The ULTIMATE GUIDE to CoolSculpting®
By now I’m sure you have heard a lot about CoolSculpting. However, many people have several questions about this new body-sculpting treatment. How much does CoolSculpting cost in Ottawa? What exactly is it? Does it hurt? Is it right for me?
If these things have crossed your mind, keep reading! Since we receive a ton of questions about CoolSculpting every day, we have created this detailed guide to help you learn more about the #1 most popular, non-surgical, fat-freezing technology.
CoolSculpting is based on the concept of cryolipolysis. ‘Cyro’ means to freeze, while ‘lipolysis’ means fat cell destruction, so CoolSculpting uses cold to kill fat.
It is a non-invasive, fat-eliminating procedure offered worldwide to people looking for a more sculpted body. Many people have just that little bit of extra fat that they would rather be gone. CoolSculpting can often be a great option for these patients to help them look and feel better by removing those unsightly bulges.
But does it actually work?
CoolSculpting has been shown in numerous studies to be an effective body contouring treatment option, decreasing fat by up to 20-25%. However, it’s important to remember, that like any procedure, results do vary between patients, and CoolSculpting is never a replacement for a healthy lifestyle.
Unlike other non-invasive, fat-reducing treatments, CoolSculpting can be used almost anywhere on the body. Whether it’s your love handles, chin fat, or inner thighs, CoolSculpting can target it. Since 2010, CoolSculpting has been used to eliminate fat in over 6,000,000 patients.
Harnessing the power of fat-freezing technology, CoolSculpting is the only Health Canada and FDA-approved treatment, which uses gentle and controlled cooling to kill fat cells.
Not all fat is created equal. Some fat on your body may be very resistant and difficult to lose with exercise and diet alone. This is where CoolSculpting really shines. CoolSculpting is an effective option designed to help you decrease resistant and unwanted fat “pockets” on several areas of your body.
CoolSculpting is presently the #1 non-surgical fat decreasing cosmetic treatment around the world. While results differ from person to person, CoolSculpting is backed by research in over 100 studies.
Is CoolSculpting for me?
CoolSculpting is ideal for people who have noticeable and undesired areas of fat that they would like reduced. Many patients desire a non-surgical fat-reduction treatment, and for this exact reasoning CoolSculpting’s popularity has increased dramatically since 2010.
CoolSculpting is not a weight-loss treatment and is not considered an overall weight reduction technique for people who are overweight or obese. Furthermore, CoolSculpting won’t treat cellulite or stretch marks.
As the name suggests, it ‘sculpts’, by helping your body remove underlying fat by up to 25%.
Finally, there are a few medical conditions that would preclude you from getting CoolSculpting. Therefore, it’s always best to have a detailed consultation with a physician or qualified practitioner to ensure that CoolSculpting is safe for you.
How does Coolsculpting® work?
How does CoolSculpting actually freeze fat, while leaving the skin unharmed? Your fat cells are much more sensitive to temperature changes than the other cells in your body and have a much higher ‘freezing’ temperature. This means that your fat freezes before normal healthy skin will.
CoolSculpting works by gradually cooling and destroying fat while leaving the outer surface of skin essentially unaffected. With mild but deliberate cooling, fat cells are permanently destroyed without harming the skin or other surrounding tissue in the process. Although frostbite and other side effects have been reported, they are rare.
The very unique concept behind CoolSculpting was created by scientists at Harvard University, and tailored for physicians to deliver evidence-based and effective results to patients desiring a more sculpted and contoured body. Who doesn’t want to say good-bye to their ‘muffin top’ or ‘love handles’?
How much does CoolSculpting cost in Ottawa?
CoolSculpting treatments are tailored and customized to each patient. Therefore the cost of CoolSculpting in Ottawa is partially dependent on the personalized plan and number of CoolSculpting treatments required to achieve the desired outcome.
CoolSculpting treatments in Ottawa generally cost as little as $600. However, individual CoolSculpting sessions may cost up to $1500 or more depending on the clinic and provider. Concept Medical offers one of the lowest cost CoolSculpting packages in Ottawa.
What should I expect during a CoolSculpting treatment?
After an in-depth consultation to ensure that you’re an appropriate candidate for Coolsculpting, a gel pad is first placed over the specific zones you wish to be treated.
A designated and qualified physician or technician trained in CoolSculpting will then place a customized applicator to the area where fat reduction is desired. This specific applicator delivers a consistent cooling temperature to your fat cells along with mild suction.
CoolSculpting is very quick, typically lasting only 35-45 minutes per area. After treatment, the area is then massaged for about 5 minutes to help the crystallized fat start to break apart. This also increases circulation to the treated area, which may improve your long-term results.
How long is each Coolsculpting treatment?
The duration of you CoolSculpting treatment session will vary depending on the number of areas being treated per visit. With recent advances in the latest CoolSculpting technology, sessions can be completed within as little as 35 minutes. Some patients even opt to have their treatments done over the lunch hour or prior to work in the morning. If multiple areas are being treated during the same session, your visit will be longer than 35 minutes.
Is CoolSculpting an effective weight loss tool?
CoolSculpting does not replace a healthy diet and regular exercise. While CoolSculpting is designed to destroy and reduce fat in different areas of the body where bulges of fat are undesired, it’s not a weight loss procedure.
Although you will likely look and feel better after CoolSculpting, most people remain the same weight before and after treatment.
CoolSculpting treatment will only target fat in the area being treated and will not decrease fat in surrounding areas, or other parts of your body.
How is losing weight and fat-reduction with CoolSculpting different?
When your body creates a fat cell, this cell will exist throughout your entire life. When you gain or lose weight through diet, exercise, or lifestyle choices, your fat cells will enlarge or shrink in size, but never disappear.
