One of the most common questions I hear at the front desk is: “Have you tried it?”
And I totally understand why. It’s hard to commit to a new treatment when you don’t know anyone who’s tried it and can give you all the real details!
Luckily, with the collective experience of our amazing team of staff members, we’ve tried just about every service that we offer. We know exactly how each treatment feels, what is involved with the aftercare, and what you need to do to prepare. And we also know how amazing the results are!
Recently, I scheduled some time with Beauty Nurse Lauren, our Coolsculpting expert, for a personalized treatment. So next time you ask if I’ve had it done, I can give you the full scoop on what it’s like.
If you’re not familiar with CoolSculpting, it’s a nonsurgical treatment that uses freezing technology to get rid of stubborn areas of fat. It’s not intended as a weight loss tool, but rather for sculpting the trouble areas that just won’t disappear—regardless of how many kale salads you devotedly consume and how many 5Ks you run each month. I always kind of thought that CoolSculpting sounded like a bit of a hoax: Way too good to be true, right? But for years now, I’ve seen so many patients leave the clinic with amazing results, and I know it’s the real deal.
One thing I learned in my consultation with Lauren is that once you reach adolescence, your body already has all the fat cells it is ever going to have. These fat cells are genetically predisposed to settle in different areas of your body and will grow and shrink throughout your lifetime. What CoolSculpting does is eliminate some of these fat cells. It can’t stop the remaining cells from growing and shrinking, but you’ll have levelled the playing field by getting rid of some of them! CoolSculpting can be done in many areas of the body, including bra fat, back, arms, thighs, knees, chin, abdomen, and flanks. Generally, patients see a 20-25% reduction of fat in the treated areas.
Interested? Well yeah, of course you are! This is basically magic, except that it’s actually science.
But there are a few things you need to know before you start planning to freeze those fat cells away forever. First, you need to have a consultation with Lauren to determine if you are a candidate. Second, if you are, create a treatment plan for your needs.
Consultations for Coolsculpting are free and Lauren is an absolute pleasure to spend time with. She’s both sweet and hilarious, and she will be honest about whether this treatment is right for you or not. She’s also had it done herself, so she knows exactly what’s what.
Pricing can vary a fair bit depending on how many treatments you need in each area, so giving a price range without meeting you first can be difficult. We do offer package discounts: The more treatments you do, the higher the discount! The other thing to be aware of is that Coolsculpting results do NOT happen overnight. You’re looking at about 2-3 months before you start to see the results of your body naturally processing those fat cells. So, if you’re wanting to sculpt for an event or a vacation, plan ahead!
Now we get to the stuff you really want to know. Let me start by telling you right out of the gate that Coolsculpting is not painful. Everyone asks if it hurts, and the answer is, “No, not really!
In fact, I took a short nap during one of my treatment rounds! The worst parts of the whole process were when Lauren drew on me with a fine tip marker to mark the treatment areas—because I’m highly ticklish—and the shock of the cold, goopy gel pad that goes under the applic
ator onto my skin. The rest of the process was a breeze: Lauren carefully applied the appropriate applicator and it felt like a vacuum, sucking my skin in and grabbing hold. When the machine was turned on, the cold built in intensity over 10-15 minutes and then I was comfortably numb in that localized area.
I got settled in the big CoolSculpting chair with lots of pillows and blankets, Lauren made me a delicious cup of tea, and then I found myself with a couple of hours to relax. Each treatment is 35 minutes long and I highly recommend you get cozy in your sweats, bring along some snacks, and prepare to “Netflix and Chill” (See what I did there?).
When the treatment ended, the applicator came off and my skin started to thaw out, resulting in a tingly burn for a few minutes. Lauren then massaged the treatment area for about 2 minutes (This is a super important part of the process!) and it wasn’t painful, but it felt like she was rubbing over an old bruise that was still slightly tender. She wiped off the goop from the gel pad, I changed back into my work clothes, and went right back down to the desk for the rest of the day.
The best part about Coolsculpting is that there is no downtime.
I found that my treatment areas were a little bit tender for a few days, but this didn’t interfere with any of my usual routine: I was still able to exercise, wear my usual clothes, and go about life as usual.
Numbness in the area is normal for up to 6 weeks after the treatment, and I did find the first few days of this a little bit weird—but soon got used to it. I have photos scheduled with Lauren at 30, 60, and 90 days to track my progress, and I can’t wait to see my results!
If CoolSculpting is something you’ve been thinking about, contact us online or give us a call at (519) 746-1132 and I’ll help you set up a free consultation with Lauren. Now that you know what to expect, there’s nothing stopping you!
