Finish Off Your Weight Loss Journey With CoolSculpting®

You wanted to shed excess pounds, so you invested a lot of time and effort into eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise. Unfortunately, though, if you’re like most people, you still have pockets of fat that just won’t respond, no matter what you do.

At Ross Dermatology, you can finish your weight loss journey with CoolSculpting®. Dr. Kim Ross and Dr. Ronald Davis offer this body sculpting process at our offices in San Antonio, Seguin, and LaVernia, Texas. Here’s what you need to know.

What is CoolSculpting?

There are a plethora of options to get rid of unwanted fat. Liposuction and a tummy tuck are two popular surgical procedures that address the issue, but they’re both invasive and have long recovery times. CoolSculpting is a noninvasive option that can remove the fat and tone your silhouette during a regular office visit.

CoolSculpting uses a type of fat removal called cryolipolysis, which means “breakdown of fat by freezing.” Your doctor uses a handheld device to freeze the fat cells below the skin’s surface without damaging the skin or supporting structures.

When you lose weight through diet and exercise, your fat cells shrink but don’t go away, meaning they’re ripe for bulking up with more fat. CoolSculpting, on the other hand, actually destroys up to 20-25% of treated cells completely. That means there’s no chance of them growing larger over time. In the weeks and months after your treatment, your lymphatic system processes the dead cells and flushes them out of your system. You’re left with a slimmer and more toned body.

CoolSculpting is FDA-cleared to treat visible fat bulges in the following areas:

• Submental (under the chin)
• Thighs
• Abdomen and flanks
• Bra and back fat
• Under the buttocks (banana roll)
• Upper arm

We use different applicators for different areas. Good candidates for the treatment should eat a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise.

What is the CoolSculpting experience like?

When you come in for a CoolSculpting session, your provider places a gel pad on the treatment area, then applies the applicator over the pad. As the machine pulls up your tissue, you may experience some pressure, a “sucking” feeling, and intense cold, all of which go away as the skin becomes numb. The process takes about 35 minutes.

Immediately after your treatment, you can expect your skin to be red and firm, because the fat cells are frozen and crystallized. Your provider massages the treatment area to break down the fat cells, which helps flush them out of your system. It may be a bit uncomfortable, but the massage is an important part of the fat-reduction process.

Your skin may stay red for several hours, and you might experience some blanching (whitening) or bruising in the treatment area. This is completely normal, but if you’re uncomfortable, you can use over-the-counter acetaminophen for pain and ibuprofen for swelling. We encourage you to continue to eat a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise while you wait to see your results.

When can I see my CoolSculpting results?

Some people begin to see results from their CoolSculpting session in as little as three weeks, but you should expect major changes to begin appearing at around the two-month mark. That’s because it takes your lymphatic system time to flush out the debris. And since it continues to 

work on the problem for about six months, you’ll see continuing improvements over that amount of time. Be aware, though, that most people need several sessions, spaced a month apart, to achieve their aesthetic goals.

You’ll feel confident knowing the results from your CoolSculpting treatment are permanent because the process destroys your fat cells instead of just shrinking them. The only way you’ll gain fat in the areas we treat is if you gain a substantial amount of weight. That’s why you should continue with a healthy diet and exercise even after treatment.

Ready to finish off your weight loss journey? CoolSculpting might be just the thing for you. To learn more, or to schedule a consultation, call Ross Dermatology at any of our locations, or book online today. We can help.