Despite its reputation as a relaxing time of year, summer is more often packed with activities. Between vacations, summer camps and barbecues, the season can fly by so quickly. It’s easy to let your personal summer goals take a backseat when it feels like you’re just too busy to make the time. When it comes to your appearance, in particular, it might feel like a slimmer waistline or fewer wrinkles aren’t worth the hassle of a beauty routine — especially if it could involve lengthy treatments or several visits to your plastic surgeon’s office or your aesthetician. Luckily, this is exactly why non-invasive treatments like CoolSculpting are ideal for the busy summer months. CoolSculpting is an easy way to keep your summer body at its best all season long, without interrupting your schedule or your favorite summer activities.
What is CoolSculpting?
At the start of the 1970s, doctors observed a phenomenon that they dubbed “popsicle panniculitis.” They noticed that children who ate cold foods like popsicles exhibited some irritation in their cheeks, and some even developed small dimples. They discovered that the irritation was caused by fat cells in the cheeks freezing and dying, despite surrounding cells in the skin and nerves remaining intact — simply put, they discovered that fat cells were more susceptible to cold temperatures than other types of tissues. Much later, cosmetics researchers harnessed this principle into a technology called cryolipolysis, in which fat cells are purposefully frozen and dissolved. CoolSculpting uses cryolipolysis to help men and women everywhere conquer stubborn body fat that won’t respond to diet and exercise.
Since CoolSculpting uses targeted temperature control rather than surgical means to eliminate fat, it’s a simple treatment with few risks and side effects. It’s ideal for those who have areas of fat — like love handles, saddlebags or a belly pooch — that have proven difficult to slim or smooth with regular exercise and a healthy diet. Since the CoolSculpting device was first FDA-approved to treat fat on the flanks and abdomen in 2010, researchers have continued to improve its technology for patient safety and satisfaction. It is now used to treat body fat in a range of areas from the thighs to the chin, with proven efficacy and great results.
How Long Does CoolSculpting Take?
CoolSculpting is perfect for people with busy summer schedules — each area takes just one hour to treat, so you don’t need to set aside a whole day for your appointment. If you choose to treat multiple areas in one session, you will need to plan on one hour per area — for example, treating both love handles will take two hours; treating the chin and both flanks would take three.
When you arrive for your treatment, your provider will choose your attachment and settings based on the area you want to address. Then, you can lie down and relax. Most clients report little to no pain thanks to a gentle numbing gel and buffer pad that are included in the treatment. Since neither general nor local anesthesia is required, you can leave your appointment and resume all of your usual activities right away. Many clients choose to schedule CoolSculpting during a long lunch break or after dropping their children off at a summertime activity and can pick up their day where they left off when they are finished.
CoolSculpting Recovery and Results
Not only are CoolSculpting appointments able to fit into busy schedules, but the non-invasive nature of the treatment means you don’t need to plan for time away from work or other responsibilities. After each session, you’ll be able to transport yourself home, back to work or off to run errands without missing a beat. You can even do some gentle exercise — like low-impact cardio or light weightlifting — the same day as your treatment, provided you feel up to it. Some clients experience swelling and bruising, and we do advise that rigorous exercise might make this worse. But, as long as you aren’t causing yourself any pain or injury while any discoloration or tenderness subsides, you are not risking your health or your long-term outcomes. CoolSculpting works with your body’s natural waste elimination processes to get rid of the frozen fat cells, so once your treatment is complete all you need to do is wait for these processes to take effect. Final results are usually visible around three months after your first session, with steady improvements occurring over these few weeks.
CoolSculpting is Customizable and Flexible
Since the process of receiving CoolSculpting is simple and not taxing for your body, you can choose to treat several areas of your body either all at once or in separate appointments. When you visit your provider for your first consultation meeting, you will discuss all of your concerns and how CoolSculpting will best be able to help. Your provider can counsel you on how many treatments you will need, and you can work with your provider’s office to schedule them at your convenience.
You don’t need to worry about having unbalanced results, either, since CoolSculpting works with your body’s natural processes to slim you down over the course of a few weeks. Even if you treat both love handles at separate appointments a few days apart, you won’t end up with one drastically slimmer hip — your new contours will emerge together as your body adjusts to the treatment.
If you’re interested in making your first CoolSculpting appointment in the Cedar Rapids and Coralville, Iowa, area this summer, contact Dr. Andrews Plastic Surgery. Our expert team, led by board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Kahlil Andrews, is fully licensed and equipped to provide the latest CoolSculpting techniques at a pace that works with your summertime schedule. We can also help you learn more about our other aesthetic treatments, many of which are just as easy as CoolSculpting and can keep your whole appearance in top shape all summer long. Call us at 319-382-8230 and schedule your consultation with Dr. Andrews or one of our highly trained staff members.
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