Want the best CoolSculpting results? Read this first!

Thinking about having non-invasive fat removal? Learn how to get the best CoolSculpting results!

I’ve written about CoolSculpting in previous posts, and it truly is an amazing treatment. But like any effective medical treatment, it doesn’t work perfectly on everyone.  You want to figure out if it’s going to work for you before you spend the money, right? If you’re fine with maybe seeing a result, maybe not, by all means stop reading right now. But if you want to know what to look for to get a great result from CoolSculpting, then keep reading– In this post I’m going to explain two keys to getting a great result.

 Key #1 for great CoolSculpting results – It matters where you go.

You can get CoolSculpting done anywhere from a dermatologist office to a MedSpa. But if you want the best result, I strongly recommend seeing a board-certified plastic surgeon. CoolSculpting is amazing, but it’s not the right solution for every problem. If you have intra-abdominal fat, for example, CoolSculpting isn’t going to help. Or if your real issue is excess skin, then you need a tummy tuck, not CoolSculpting.

If you go to an office that only offers CoolSculpting, and isn’t trained in other options like tummy tucks or liposuction, they will sell you CoolSculpting even if it’s not the best option for you. Trust me- I’ve seen it happen. I worked at a plastic surgery chain that only sold liposuction. They would sell it to anyone medically healthy enough to have surgery, regardless  of whether the patient was a good candidate or not.

A plastic surgeon can offer liposuction or tummy tuck surgery as well. So if you aren’t a great candidate for CoolSculpting, you won’t be sold a treatment that won’t help you. 

Want to know what CoolSculpting costs? Download our FREE guide!

 Key #2 for great CoolSculpting results – It matters who designs the treatment,

Although CoolSculpting seems simple, the design of the treatment plan really matters.  Treatments are done in cycles- each time the applicator is placed is one cycles. If you don’t have enough cycles you won’t see a result. If the applicator isn’t placed in the correct position, you could even have a bad result. Some offices try to skimp on the number of cycles so that the price is lower- sure you may save $1000, but it’s still a waste if you don’t see a result.

Here’s my advice- go to an office where the plastic surgeon is personally doing the CoolSculpting consultations and designing the treatment plan herself. This is how things are done at my office- I see all patients interested in CoolSculpting, and design all the treatment plans. That way I know my patients are going to consistently get good results.

Key #3 for great CoolSculpting results – go to an office with the new applicators.

About three years ago Zeltiq, the company that makes Coolsculpting, created new applicators for the CoolSculpting machines. Many offices upgraded to the new applicators, but some did not. To get the best results possible from CoolSculpting, I recommend going to an office that has the new applicators? Why? Because of paradoxical adipose hyperplasia.

Paradoxical adipose hyperplasia is a big, fancy term that basically means instead of the fat getting smaller, it actually gets bigger. This complication is quite rare- Zeltiq quotes the rate as 1 in 10,000. But this mainly happened with the old applicators that used a higher suction pressure, and doesn’t seem to be an issue with the new applicators that we use. Going to an office that has the new applicators should minimize this risk.  In the photos below my aesthetician Christy (on the right) and I are setting up our CoolSculpting room- we hung tons of hooks to store our new applicators. We just happened to bring matching drills to work that day!

Dr. Greer and Christy installing hooks for our new CoolSculpting applicators – we like power tools!

Our CoolSculpting room is all set up – girl power wins again!

Conclusion: CoolSculpting results are not the same everywhere

CoolSculpting is a wonderful tool. But as you can see, it does matter where you go in order to get the best results. Two reasons you might not get a great result: if you aren’t a great candidate for CoolSculpting, or if you had a poorly designed treatment plan. Fortunately you can sidestep both these risks by seeing a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon who is experienced in CoolSculpting, and who designs all the treatment plans herself. And make sure you go to an office with the new applicators, to minimize the risk of paradoxical fat hyperplasia.

If you have questions I would love to answer them in the comments. And if you want to know what CoolSculpting costs, click the button to download our FREE CoolSculpting price guide!