Blame it on bikini season, but lately, at dinner parties across the country, one topic has returned: CoolSculpting.Not new, the fat-freezing procedure, officially known as cryolipolysis, was first discovered, and rumor has it that doctors have noticed degeneration of cheek fat in kids who ate a lot of popsicles.”Fat is more sensitive to temperature than your skin,” explains UCLA professor and plastic surgeon Jason Roostaeian.”It goes through the process of cell death before your skin.”
CoolSculpting first received FDA approval in 2010, and it gained traction when it was rebranded from a mild topical treatment to a non-invasive alternative to liposuction, promising to remove love handles and bra bulges with waves of cooling paddles.More recently, non-surgical fat-loss tools have been cleared to address loose skin under the chin, a smaller area that is more difficult to alter through natural means such as diet and exercise.Sound too good to be true?According to Roostaeian and Manhattan-based CoolSculpting guru Jeannel Astarita, the technique works.Here, they discuss the ins and outs of fat freezing, from weight loss to health risks.
How does it work?The CoolSculpting procedure uses circular paddles in one of four sizes to suck your skin and fat “like a vacuum,” says Roostaeian.When you sit on a recliner for up to two hours, the cooling plate kicks in, crystallizing your fat cells.”It’s a mild discomfort that people seem to tolerate quite well,” he said, “[you experience] suction and cooling, and eventually numbness.” Bring your laptop to work, watch a movie, or take a nap while the machine goes to work.
Who is it for?On top of that, Roostaeian emphasizes that CoolSculpting is “designed for people looking for minor improvements,” explaining that it’s not designed for one-stop major fat removal like liposuction.When clients come to Astarita for a consultation, she considers “their age, the quality of their skin — will it bounce back? Will it look good after the volume has been removed? — and how thick or compressible their tissue is,” in Before they are approved for treatment, because the suction panel can only handle the tissue it can touch.”If someone’s tissue is thick and hard,” explains Astarita, “I won’t be able to give them amazing results.”
what’s the result?”It usually takes several treatments to get the best results,” says Roostaeian, acknowledging that a single treatment can make very small changes that clients sometimes don’t notice.”One of the downsides of [CoolSculpting] is that anyone has a range. I’ve seen people look at before and after photos, but can’t see the results.” However, all hope is not lost, as both experts agree , the more treatment you receive, the more results you will see.What will eventually happen is a fat loss of up to 25% in the treated area.”At best you’ll get a slight fat loss — a slight improvement in your waistline, and a reduction in bulging in any given area. I’ll stress the word mild.”
Will it make you lose weight?”None of these devices lost weight,” Astarita said, reminding potential patients that muscle weighs more than fat.When you lose 25% of fat in a handful of tissue, it doesn’t add up to a huge scale, but, she countered, “It matters when [you lose] something that’s spilled on your pants or bra. .” Her clients come to her looking for better proportions at their current weight, and may leave for “wearing a size or two.”
Is it permanent?”I really stress to my patients that yes, it’s a permanent fat loss technique, but only if you’re managing your weight. If you gain weight, it’s going to go somewhere,” Astarita says.Changing your behavior through nutrition and exercise can also lead to lasting improvements in your body.”Here’s one thing for you: If you’re going to do 14 cycles and don’t change your diet and eating habits at all, then [your body] won’t change at all.”
When should you start?With holidays and weddings looming, Roostaeian recommends scheduling your meetings three months in advance, with a maximum of six.Results were not visible for at least four weeks, with fat loss peaking around eight.”After twelve weeks, your skin will be smoother and look better,” says Astarita.”That’s the cherry on top.” But, Roostaeian cautions, “results after one treatment are almost always insufficient. There is downtime with each [treatment], so you need at least six to eight weeks [between appointments]. ].”
Is it safe?Because this is a non-invasive procedure, the risks are relatively low.Irregular contours can occur in the same way as liposuction.While the CoolSculpting machine leaves less room for human error when it comes to removing fat, it also has its limitations when it comes to fine-tuning removal, just as a clever plastic surgeon might do with their hands.So one potential complication is that your numb nerves feel as if they’ve slept “for weeks or even months — that can happen,” admits Roostaeian.There are no wounds and the swelling is minimal.Further risks should be discussed with your doctor.
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Post time: Aug-05-2022