In order to understand stubborn fat deposits, it helps to think about how your body uses and stores fat. You have fat cells located throughout your body, most of which lie in a layer just beneath the surface of your skin.
Your body converts a portion of the food you eat into fat, and stores that fat in your fat cells. Each cell has the ability to expand and contract according to how much fat is stored. When you consume more calories than you expend, those fat cells expand. When you burn more calories than you consume, they shrink.
The problem lies in the fact that there is no way to select which fat cells expand and contract. That’s why most people tend to store fat in certain “trouble areas” that linger, even after they reach a healthy weight and engage in regular exercise.
CoolSculpting works by damaging the integrity of targeted fat cells. The treatment uses cold temperatures to freeze fat cells, making it impossible for those cells to continue to store fat. The fat within treated cells drains, allowing your lymphatic system to safely remove it from your body.
CoolSculpting treatments destroy between 20%-25% of targeted cells. Once treated, those cells will not regenerate, leaving you with less fat in the treatment areas. You’ll begin to see results within 1-3 months of your treatments, and you may need more than one treatment depending on your fat reduction goals.
CoolSculpting is FDA-approved for eliminating fat cells. It has a strong safety record and requires no advance preparation, anesthesia, or recovery time. Treatments are not painful, and you’ll be in and out of the office in a short amount of time, ready to return to your normal daily routines.
While CoolSculpting does permanently remove a portion of treated fat cells, it’s not a weight loss technique. Treatments deliver body shaping and are intended to refine the contouring of the treatment area. They don’t remove enough fat cells to significantly tip the scale.
It’s also important to understand that your remaining fat cells will still be able to expand and contract normally. That means you can gain weight and alter your results if you consume more calories than you burn. CoolSculpting is best suited for people who have reached and are able to maintain a healthy body weight.
If you have questions about CoolSculpting or weight loss, call the office to book a visit at Dr. Moma Health & Wellness Clinic. You can also use the easy online booking tool to find a time that fits your busy schedule. https://www.drmoma.org/services/coolsculpting
At Dr. Moma's clinic, we utilize the most cutting-edge tools to help our patients look and feel their best, including losing unhealthy body fat through diet, exercise, and therapy.
One of the common issues that our weight loss patients have is that, once they've lost the weight, they often have lingering "trouble spots" -- fatty deposits in the abdomen, thighs, upper arms, around the jaws, and in other regions of the body that won't go away.
Let's explore how Coolsculpting can remedy those fatty deposits for sleeker, slimmer body contours.
As proponents of this technology often say, Coolsculpting is science, not magic. Coolsculpting literally freezes fat cells via a process called cryolipolysis.
Respected medical provider Cleveland Clinic explains:
"Cryolipolysis, commonly referred to as fat freezing, is a nonsurgical fat reduction procedure that uses cold temperature to reduce fat deposits in certain areas of the body. The procedure is designed to reduce localized fat deposits or bulges that do not respond to diet and exercise."*
It's important to understand that cryolipolysis is not itself a weight loss therapy. Rather, it aids patients who lose weight by eliminating hard-to-treat fatty deposits for a more natural, healthy body composition.
Coolsculpting is proven to freeze away fat cells in the following body parts:
submandibular (under the jawline)
submental (under the chin)
upper arm
thigh
abdomen
flank
bra fat
back fat
underneath the buttocks (sometimes called "banana roll")
If you've gained and subsequently lost weight, you know that these areas can be "problem spots" where fat lingers even after you've successfully lost fat in other areas.
The FDA has fully approved Coolsculpting to freeze adipocytes in the areas of the body we have discussed previously.
Coolsculpting performs exceptionally well in clinical studies as a safe and effective complementary therapy to accompany weight loss:
"Cryolipolysis is considered to be both safe and effective, with a high patient satisfaction rate of up to 73% after one treatment… Cryolipolysis is safe for all skin types, with no reported pigmentary changes, and is safe for repeated application."
Here are the main things to expect during Coolsculpting therapy:
The clinician places a gel pad on the treatment site to protect the skin.
The fat bulge is suctioned into the applicator.
The patient feels a gentle pulling sensation, as well as itching or mild burning. These sensations subside as the skin becomes numb within 5-10 minutes.
Treatment for one area generally takes about an hour.
The applicator is removed and the clinician massages the site briefly to assist in fat cell breakdown.
Patients are often astonished at their improved body composition (meaning the distribution of fat throughout the body) following therapy.
Some patients with underlying health conditions should not receive Coolsculpting therapy, such as:
cryoglobulinemia
cold agglutinin disease
paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria
recent surgery
pre-existing hernia
At Dr. Moma's clinic, patients are thoroughly screened to ensure they are receiving therapies appropriate for them based on their physical exam and medical history.
Here are some real-life before-and-after photos of the Coolsculpting work Dr. Moma has done for her patients:
Coolsculpting does come with some side effect risk – the overwhelming majority of them being mild and temporary:
redness
cramping
swelling
aching
blanching
bruising
tenderness
firmness
tingling
stinging
itching
skin sensitivity
sensation of fullness in the back of the throat after submental or submandibular area treatment
Receiving therapy from an experienced provider like Dr. Moma significantly lessens the risk of side effects from Coolsculpting.
Contact Dr. Sylvienash Moma, DNP for more information about Coolsculpting services in Colorado Springs. Dr. Moma specializes in aesthetic medicine (making you look younger) as well as anti-aging healthcare to make you feel as young on the inside as you look on the outside.