Do you struggle to lose those last stubborn pockets of fat that are seemingly impervious to a healthy diet and regular exercise routine? Do you wish it was possible to spot-reduce fat like you can build targeted muscle? Do you feel resigned to dissatisfaction with your reflection in the mirror, even though you’re mere pounds away from your goal weight? If this sounds familiar, body sculpting may be right for you. At Madonna OBGYN and Medical Spa in Rochester and Geneseo, we believe everyone should feel confident in their most beautiful little black dress or dapper three-piece suit.
Things to Know About Body Sculpting
1. It Is Not a Weight Loss Tool
The most common thing we see our clients struggle with is understanding that CoolSculpting, and all other body sculpting methods, is not a weight loss tool. The best candidate for this form of treatment is in fairly good health and fairly close to his or her goal weight. If you have too much malleable fat, you will not be able to achieve the results you are looking for.
However, the opposite is also true. You may hate your underarms but not have enough fat to treat. During your initial consultation, we will assess your localized fat deposits and review your aesthetic goals to help you determine if CoolSculpting is an effective way to achieve your aesthetic goals.
2. It Is Not Designed for People With Sagging Skin
Another mark of a good body contouring candidate is fairly elastic skin. You can test the elasticity of your skin at home by pinching it away from the body and observing how quickly it “snaps” back into place. If you are looking for body contouring, but your skin is extremely lax, a skin tightening treatment may be necessary after your CoolSculpting treatment.
3. The Number of Treatments Required Varies on a Case by Case Basis
Because everyone has a unique body fat distribution and ideal aesthetic, there is no universal number of treatment sessions required to be satisfied with the results. For example, if you are only trying to reduce a small pocket of fat, you may only need one fat reduction treatment. On average, a single CoolSculpting session will result in roughly a 20 to 25% reduction in fat. This general rule applies to larger areas, like the abdomen or back.
However, if you are removing fat from your underarms, chin or another small area, up to an 80% reduction in fat can be seen. If you have several pockets of fat, you may need between three and five treatments to achieve your ideal aesthetic. These treatments are most often scheduled weeks to months apart.
4. CoolSculpting Is as Effective as You Let It Be
One of the most commonly asked questions we receive about CoolSculpting is how effective it is. The results of any body contouring treatment are what you make of it. It can help you lose the stubborn fat that won’t budge with diet or exercise, but the best candidate for this type of treatment is committed to a lifelong healthy lifestyle.
If you are at your goal weight, we strongly recommend that you maintain that weight for a set amount of time before the treatment. If you are not yet at your goal weight, you should be committed to maintaining a healthy weight after treatment. When you gain weight, your skin stretches to accommodate the expanded fat cells. When you lose that weight, your skin may not recover, and you may end up with sagging or excess skin.
5. It’s Safe to Get Pregnant After Treatment
Professionals often recommend that you wait until you are done having children to receive a body contouring treatment. This has nothing to do with safety. In fact, the FDA has proven that there is no risk to you or your fetus if you become pregnant and nurse after treatment.
The only reason it is recommended that you wait until you are done adding to your family to receive treatment is because pregnancy leads to weight gain. Often, this weight gain occurs in the lower abdomen. If you used CoolSculpting to remove fat from your abdomen, you still have 40 to 80% of the fat cells in the area that you had before treatment. Therefore, you may notice that the remaining fat cells in the area have expanded to your dissatisfaction. You may need a follow-up treatment if you cannot lose all your postnatal fat.
6. It Will Take Time to See the Final Results
It is crucial that you be patient after your CoolSculpting treatment. It will take weeks before you start to see the results of treatment. After multiple months, you will notice more dramatic changes. However, your body will not finish processing the dead fat cells for a full six months after your initial treatment.
The best candidate for body contouring treatment understands what results they can realistically expect. That includes how much fat they can expect to be reduced, how many treatment sessions they will need and how long it will take to achieve their ideal aesthetic.
7. You Can Relax
Your treatment session can last up to an hour depending on the size and number of the areas being treated as well as how much fat you have and want removed. So we may recommend bringing something to keep you entertained.
Many clients enjoy bringing a book to read during their CoolSculpting treatment. Other clients like to take a nap, catch up on the latest podcast on their phone or play a mobile game. Consider bringing something to keep yourself entertained during your treatment session.
8. The Treatment Is Comfortable
You may think that having your fat frozen will cause a lot of discomfort. However, this is not the case. The cold numbs the treatment site from any discomfort caused by the applicator suctioning the fat.
9. Your Gut Is Responsible for Your Fat Loss
Once the fat cells in the treatment site have been frozen to death, they are processed by your lymphatic system. This is why it takes weeks to see results from the treatment and months to see the final results of your treatment session. Ultimately flushed out as waste by your liver, your gut plays the largest role in your fat loss by far.
10. You Should Be at or Close to Your Goal Weight
Even people who understand that this type of treatment is not for weight loss often ask us how close they should be to their goal weight. Generally speaking, the best rule of thumb is you should be within 30 pounds of your goal weight. However, this depends on several factors, including your skin elasticity. If you’re close to your goal weight but your skin is lax, you may still be a candidate for treatment if you are willing to undergo a non-invasive skin tightening treatment to complement your fat removal treatment.
11. Treatment May Not Take as Long as You Think
It’s true that you can expect your treatment to take some time. But you may be able to have larger areas treated faster than you would initially expect. For example, thanks to advances that have been made in the treatment, you can have two CoolSculpting applicators used simultaneously. This effectively doubles the size of the area you can treat in a given period of time.
Another incredible benefit of this approach is that you are guaranteed symmetrical results. With two identical applicators running at the same temperature for the same amount of time, you can expect the same amount of fat loss on both sides of your body if you are treating areas such as your arms and thighs.
12. You Can Treat Virtually Anywhere
It used to be that you could only treat large areas with CoolSculpting. Thanks to additional advancements that have been made, you can treat smaller areas, such as bra and back fat and the fat on the arms. If you don’t have a lot of fat in your trouble region, you may still be a candidate for CoolSculpting. During your initial consultation with our experts, we will help you determine if using an applicator of a non-traditional size and shape would work for you and help you achieve your ideal aesthetic.
13. It Makes a Great Liposuction Alternative
In the past, surgical procedures like liposuction and a tummy tuck were the only options for body contouring. Thankfully, this has all changed. Today, patients have access to a number of non-surgical body sculpting treatments. CoolSculpting is the most popular of these treatments, and for good reason. Depending on your goals and situation, this simple body contouring treatment may be all that you need to look and feel your best without putting yourself through all of the hassles associated with surgery.
Learn How to Sculpt Your Ideal Body
Are you ready to achieve the body of your dreams? Do you believe you could be a good candidate for body sculpting? Dust off your favorite little black dress and call the professional experts at Madonna OBGYN and Medical Spa to schedule your initial consultation. We will review your aesthetic goals, medical history and current health to create a perfectly customized body contouring treatment plan to help you achieve your aesthetic goals. Whether you hate the way your jeans cling to your hips or you can’t stand the way your tummy looks in a bikini, we most likely have a solution for you. We can’t wait to meet you at one of our offices in Geneseo or Rochester and develop a tailored treatment plan to help you contour the body of your dreams. Contact us today to book a consultation!
