAY! Now that we understand how liposuction works, we can discuss why it doesn’t work. Before I give some examples, I do want to mention that patients get great results from CoolScuplting, but again you need to be educated with the proper research to prevent yourself from getting botched.
One common reason that CoolSculpting does working is because it does NOT allow for body contouring. Body Contouring is ideally what I do, using High Definition VASER Liposuction 360 I am able to completely contour your body and remove your fat by allowing for transformation. CoolScultping is only performed in small regions of your body and addresses fat that cannot be removed after hard exercise and dieting. Areas that are common are your medial thighs, neck, bra fat, abdomen, and under your buttocks. CoolSculpting ideally works for patients that are already at their ideal body weight or close to their ideal body weight, usually with a BMI of 25-30. That is one mistake where CoolSculpting doesn’t work. It is also important to understand that CoolSculpting is an external wand, so it is hard to truly measure how much fat distribution can be removed compared to liposuction. During liposuction we are able to melt your fat first and use our hands to measure how much fat to remove, we also use the guidance of pre-operative photos to target the areas of unwanted fat.
Another mistake that is seen with CoolSculpting is the abdominal region. Many patients seeking modification are female patients after pregnancy or after they have lost weight. Patient will have had multiple CoolSculpting left with redundant skin. The fat has been removed but the skin stays the same and therefore it is more visible giving you a hood-like look. This is again, because the healthcare provider at hand does not understand the importance of skin texture and skin redundancy. CoolSculpting has nothing to do with skin and only focuses on fat removal. That is why it is important to consult with a plastic surgeon so they can address both situations. Also, a lot of post-pregnancy female patients have weakened muscles known as rectus diastasis, which again can only be repaired by surgery from a plastic surgeon. Unfortunately, healthcare providers that offer CoolSculpting and well as their patients are not vastly educated in this.
Also regarding the abdomen region is fat call visceral fat. Visceral fat is deepened fat that cannot be removed by both CoolSculpting and even VASER Liposuction. It is fat usually caused by imbalance of hormones, typically low testosterone. A lot of patients with visceral fat will received multiple sessions of CoolSculpting with zero transformation and are still left with a bloated abdominal region. Again, how do you know you have visceral fat? Well, that’s why it is always best to consult with a plastic surgeon. Over and over again I have had patients come into my office and I have personally turned them away from my VASER Liposuction procedure. This is because I know I cannot help them until they remove the visceral fat. Typically, on physical examination your abdomen will be bloated and distended, yet everywhere on your body is normal. Furthermore, you cannot suck in your abdominal region, and it is still left bloated when you try to suck in. This is one major sign that you have visceral fat and another common reason why CoolSculpting doesn’t work.
Finally, another common reason is skin sensitivity. Some particular regions where the skin is very sensitive is the neck region, arm regions and medial thighs. The skin here is sensitivity, and it is better addressed with VASER Liposuction and skin tightening with Renuvion J Plasma Tightening. Using CoolSculpting will most likely leave the skin with divots and irregularities. Again, it is important that when you realize that you want to transfer your body you should seek a board-certified plastic surgeon. If you feel that you are at your ideal body weight (25 BMI) and only need to remove small areas of fat locally then CoolSculpting may be for you.
In sum, it is always best to be adequate with your research especially when it comes to the physicians that offer CoolSculpting technology. If you want more of a body transfer it is always best to consult a plastic surgeon.