How Does CoolSculpting Work?

With health and fitness as a hot social topic, people all over the world work hard to lose weight and stay in shape. One of the most exciting results of your fitness journey is often the changes in your appearance — a strong, healthy body looks good and feels great. But many people find that their goal of achieving their dream physique is stopped short by stubborn fat like belly bulges, love handles and thigh bumps that refuse to go away. If you have been looking for a solution for this concern, you may have heard of CoolSculpting — a new treatment that claims it can freeze away your fat without surgery or recovery time. If you think these claims sound too good to be true, you are not alone. Many of our clients want to know how CoolSculpting really works.

The Science Behind CoolSculpting

Doctors and medical researchers have long known about a phenomenon called “popsicle panniculitis,” an irritation observed around children’s cheeks and mouths when they eat cold foods like popsicles. Further exploration of popsicle panniculitis showed that the irritation was in fact due to small pockets of facial fat freezing in response to the icy foods. Interestingly, they noted that fat cells seemed to freeze more easily than other surrounding tissues — an observation that researchers in the 2000s harnessed to create a technology that is now called cryolipolysis. The word cryolipolysis breaks down into three parts: “cryo” meaning “freezing,” “lipo” meaning “fat,” and “lysis” meaning “dissolving” — so, freezing fat until the cells dissolve. This is the technology that CoolSculpting uses to reduce body fat without causing damage to your skin or other body parts.

Your CoolSculpting Treatment Session

The CoolSculpting tool is designed to apply freezing temperatures to fat cells in a particular area. The device itself has different sizes and attachments for different concerns — it can treat areas as small as under the chin and as large as the flanks. During your procedure, your provider places the tool over the treatment area with a protective gel or padding. Then, your provider uses built-in controls to achieve your desired results while keeping you safe and comfortable during your treatment. The tool is completely non-invasive, meaning it does not break the skin and does not require anesthesia or other surgical techniques. You also do not need to take time away from normal activities to rest and recover — after your CoolSculpting session, you can leave your appointment and pick up your day right where you left off. Some clients experience bruising or soreness in the area for a few days afterward, but this dissipates quickly.

Your CoolSculpting Results

CoolSculpting works with your body’s natural processes of cell dissolution and waste disposal. Once your fat is frozen, your body will recognize the damaged cells as a waste product and eliminate them as it would any other non-functional cells or tissues. It can take a few weeks for your results to fully appear as your body adjusts to the treatments — most clients see their maximum results around three months after their session, with improvements slowly becoming visible over that time. Since the treatment is very gentle, you can choose to have multiple CoolSculpting sessions for maximum results. These can be scheduled three to six weeks apart.

To ensure your best results, you should schedule your CoolSculpting session with a board-certified healthcare provider who is registered on the website of CoolSculpting’s parent company, ZELTIQ. For a seamless CoolSculpting experience in the Atlanta, Georgia area, contact Advanced Aesthetics Plastic Surgery — our expert surgeons provide CoolSculpting and many other aesthetic services and always put our clients’ safety and satisfaction first. Schedule your complimentary consultation at one of our comfortable locations in Fayetteville, LaGrange, McDonough or Newnan. Call us today at 770-461-4000.