Some of the basics of CoolSculpting
At this point, who hasn’t heard of CoolSculpting? There are billboards, TV ads, and online ads for it just about everywhere. However, there are still many people who don’t exactly know what CoolSculpting is. That’s okay. It’s still a fairly new treatment, so no one would expect you to be an expert in it at this point. That’s we at the NIMA Institute are here for. We focus pretty heavily on education, so we want to help you understand CoolSculpting a little bit better. Let’s go over some of the basics of CoolSculpting together.
An overview of CoolSculpting in general
Of course, we should start at the beginning, meaning that we should define what CoolSculpting is and how it works to start with.
As you may or may not already know, there is a certain point for each kind of cell in the body that is known as the freezing point. This is a temperature where it is so completely frozen that it can’t recover. The damage from the cold is too much and the cell dies. This point is different for each cell. Some freeze at really cold temperatures, while others freeze at relatively warm temperatures. Fat cells are among the ones that freeze at relatively warm temperatures. In fact, their freezing point is so warm that the temperature doesn’t really do anything to the skin and muscle cells that surround the fat cells. This is the idea that lies behind CoolSculpting. It is the idea that if you expose an area with excess fat to that temperature for a particular period of time it will kill the fat but leave the skin and muscle alone. But this one its own doesn’t do enough to explain how CoolSculpting works. So, let’s go over what a CoolSculpting session is like.
CoolSculpting sessions always start with the same thing: preparation. Your CoolSculpting technician will get you prepped for your session by get you seated in the chair in a way that makes the area you want to focus on (usually called the target area) is readily available. Then they will get the protective pad in place. It’s not uncommon for people to hear the phrase “protective pad” and get a little nervous, worrying that CoolSculpting isn’t safe. But CoolSculpting is one of the only weight loss treatments that is actually approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This pad is just an added precaution to make sure that the treatment really is as safe as possible.
Once everything is ready to go, your CoolSculpting tech will put the CoolSculpting applicator in place and set it to run for a predetermined period of time. During this time there are a few things you should be aware of. One is that you may feel some odd sensations. At first it may be a slight tugging or pinching feeling. The after a little while that feeling will go away as the area starts to numb. Both the pinching and numbing sensations are very normal responses to being exposed to the cold and neither are something to worry about. The numbing will go away a little while after the session is over. The other thing that you should know about the time when the CoolSculpting applicator is running is that you don’t have to do anything. As long as you stay in your chair, you can do whatever. Many people use this as an opportunity to catch up on some reading or a few Z’s.
Once the predetermined period of time has passed, your CoolSculpting tech will remove everything from the target area and massage it a little. This helps warm up the area and get rid of the numbness faster, but it also helps break up the frozen cells. Then that’s it. Once your session is over, there is nothing else you need to do until your next session. That is one of the best things about CoolSculpting. After each session you just get to go back to your life. Doesn’t that make things easy?
One thing that should be noted about CoolSculpting is that you’re not going to notice results right away. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months for you to notice any real effects from your CoolSculpting. So, be sure to be patient. You need to give your body time to get rid of the dead cells.
Going over who can and can’t get CoolSculpting done
Now that we’ve covered how CoolSculpting works, let’s talk about who CoolSculpting works for, because it isn’t everyone.
The first thing to know is that CoolSculpting is made for those who are just about to their target weight but have been struggling with some stubborn fat. It is a way to help get rid of some small pockets of fat that you find in places like the back and the stomach. It is not made to help with bigger, denser areas of fat. That means that it will not work on those who have been diagnosed with obesity.
The other group that can’t get CoolSculpting done is anyone who has a condition that makes them sensitive to cold. This includes things like Raynaud’s disease, cold agglutinin disease, paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria, or cryoglobulinemia. CoolSculpting could cause some serious side effects for those who have any of these conditions. If you’re not sure if CoolSculpting is right for you, talk to your doctor first. They should know if that is safe for you.
So, those are the basics of CoolSculpting. Of course, there are still some things that should be known, and you probably still have some questions. That’s why we here at NIMA offer a free consultation before you get any CoolSculpting done. During this consultation you will learn more about CoolSculpting, figure out if it’s right for you, and where your target areas may be. Now that you armed with more knowledge of what CoolSculpting is, you may be interested in getting it done. So, why not schedule your free consultation today? Can you get CoolSculpting on your arms?
