CoolSculpting®
Unless you run a marathon every week or two, odds are you have a least a couple areas on your body with stubborn pockets of fat. It’s just an unfortunate fact of the human body — certain areas such as the abdomen, upper thighs, flanks, bra line area, and the neck tend to collect fat and it is very hard to do anything about.
But Dr. Petropoulos offers CoolSculpting® as a non-invasive option for removing 20-25 percent of the fat cells in a treatment area. This revolutionary process uses controlled cooling to freeze and kill fat cells without any downtime.
Anna Petropoulos MD is CoolSculpting University certified, offering top fat-freezing services to her patients. With two machines, she is able to perform Dual Sculpting physician-led treatments. As an award winning doctor, Dr. Petropoulos has performed over 1000 treatments, positively effecting the lives of patients nationwide.
What is CoolSculpting®?
You’ve probably heard of CoolSculpting®. It is the invention of two Harvard scientists who had been researching the effect that eating popsicles seemed to have on children. Kids who ate lots of popsicles developed dimples. The scientists thought the cold somehow affected fat in the area, hence the dimples.
They applied this thinking to fat on the abdomen and CoolSculpting® was the born.
The core concept is that human fat cells freeze at a higher temperature than skin and other tissue cells. The CoolSculpting device delivers controlled cooling by vacuuming the excess fat in the treatment area into the CoolSculpting® device and freezing the fat cells while leaving everything else unharmed. This freezing kills around 20-25 percent of the fat cells in the treated area. The body then breaks down and flushes these dead cells from the body over the course of the next few months. With less fat, the patient’s contour slims.
CoolSculpting® Before & After
How Does CoolSculpting® Work?
When you arrive at Dr. Petropoulos’s office for your appointment, you sit in our angled treatment chair and we explain the process. There isn’t any need for local anesthetics or other pain relievers. Next we position the CoolSculpting® head units over the target area. These head units create suction that draws the skin, underlying tissue, and fat up between into the head unit. You’ll feel a pulling sensation, but it isn’t painful. We then set the cooling temperature and the CoolSculpting equipment delivers cooling into the drawn-up tissue. At first you’ll feel a serious cooling sensation, but then the area numbs, and the cooling freezes the fat cells. We repeat this process across the treatment area. Each session takes only 35 minutes per area. With dual CoolSculpting® the treatment time is cut in half. While the procedure is ongoing, you can read, watch videos, work on your laptop, or even take a nap!
After your procedure, your body gets to work eliminating the frozen/dead fat cells. This takes a few months, but you’ll end up with 20-25 percent less fat in the treatment area and a slimmer contour to show for it. The best results are seen after 90 days.
candidates for CoolSculpting®
Some people think CoolSculpting® is a weight-loss procedure. It’s not. This is a body-contouring procedure. CoolSculpting® isn’t an overall fat remover; it is intended to remove stubborn pockets of fat that don’t respond to diet or exercise. Dr. Petropoulos wants her CoolSculpting® patients generally to preferably be within 10 percent of their ideal body weight or have a BMI between 22 and 30.
The FDA has approved CoolSculpting® for treating these areas:
- Abdomen
- Thighs
- Back fat
- Bra line fat
- Flanks
- Underneath the buttocks
- Double chin
- Underarms
Who should not have the CoolSculpting® performed?
Most people who seek CoolSculpting treatment are good candidates. Only a handful of situations may cause us to recommend postponing body-contouring. Patients who are not close to their ideal body weight may not be happy with the outcome of non-surgical treatment. In this instance, CoolSculpting should be scheduled once weight is in proportion to height within the healthy body fat range. Mothers-to-be also should not undergo this or any other body-contouring procedure. Also, because the results of CoolSculpting occur gradually as the lymph system disposes of fat cells, patients who want fast results may not be advised to undergo this method of body-contouring.
Is CoolSculpting® Painful?
CoolSculpting isn’t painful. You’ll feel a pulling sensation when the head units apply suction and draw up your tissues. Then you’ll feel an intense cooling sensation for a few minutes when the fat freezing is initiated. Most people say this is very cold, but not painful. After a few minutes the area becomes numb and you don’t feel anything for the duration of the session.
CoolSculpting® Patient Testimonials
“Extremely professional, kind, understanding and an excellent listener! I asked for her professional opinions and I chose to have CoolSculpting done on several stubborn areas of the body and Smart Graft…hair restoration. I am totally happy with my results so far and with time they will be more pronounced. The Office is meticulous and her staff is very professional, understanding and kind….”
“I have been a patient of Dr. Petropoulos for many years. She is an artist at contouring your face with non-invasive fillers and Botox and fillers. She keeps me looking natural and refreshed. Now Dr. Petropoulos has brought into her practice the latest technology in non-invasive body contouring, thru cool sculpting. What sets her apart from other practices is that she has 2 machines so u can do multiple areas in half the time. For those of u who do not know what cool sculpting is… it literally freezes fat away, and the fat never returns to the treated area. Can u believe that!!! Well it’s true, her highly trained staff gave me a free consult and it was decided after close evaluation that my love handles and abdomen were my target areas. I am crazy about the results… no more muffin top for me, and although it’s not meant as a weight loss measure… my jeans fit me better.”