In other words, the total number of fat cells you have in your body will never decrease, but only increase in size should you gain weight. As you gain weight, more fat cells are created.
This is why CoolSculpting is such an interesting treatment. CoolSculpting completely destroys fat cells, preventing them from storing fat in the future. CoolSculpting has the potential of eliminating up to 25% of treated fat within a single treatment. This means that if you can pinch 4 inches of fat between your fingers, after treatment you may only be able to pinch 3 inches. There is a reason why CoolSculpting is the world’s #1 non-surgical fat-reducing technology.
What areas of my body can be treated with CoolSculpting?
Approved by Health Canada for fat reduction and elimination, CoolSculpting can be used almost anywhere on the body. For example, CoolSculpting can be applied to reduce unwanted fat on your abdomen, ‘muffin top’, ‘love handles’, back, thighs, arms, and even under the chin.
Due to CoolSculpting’s customizable applicators, treatment can be fully tailored to each patient’s specific problem areas. If you can pinch it, you can freeze it.
Is CoolSculpting similar to liposuction?
No. CoolSculpting and liposuction are very different procedures, although they both can eliminate fat.
Liposuction is a surgical treatment where fat cells are sucked out of the treatment zone. Liposuction is the gold standard for fat elimination and provides the most dramatic results. However, liposuction is surgical, and associated with more downtime than CoolSculpting, as well as surgical risks.
There are risks associated with CoolSculpting as well, and these should be discussed with you in detail during your consultation.
Will I lose weight with CoolSculpting?
CoolSculpting is not designed as a weight loss option but rather used to treat stubborn and resistant pockets of fat that poorly respond to exercise and diet alone.
While you won’t see pounds dropping when you step on the bathroom scale, you should see a more contoured and toned appearance in the areas that have been treated with CoolSculpting.
Where does the fat go after CoolSculpting?
After your CoolSculpting treatment, the fat cells that have been targeted die and are then removed from your body, through your own circulation process. This natural elimination of fat cells will take a couple of weeks to a few months after your CoolSculpting treatment, which is why it takes time to see results.
One question often asked is if CoolSculpting changes the level of fat in the blood. It is important to note that fat and cholesterol levels in the blood stream do not appear to increase after your treatment.
What will I feel during my CoolSculpting® Treatment?
Not surprisingly, CoolSculpting is pretty chilly! You should feel considerably cold on the area being treated. This sensation will last about 5 minutes as the area being targeted becomes numb. At Concept Medical, our first patient actually fell asleep during her treatment!
CoolSculpting also uses a unique suction technology that allows the coolness to deeply penetrate into your fat cells. Most patients feel a slight pulling sensation on the skin during treatment.
Many patients enjoy reading or spend the treatment time on their phone or iPad. Others choose to shut their eyes and nap or rest during their treatments.
Following treatment, there may be some mild discomfort and numbness, although this is typically minimal, and usually resolves.
Is CoolSculpting safe for me?
While a detailed consultation is necessary prior to treatment to ensure that CoolSculpting is right and safe for you, CoolSculpting is both Health Canada and FDA-cleared for the treatment of visible fat bulges throughout the body.
CoolSculpting carries an excellent safety profile and has been studied in over 100 scientific studies. However, like any cosmetic treatment, there are possible adverse effects.
CoolSculpting systems are created with sensitive safety sensors that can detect if the skin is getting too cold. In this infrequent case, the system will shut off to ensure your safety and help prevent skin damage.
However, although CoolSculpting is considered safe, side effects infrequently do occur.
Will my CoolSculpting result be permanent?
Yes! CoolSculpting is considered a permanent fat reduction technology. Fat cells that are treated and destroyed are not expected to regrow. However, there is one catch. The results are only permanent if you control your weight with a healthy diet and exercise. CoolSculpting should not be a replacement for a healthy lifestyle that includes adequate exercise and healthy foods. Long lasting improvements to your physique (and overall health) depend on your lifestyle choices!
I can’t miss work. Can I return to my normal activities after CoolSculpting?
Absolutely! One of the nice things about CoolSculpting is that you can return to your normal activities after treatment, as there isn’t any specific recovery time necessary. There are no activity limitations following CoolSculpting.
CoolSculpting is completely non-surgical. Therefore, patients can return to their normal daily activities immediately following treatments. Patients undergoing CoolSculpting at Concept Medical usually return to work on the same day as treatment.
I have an event coming up. How soon will I see results?
Some patients may notice positive results from CoolSculpting within 1 month following their first treatment, although most will notice more considerable results 3 months after their sessions.
Depending on the areas being treated, people may require two CoolSculpting sessions to achieve the optimal and desired results. Treatment sessions are usually booked 4-6 weeks apart, when required.
After my CoolSculpting treatment, is there anything I should do to increase my results?
While there isn’t a set recommended plan to follow after your CoolSculpting treatment, following a healthy diet and modest exercise routine can help maintain a healthy body weight and thus maintain your results. Most patients also see CoolSculpting as an investment, and want to hold onto their results. Therefore many patients are even more motivated to have a healthy lifestyle following their treatments.
When is the ideal time to have CoolSculpting?
While you can receive CoolSculpting at any time during the year, many patient choose to book CoolSculpting prior to attending a special event, such as a wedding or vacation to look and feel their best.
It is recommended to book your CoolSculpting treatment at least three months in advance to your big event. Results are not visible until approximately 4 weeks afterwards and fat loss peaks around 12 weeks following treatment, so ensure you plan ahead if you have a big event on the horizon.
We hope that this guide has allowed you a detailed look into CoolSculpting, and has answered most of your questions or concerns. For more information about CoolSculpting in Ottawa or to book your consultation, please contact our office.