CoolSculpting Adds The Finishing Touch To A Weight Reduction
CoolSculpting isn’t a tool to lose weight, but a procedure to accomplish the last few steps of contouring and finishing off a look that was cultivated through diet and exercise and helped a person lose the weight by traditional means.
You may exercise and eat right, but stubborn fat bulges remain. That’s because they’re often immune to diet and exercise. CoolSculpting is a revolutionary non-surgical contouring treatment that freezes stubborn fat, which is then removed naturally from the body. The FDA-approved treatment requires no needles, no special diets, no supplements, no incisions, and no downtime.
If you have pockets of localized fat and good skin elasticity, you might be a good candidate for CoolSculpting. So with that, let’s take a look at some good before and after suggestions to prepare you for undergoing a CoolSculpting procedure!
Planning Ahead For a CoolSculpting Procedure
- Make sure you’re the right type of candidate. You should already be near your ideal weight before choosing to have a CoolSculpting procedure, because it is not a tool to help you lose weight. If you find that you still have some pounds to shed, wait until you’ve lost them. CoolSculpting can be thought of as the home stretch of the weight loss race you’ve been running. It’s that last boost to help get you across your finish line to pay off all your hard work and diligence.
Also keep in mind that to assure that CoolSculpting is the most effective, you’ll also need to have fat that’s pliable and in enough quantity so that it can be suctioned into the attachments that CoolSculpting uses, and there are three sizes that are currently used. You’ll have to consult with your physician to determine what your options are, and if you qualify as a good candidate for the procedure.
- Find out the number of treatments you’ll have to undergo. For some people, only one treatment may be necessary to achieve a 20% reduction in fat. Other people may take three or more treatments which can be administered every couple of months or less. But be sure to discuss what your expectations are when you consult with your physician so that they can use your comments to craft a specific treatment plan.
- Know who will be performing your CoolSculpting procedure. Dr. Tehrani is the chief physician at Aristocrat and performs both invasive and non-invasive procedures. That said, no matter where you go, you will want to know beforehand who your CoolSculpting procedure team is.
- Remember to document your experience. After you’ve decided to undergo a CoolSculpting procedure and you’ve done the necessary research on what’s involved and how it’s performed, capturing your own personal experience can help other potential patients who are considering a CoolSculpting procedure.
Keeping a blog or journal on your experience is a great means of keeping track of all of the measurements, photos, and opinions you might have both before and after your treatment. Having a CoolSculpting procedure should be a momentous occasion for you, and whether it’s a way for you to boost your self confidence, improve yourself, or just look better in your swimsuit, having a CoolSculpting fat removal session is an experience that will be a lasting memory.
- Pain may occur, so be prepared. Even though CoolSculpting is a non-invasive procedure, about 10% of patients who undergo the procedure experience some pain after their procedure. It’s a side effect that can easily happen even if you find that you’re feeling fine throughout your entire procedure. The residual pain may last between a few days or a few weeks.
Just to be prepared in case, have between 600 mg – 800 mg of ibuprofen available, and take it every 8 hours. In the rare case you may require a prescribed medication to help you heal through the pain.
Tight compressive clothing or Spanx might also help alleviate pain as they can provide comforting pressure. You should wear this type of clothing for just the first couple of weeks after your procedure. Make sure you get these items ahead of your procedure day so you won’t have any need to rush around after you’re on recovery. And the best course of action is to discuss your preferences with your physician before you pick up any over-the-counter medications or start using compression clothing.
- Don’t forget to bring something to read or occupy your time. Since you’re going to be sitting or lying down during your treatment, you might want to have something to read, work, or play on while the CoolSculpting treatment is being performed. This is because only one body part can be treated at a time, and each session runs an hour long. If you’re undergoing multiple treatments for different parts of your body, the time that accumulates can pile up. So you’ll want to be able to divert your attention by reading a book, working on a tablet computer, or keeping yourself entertained in some way. You can also use the time to document your review of your procedure!
Recovery After a CoolSculpting Procedure
- Pay attention to any signals your body is giving you. There can be side effects following CoolSculpting, which may or may not include pain, swelling, and itching. If you start experiencing or feel concerned about these side effects, let your physician know.
The side effects of CoolSculpting can vary with the area where the procedure was performed. Abdominal areas are certainly a common area where patients can experience numbness, tingling, and pain following a CoolSculpting procedure. If CoolSculpting is performed on other areas of the body, such as the thighs, back, and love handles, the chances of experiencing side effects are minimal.
- Document the progress of your healing with photos. Results can take some time to completely process, and as a result difficult to notice changes. So take frequent photos of the areas where you had CoolSculpting so you’ll have pictures to compare against each other and can better detail how the changes are progressing.
- Hold on to your patience. You may not notice any results anywhere from between one to four months. Sometimes it can take a while for them to appear. While in some cases, changes can appear quickly in as little as three weeks following a CoolSculpting procedure, the most noticeable results will show in about two months.
While this time passes, your body can still be in the process of depleting itself of fat cells. It can continue doing this four to six months after the treatment. This is why maintaining your patience is important, so your body can continue eliminating dead cells.
- In the long-term, you have control over your results. Your behavior, in the way you treat your body, can have an effect on your results. It’s that way with any cosmetic treatment, and CoolSculpting is not any different. You’ll have to maintain healthy eating habits and continue to exercise so that you don’t regain the weight you lost.
CoolSculpting doesn’t curtail weight gain, and it can help keep weight from settling in the areas you had treated in the same way, but by staying active and watching what you eat, you can keep up your good looks for a very long time.