Coolsculpting

Who Is a Good Candidate for Coolsculpting?

CoolSculpting is a cosmetic body contouring treatment most often used for patients concerned about pockets of fat in areas such as the “love handles,” thighs, abdomen, hips, and buttocks. In order to be a good candidate for CoolSculpting, you need good skin elasticity. If you have loose skin, you may need a surgical procedure for best results. CoolSculpting isn’t a weight loss technique, but it is effective on fat that is resistant to diet and exercise.

Cost in Richmond

At our Richmond practice, CoolSculpting treatments start at $600. The actual cost of your treatment will depend on the specific areas you want to address. We provide a detailed quote for your treatment after your consultation.

How Does CoolSculpting Work?

CoolSculpting actually freezes and crystalizes the unwanted fat cells in the area or areas where there are excess bulges of fat. After crystalizing, the fat cells gradually die and are eliminated from the body naturally. This is a process called cryolipolysis. After the freezing of the cells, some of the fat cells undergo a process called apoptosis (programmed cell death). Over the 3 months following your procedure, the cells die and your body removes the fat cells without internal scarring.

Your Custom Treatment Plan

During your consultation, our certified CoolSculpting provider will talk with you about the improvements you’d like to attain with CoolSculpting and customize a treatment plan for you. The number of treatments needed will depend on the specific areas you’d like to slim down and how your body responds to the treatment. Larger areas like the abdomen take more treatments than smaller areas like a double chin.

Your Procedure

The procedure starts with Dr. Lewis making a plan for the placement of the CoolSculpting applicators. You will have photos taken as well to document your transformation. One of his trained assistants will then guide you through the procedure. You will be in a comfortable private room and have access to entertainment and a pager to call for assistance if you need it.

The CoolSculpting device draws the bulging fat up between 2 cooling panels. You will feel a pulling as the tissue is cooled by the device. The cold is a bit intense, but it is not painful. Once the panels are placed, they need to stay in that area for 1 hour. This allows the fat to freeze. After the device is removed, the area is massaged (which increases the efficacy of CoolSculpting). If you want more than one area treated, this can be done immediately following the first treatment.

Depending on the areas to be treated, you can sit or lie down during the procedure, which takes 1 hour per area treated. You can read, relax, or work on your laptop as the device does its work.

After the procedure, you will feel some numbness and tingling in the area that lasts for a few weeks. In most people this is not uncomfortable, but it is something you will be conscious of. This usually resolves after 2 to 3 weeks.

Results

The gradual process of flushing away fat cells takes about 3 weeks after a treatment and looks perfectly natural. At that time, you will begin to see results. The results improve gradually during the ensuing 3 months after each treatment. During this time, the fat cells that remain will condense so that the area will become smoother.

Most people see great results from only 1 treatment, but in many cases a second treatment is necessary to get the desired outcome. The results are permanent, but new fat cells can develop at a later time. You can prevent this to some degree by exercising regularly and maintaining your weight at a healthy level without significant fluctuations.

What To Avoid After Treatment

Follow these tips after your CoolSculpting treatment for optimal results:

• Stay out of steam showers, saunas, and hot tubs for the first 24 hours.
• Don’t wear tight, fitted clothing. Loose, comfortable clothing prevents irritation of sensitive treated areas.
• Avoid drinking alcohol for a few days after your treatment to minimize bruising.
• Don’t eat processed, fried, or otherwise unhealthy food. Good nutrition helps maintain treatment results.

Drinking plenty of water and exercising daily will also help you get the most out of your CoolSculpting treatment.

Recovery

No recovery time is required after CoolSculpting. You can continue with normal activities directly after your appointment. For a few days, there might be some minor redness, bruising, and tingling in the areas that were treated.

CoolSculpting vs. Liposuction

Although CoolSculpting is an excellent way to treat fat and contour the body, it is not as powerful a technique as liposuction. In some cases, it may be more cost-effective to have surgical liposuction to reduce unwanted fat and to improve the contour of specific areas. That said, not everyone is ready to have a surgical procedure and CoolSculpting can help most people achieve an improved contour without the need for a more invasive procedure.

If you’ve heard about CoolSculpting and how it can “freeze” away fat, request a consultation using the online form to meet with Dr. Gordon Lewis, or call our office at (804) 657-9309 to schedule an appointment.