My CoolSculpting® Experience

This post is sponsored by CoolSculpting® but all opinions are my own.

Last year I hit a big milestone - I turned the big 3-0. Turning 30 was a really exciting occasion and made it the perfect time to begin my partnership with CoolSculpting®! I am really excited to continue to take you along on my journey and give you my honest and full walk-through of my experience and answer any questions you may have for me. I’m going to be talking about why I decided to do CoolSculpting®, the benefits, and the treatment process. To find a provider near you, visit www.CoolSculpting.com.

What made me most interested in a CoolSculpting® treatment is that it’s nonsurgical. It’s a safe and effective way to treat unwanted stubborn fat with little to no downtime. The CoolSculpting® treatment was developed by Harvard Scientists and is the only FDA-cleared cold-based, nonsurgical body contouring treatment available for those who are looking to remove stubborn fat that doesn’t respond to diet and exercise. It works by cooling targeted fat cells in the body to induce a natural and controlled elimination of fat cells without affecting the surrounding tissue.

CoolSculpting® is not a weight loss treatment. It’s an FDA-cleared treatment to reduce stubborn fat in treated areas by up to 20-25%. It’s really meant to “sculpt” your body and freeze fat in localized troublesome areas. I do my best to lead an active lifestyle, working out at least 4 times a week, and consistently eat healthily. As I approached 30 years old, I started to realize my metabolism slowed down and my troublesome areas of fat (abs and flank area) needed some extra help.

I worked with my doctor to customize a treatment plan for me and tailored it specifically to my goals, which for me was reducing the fat in my abdomen and flank areas.

 

For my CoolSculpting® treatment, I arrived at the doctor’s office, Schweiger Dermatology, and my provider, Laura Palmisano, and I talked about my areas of concern. She examined me to see if I was a good candidate for the treatment. We talked about my ultimate objectives and the number of sessions I would need to reach my goal. We took before photos so my doctor could monitor my progress over time. She then marked the areas for treatment. I wanted to complete the treatment in 1 day, so I had 6 sections treated, 1 at a time, each for 30 minutes, so I was there for about 4 or 5 hours. 

I got comfortable on the exam chair and a skin protectant layer was put on the area of treatment. Then the CoolSculpting® applicator was applied which was a VERY strong suction. To me it wasn’t uncomfortable, just a weird and intense vacuum sensation. Then, the machine was turned on and the cooling began. The first 5 minutes of this treatment was the most uncomfortable and unpleasant part for me. It was extremely cold and almost felt like it stung, but after 5 minutes passed, the area was completely numb and I couldn’t really feel anything at all. Of course, every patient’s experience is different. I watched TV, ate lunch, and drank a lot of tea. When the CoolSculpting® treatments were finished and the device was removed, I had a weird tingly sensation in the treated areas, I would say similar to if you were outside in winter without gloves touching the snow and went back inside to warm up. After each treatment, my doctor massaged the treated area to break up the treated fat cells and enhance the fat reduction. The experience throughout the 6 sessions felt the same for me.

Afterward, the areas just felt a little bit numb, but Alicia and I shot some photos of my outfit uptown and I even worked out first thing the next morning. I didn’t really feel the treated areas until I was jump roping. I occasionally felt some numbness, but as the days passed, I felt the numbness less and less. The results aren’t instant. It usually takes 1-3 months to see changes and around 6 months to see final results.

To learn more about the treatment, check out CoolSculpting.com and talk to your doctor to see if CoolSculpting may be right for you! Thanks for joining me on this journey! See FDA Cleared treatment areas and Important Safety Information for CoolSculpting below.

Uses
The CoolSculpting® procedure is FDA-cleared for the treatment of visible fat bulges in the submental (under the chin) and submandibular (under the jawline) areas, thigh, abdomen and flank, along with bra fat, back fat, underneath the buttocks (also known as banana roll) and upper arm. It is also FDA-cleared to affect the appearance of lax tissue with submental area treatments. The CoolSculpting® procedure is not a treatment for weight loss.

Important Safety Information
The CoolSculpting® procedure is not for everyone. You should not have the CoolSculpting® procedure if you suffer from cryoglobulinemia, cold agglutinin disease, or paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria.

Tell your doctor if you have any medical conditions including recent surgery, pre-existing hernia, and any known sensitivities or allergies.

During the procedure you may experience sensations of pulling, tugging, mild pinching, intense cold, tingling, stinging, aching, and cramping at the treatment site. These sensations subside as the area becomes numb. Following the procedure, typical side effects include temporary redness, swelling, blanching, bruising, firmness, tingling, stinging, tenderness, cramping, aching, itching, or skin sensitivity, and sensation of fullness in the back of the throat after submental or submandibular area treatment.

Rare side effects may also occur. CoolSculpting® may cause a visible enlargement in the treated area which may develop two to five months after treatment and requires surgical intervention for correction.

Please see full Important Safety Information for additional information.

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