For decades, liposuction was the only fat removal option on the market. Today, there are other options besides surgery, including CoolSculpting, a fat removal treatment that is increasingly being seen as the gold standard in fat removal. At ALC Medspa in Gurnee, IL, we are excited to offer our clients this body contouring treatment. If you are concerned about stubborn pockets of fat, read on to discover how this treatment works, who it can help, and more.
CoolSculpting eliminates stubborn pockets of subcutaneous fat from targeted areas of the body by freezing the fat cells to death. When you come in for your treatment session, we will evaluate the areas of concern to make sure that there is no irritation at the planned treatment sites. If they are free from irritation, we will clean them and apply a protective gel. Then, the cryolipolysis device will be placed on one of the targeted areas.
It will draw up fat pockets using gentle suction to help target as much subcutaneous adipose tissue as possible. Additionally, the device’s panels will cool the targeted area until the subcutaneous fat cells crystallize and undergo apoptosis. In other words, the fat cells are killed. Over time, your body’s natural waste removal (lymphatic) system will process the dead fat cells and eliminate them when you exhale, urinate, and sweat.
Your aesthetic goals, your body mass, and the amount of excess fat in your areas of concern are just a few factors that affect how many sessions are required to achieve satisfactory results. If you are already at your goal weight, you may only need one treatment session to achieve satisfactory results. However, two sessions may be necessary depending on your body fat distribution.
If you are fairly overweight though, you may need to treat each area of concern five or six times to achieve your desired aesthetic. During your initial consultation, we will gain an understanding of your goals and evaluate your current contours so that we can advise you on how many sessions you can expect to need.
Typically, treatment sessions are scheduled around a month or two apart. The reason that there are several weeks between appointments is that your lymphatic system needs time to eliminate the fat cells destroyed during the previous session. This usually takes between six and eight weeks, but it can happen in as few as four weeks depending on several factors, including the amount of fat destroyed during treatment and the lifestyle choices you make after each treatment session.
Supporting your lymphatic system as much as possible is necessary if you want to see your fat removal results as quickly as possible. One great way to do this is to stay hydrated. If your urine is consistently pale, you don’t need to worry about doing anything differently. If your urine is dark, you need to increase your intake of hydrating fluids by drinking such beverages as water, coffee, or tea.
Another effective step you can take to support your lymphatic system is to get at least 30 minutes of moderate cardio most days. Aerobic exercise supports your cardiovascular system, a crucial system that bolsters the efficiency of your lymphatic system. If possible, find time five days each week to get 60 minutes of moderate cardio or 30 minutes of vigorous cardio. The more aerobic exercise you get, the better off you will be.
CoolSculpting may be a good fit for you if you are close to your ideal weight but struggling with stubborn pockets of excess fat that will not budge despite a healthy diet and regular exercise routine. You need to attend an initial consultation to verify that this treatment is appropriate for you, but it is safe and effective for most people.
You will be considered a poor fit for this treatment if it will be unsafe or ineffective for you. It will be deemed unsafe if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or suffering from a medical condition that causes extreme cold sensitivity, like Raynaud’s disease.
You may not be able to achieve satisfactory results if you are underweight because there is a minimal amount of pinchable fat necessary for this treatment to be effective. Similarly, you may not be able to remove enough fat to feel confident in your appearance if you suffer from obesity.
One of the most compelling benefits of this treatment is that it is non-surgical. This treatment doesn’t require any incisions to provide astonishing results, so there is no need for general anesthesia or local anesthesia and a sedative. Since drugs that affect your alertness are not required, you will be able to drive yourself back to work as soon as your treatment is complete and we have reviewed your aftercare guidelines.
Another thing to love about this treatment is that it is easy to recover from. Due to the non-invasive nature of this treatment, you don’t have to wait months for your skin to heal from incisions. Most people don’t even need to take time off from work. While there are certain restrictions on activities for six to eight weeks following surgery, you will only have to make some modifications to your routine for a brief period.
For example, you will need to avoid the consumption of alcoholic beverages for seven days following your treatment. As another example, you will need to avoid excessive heat exposure for 48 hours following your treatment. Moreover, for 48 hours post-treatment, you will need to avoid strenuous exercise.
Another extremely compelling benefit of this treatment is that it provides long-lasting results. In fact, the fat removal results of this treatment are permanent. Once your body is fully developed, it can’t grow any new fat cells. However, you should keep in mind that this treatment only removes approximately one quarter to four-fifths of the subcutaneous fat cells in your targeted areas.
This treatment’s versatility is another reason people love it. CoolSculpting is commonly used to remove excess subcutaneous abdominal fat, but it has many more applications. As long as there is neither too much nor too little subcutaneous fat in an area of concern, this treatment can destroy a significant percentage of it.
Another great thing about this treatment is that it is extremely safe. The FDA has reviewed the results of numerous independent clinical trials and approved its use for most normal weight or overweight adults. Remember, we will discuss your medical history thoroughly to ensure that there are no contraindications, so you don’t have to worry about having a bad reaction to the treatment.
You should also know that this fat removal treatment is extremely convenient. Individual experiences vary, but you should not expect your treatment sessions to take more than an hour to complete. In some cases, treatment sessions can even be completed in just 35 minutes. We will give you a better idea of how long you can expect each appointment to take once we understand your goals and evaluate your current body fat distribution.
One of the most significant factors affecting how long each session will take is the number of areas being treated during each appointment. Your session may take over an hour if you need to treat three or four large areas with lots of subcutaneous fat. However, you should keep in mind that you won’t need to dedicate as much time to CoolSculpting treatments as you would for liposuction, a fat removal process that can require four to seven hours including observation.
CoolSculpting can enhance the appearance of targeted contours by freezing a lot of the localized fat cells to death. Once apoptosis has occurred, your lymphatic system will slowly process and eliminate the dead adipose tissue, leading to permanent fat removal. If you think you could benefit from this non-invasive fat removal treatment, contact us now at ALC Medspa in Gurnee, IL to schedule your initial consultation and find out if it is a good fit for you.
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