CoolSculpting: 3 Body Areas to Target

A healthy diet and consistent exercise are both essential when it comes to working on a beach-ready physique. Despite these two factors, sometimes certain areas of stubborn fat just won’t succumb to the efforts.

When conventional means just won’t cut it, an extra step can be necessary. Rather than using surgery to remove fat – as is done with liposuction – a nonsurgical fat reduction procedure like CoolSculpting can help to eradicate that exercise-resistant fat once and for all.

CoolSculpting is a non-invasive procedure used to freeze areas of fat on the body. Fat freezing is known as cryolipolysis, and it can be used to attack areas of fat cells without actually damaging other cells in the area. To achieve cryolipolysis, CoolSculpting involves a three-step process.

First, a cooling panel uses suction to pull the skin of the target area into solid contact with the cooling surface. Next, the cooling process begins by being directed downward into the skin. The temperature is precisely equal to the freezing point of fat cells, while not freezing adjacent tissue cells that freeze at a higher temperature. Exposure to this freezing causes fat cell apoptosis (a natural, controlled cell death). The body sends cytokines and other inflammatory mediators to the area to gradually digest the dead fat cells in the weeks following the CoolSculpting session. The, lipids from the dead fat cells are slowly released and transported by the lymphatic system to be processed and eliminated from the body, in the same manner that fat in food is eliminated. It takes anywhere from three to 12 weeks for the body to permanently remove the dead fat cells.

Some areas of the body are a better fit for CoolSculpting than others, especially with it being summer. CoolSculpting is an ideal procedure for an individual who is generally within 30 pounds of their ideal weight and is looking to target more specific, stubborn areas, rather than an all-over approach. More specifically, the thighs, abdominal area, and back are three areas where a patient may be better off using CoolSculpting rather than an invasive fat-removing procedure, such as liposuction.

The Thighs

With summer comes bathing suit season, and this means exposing a lot more skin. Men often have the ability to cover up a lot of the leg area with certain bathing suite styles. For women, however, even one-piece bathing suits can leave the upper leg area exposed. Even if you are in good health and you are maintaining a relatively healthy weight, you might struggle to sculpt and target fat loss on your inner or outer thighs. Both areas are fairly tricky parts of the body to target, so enlisting the help of CoolSculpting could help to address the issue.

The Abdominal Area

The abdominal area is easily the leading target patients have in mind when they visit a plastic surgeon to ask about liposuction or other fat-removing procedures. This is the area of the body where fat tends to congregate most easily, and it is difficult to get rid of these fat stores once they develop. The reason that CoolSculpting may be more beneficial in this case is the fact that it is a non-invasive treatment. There will be no incisions to worry about, so you will feel more comfortable when it comes time to put on your bathing suit. Also, the process required for a CoolSculpting treatment is far quicker and requires little to no downtime, meaning you won’t have to miss any family vacations or time spent enjoying the outdoors.

The Back

Your back is usually not an area of your body that you see on a day to day basis. This being said, it is as area that can sometimes be forgotten in both the gym and the mirror. That’s why a last minute, non-invasive fix like CoolSculpting may be a great option to target any unwanted back fat. Additionally, you won’t have to deal with scars, meaning you won’t have to keep covering up this area when picking out what to wear. Regardless of the area you choose to target, CoolSculpting results in a 20 to 23% decrease in fat cells in the treatment area over the months following your session at Annapolis Plastic Surgery.

Even though we’re right in the midst of these hot summer months, that doesn’t mean that you can’t freeze some of that unwanted fat away with CoolSculpting. Schedule a free consultation today at Annapolis Plastic Surgery to learn more about this non-invasive procedure and find out if you are a good candidate.