Working out when the gyms were all closed was difficult for many people. The extra weight gained by women and men under stay-at-home orders even earned a nickname: the “COVID 15.” Now that you may be ready to vacation or just spend more time outside in summer clothes and bathing suits, CoolSculpting® at our Burlington practice can freeze away some of that extra fat without surgery.
Exercise Is Still the Key
Before discussing how CoolSculpting can help you regain the toned shape you had before the pandemic, it’s important to know that exercise and eating right is still the foundation of looking and feeling healthy. Nonsurgical fat reduction treatments such as CoolSculpting on their own won’t create long-lasting results without maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
How Does CoolSculpting Work?
CoolSculpting pioneered the nonsurgical fat reduction field when it gained FDA approval for treating abdominal fat using controlled cooling. Since then, the company has continued to develop new, specialized applicators designed to treat virtually any area of the body. The underlying science supporting the treatment is the same—fat cells are more vulnerable to cold temperatures than the skin and surrounding tissue, enabling CoolSculpting to destroy them without causing unwanted injuries.
The process begins with attaching an applicator to the treatment area. Some applicators draw up the skin between 2 cooling panels, but other applicators are designed for areas without “pinchable” fat, such as the outer thighs. The provider then turns on the CoolSculpting machine, which gradually reduces the treatment area’s temperature.
Fat cells “frozen” during the procedure gradually die and are removed from the body through its natural metabolic process.
What’s the Difference Between CoolSculpting and Liposuction?
Even though CoolSculpting and liposuction share the same goal—reducing stubborn pockets of fat—that is really the only similarity between the 2 procedures. Liposuction is a surgical procedure that removes fatty tissue using a thin tube called a cannula that’s inserted through small incisions. It requires patients to take time off work or school to recover and is performed using some form of anesthesia.
CoolSculpting is a no-downtime procedure that takes about an hour to complete (depending on the number of treatment areas) and gradually reduces fat using cold temperatures. Liposuction patients see immediate results, while people who get CoolSculpting typically wait a couple of months to see the outcome. CoolSculpting also usually involves more than one treatment session.
Are You a Good CoolSculpting Candidate?
It’s important to remember that neither liposuction nor CoolSculpting is considered a weight-loss procedure. CoolSculpting is a targeted fat reduction treatment for women and men who are already in pretty good shape but who want to tone specific areas where fat resists diet and exercise. These areas include “love handles,” a double chin, thighs, buttocks, the abdomen, and upper arms. You can see for yourself the results of CoolSculpting treatments in our gallery of before-and-after photos.
If you want to learn if you can benefit from CoolSculpting, contact us using the online form to request a consultation or call our practice at (905) 631-6288 (Cosmedica Professional Skin Care Centres) or (905) 634-5573 (The Centre for Personal Surgery).
Leave a Reply