Cool Sculpting

There are fads and then there’s things that are positioned to remain. For example, remember the plastic shoe? Well, in all fairness, they’re still around. Crocs Inc. is a big manufacturer, and for a while they were literally all the rage. Beanie Babies are another one - little frogs, bears and dolphins peddled to kids and adults. Sales figures were through the roof and then the fad died. And lastly, the Macarena! The dance craze that took the world by storm. Nobody even remembers who sang it and the dance moves, even more forgettable.

But then there are things or inventions or new ways of addressing a problem that might appear to be a fad but end up sticking around and as such, deemed successful. CoolSculpting is an excellent example. Otherwise known as cry lipolysis, Cool Sculpting is a cosmetic treatment utilized to remove body fat. Taking all the complicated science out of the equation, CoolSculpting essentially freezes fat cells and then removes them. Very popular, CoolSculpting is noninvasive which means no anesthesia, cuts or surgery. In fact, the procedure is less invasive than liposuction.

FDA-approved, CoolSculpting and similar interventions break down fat cells by simply freezing them, and because cold temperatures are utilized in the process no resulting damage to the skin or underlying tissue occurs. In many respects this is exactly why CoolSculpting has become so popular. During the procedure, skin is vacuumed directly above the fatty tissue area where it is already numbed via the cold. Post-procedure it will take roughly 4 to 6 months for fat cells to vacate the body which results in a decrease of roughly 20 percent in fat. Who doesn’t love that!

The elephant in the room, “but does this work?” It does, which places CoolSculpting on the “non-fad” here to stay list. CoolSculpting and similar procedures post a very high success rate and have fewer side effects than liposuction. Far from a miracle cure however, the procedure does not work for everyone. In fact, during the post-procedure timeframe if said person still leads a lifestyle of unhealthy eating for example then the initial fat reduction will quickly transform back to fat accumulation. Additionally, CoolSculpting will not tighten loose skin so the person might have excess skin after the procedure as well.  

It should be known that with any procedure there are potential side-effects. This could be swelling, bruising, sensitivity, skin redness or localized pain. A study by the Aesthetic Surgery Journal found that only 12 people out of a sample size of 1,445 (less than 1%) experience complications, however. This is a favorable rate, no doubt. The fat cells that are destroyed by CoolSculpting will not return, but as mentioned earlier, if lifestyle changes don’t change, new fat cells will form.

The all-in cost of CoolSculpting is roughly $1,000 to $1,500. Rather inexpensive in the grand scheme of things and a reasonable solution for many.