CoolSculpting® Recovery
This is completely non-invasive. We don’t even need to apply topical anesthetic! When we remove the cooling panels, we massage the area for two to three minutes to alleviate the numbness. But then you’re free to immediately get back to whatever you do.
How many CoolSculpting® sessions do I need?
Most CoolSculpting patients have a single session on each treatment area. You can have additional sessions on the same area later, but the fat reduction is less than the original 20-25 percent.
How Many CoolSculpting® Treatments Can I Have?
It is possible to repeat CoolSculpting treatments as you wish to enhance your results. Each treatment should be scheduled far enough apart so tissue has a chance to fully recover from side effects like tingling and numbness. It is also beneficial to allow time between a grouping series of treatments to observe the true degree of fat reduction that has occurred. Some patients repeat CoolSculpting treatments after several months or even years to refine their body as it changes with age. The important thing to remember is that CoolSculpting is a body-contouring procedure, it is not intended for weight loss. Undergoing too many treatments could alter the proportions of the body in an undesirable way.
What is DualSculpting?
Most patients have more than a single area they’d like to target. For instance, a person could want to treat the abdomen and the outer thighs. Dr. Petropoulos offers DualSculpting for this very reason — we use two CoolSculpting® machines to treat two areas at once! This allows you to treat two areas in a single appointment, saving you time and starting the slimming results on two areas concurrently. The areas may be complementary, such as the love handles and the lower abdomen, or the inner and outer thighs.
Results Of CoolSculpting®
CoolSculpting® doesn’t deliver instant results. This is because, while the fat cells have been frozen and are dying, it takes time for the body to remove them. Some patients say they begin to see changes in around three weeks, but the most dramatic results will show themselves after two months or so. And these results keep improving for up to six months!
Is the fat gone permanently With Fat Freezing?
CoolSculpting kills the fat in a process called cryolipolysis. Once these cells are passed from the body they are gone for good. The fat reduction is permanent. If you maintain a healthy lifestyle, your results will last forever. If you do gain weight, it usually tends to build elsewhere first.
Can CoolSculpting® be combined with additional procedures?
CoolSculpting is designed to reduce the number of fat cells in a given area. It has been clinically proven to do so safely and efficiently. What CoolSculpting doesn’t do is tighten the skin and superficial tissue after fat reduction. Therefore, patients who are interested in also smoothing skin may wish to combine their CoolSculpting treatments with skin tightening such as ThermiRF. Treatment may not be conducted simultaneously; we may complete the recommended series of CoolSculpting treatments first and then, based on the natural retraction of the skin, move on to skin tightening as needed.
How does CoolSculpting® compare to Liposuction?
CoolSculpting and liposuction are both body-contouring procedures that can be performed in various areas. Due to the conservative effectiveness of cryolipolysis, CoolSculpting is perceived as a wonderful alternative to liposuction for men and women who wish to subtly improve the contours of their midsection, thighs, arms, or chin. While there are no surgical risks associated with CoolSculpting and virtually no downtime, this contouring method cannot remove the same amount of fatty tissue as liposuction, even with multiple treatments.
Do I need to follow a strict diet or exercise program?
Patients who are interested in CoolSculpting are not mandated to follow any particular lifestyle habits. However, it is important to understand that fat cells respond to dietary and exercise habits both before and after CoolSculpting. Patients who are happiest with their results are those who are generally satisfied with their appearance before treatment and who are committed to a healthy lifestyle that suits their preferences.
What happens if I gain weight after my CoolSculpting® procedure?
It is possible to gain weight after CoolSculpting due to eating habits or pregnancy because, even though there are fewer fat cells in the area that has been treated, those that remain can expand. Early action that includes healthy changes to diet and exercise habits may mitigate the effects of additional weight quickly. In some cases, such as pregnancy, patients return for additional CoolSculpting or other body contouring treatments after their body has returned to pre-pregnancy hormonal balance and weight.
Are there any side effects with CoolSculpting®?
One of the primary benefits of CoolSculpting is the safe and conservative nature of this treatment. Side effects are generally limited to mild discomfort, redness, tingling, and numbness. To remedy these side effects, a patient may take over-the-counter pain medication such as ibuprofen.
While there are no serious risks related to CoolSculpting treatment, there is a chance that some patients (less than 1%) may develop Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia (PAH). This is a condition in which the fat cells targeted for destruction actually thicken and expand in reaction to cryolipolysis. PAH is a rare complication that can be corrected with additional CoolSculpting treatments or other methods of fat reduction, such as Vanquish or liposuction.
Schedule A Consultation
Call our office today at 978-739-9500 or use our online form to schedule a consultation with top Boston plastic surgeon Dr. Petropoulos and determine if CoolSculpting is the right treatment for you!
