Liposuction VS CoolSculpting: Here’s the Skinny

So, you’ve got some areas of fat that just don’t seem to budge. You know, the ones that always get your attention in the mirror and that seem to resist diet and exercise. Yes, those ones. And you’d prefer them gone, right?But the thought of having someone slice into you to remove those unwanted fat bulges, even just a teeny tiny bit, makes your face screw up and your entire body shiver in fear. Which is understandable!Pretty much nobody likes going under the knife, so in my book, if there’s an alternative that will be just as effective (and in some cases, more effective!), I think you should know about it!Back to those hard to budge places of fat...Fortunately there is now a way to remove those stubborn bulges with no surgical knives, compression garments or drainage tubes in sight. Sounds good to me!Liposuction used to be the ‘go to’ procedure, but as a client said to me recently “I just don’t want to go through all of that if I don’t have to.”

The Procedure: Surgery VS Non-invasive

As opposed to liposuction, CoolSculpting® is a non-invasive procedure that doesn't require anesthesia at all. Here’s how it works:

1. The CoolSculpting system uses a transparent gel pad that is placed over the treatment area.
2. Suction is activated in the cooling head and placed over the gel pad.
3. The fatty area is pulled into the head. The machine has a base that cools the liquid flowing through the headpiece, therefore, freezing the fat cells without harming the skin
4. After 35-45 minutes (depending on the area treated) the cooling head is removed, and the cooled area is massaged briefly to break up the frozen fat cells.

Liposuction is comparatively a more aggressive treatment of the two, allowing more fat to be removed in a single session and is based on the principle of negative pressure:

1. Small incisions (around an eighth of an inch) are made to access the fatty bulge.
2. IV fluid is put into the area to loosen the fat, and local anesthetic is used to numb the area.
3. The surgeon then inserts a cannula and turns on the suction after enough fluid is injected.
4. Small, round, yellow lobules pass down the plastic tubing from the body and are collected a plastic canister.
5. The surgeon tailors and sculpts by moving the cannula throughout the fatty bulge from different incision sites.
6. General anesthesia is required for most areas, another risk, requiring more expense to you.

Downtime: Zero VS 3-6 Weeks

One of the best things about CoolSculpting® is there NO downtime. You can walk in, have your treatment, and then meet a friend for coffee!Depending on what kind of anesthesia you have and how extensive your liposuction surgery, the comparative downtime is a few days with some activity restrictions for 3 to 6 weeks. 

Treatments & Discomfort: It Depends...

One of the advantages of CoolSculpting® is that it destroys the fat cells and your body eliminates them over time naturally, as opposed to invasively removing them with Liposuction.Both liposuction and CoolSculpting®  take a couple of months to see the final result. There is very little  discomfort with Coolsculpting compared to the pain experienced  post liposuction, although some swelling and tenderness is expected.The number of CoolSculpting® treatments needed varies and depends on your size and shape. If you have a small defined bulge, you may only need one CoolSculpting® treatment with the appropriate number of applicators to cover the area.  For larger areas with more volume, we recommend multiple treatments for the best results. With liposuction, you can target multiple areas at once and remove larger amounts of excess fat, possibly making the number of treatments less, but your recovery time is definitely longer.

What Areas is CoolSculpting Best at Targeting?

CoolSculpting® is ideal for your midsection, sides, outer thighs, inner thighs, upper arms, back and chin.Liposuction may be better if you are looking to address bigger areas in one treatment, have excess loose skin requiring plastic surgery along with liposuction, and are within 10 pounds of your ideal weight.

Please Just Give Me the Skinny!

Downside of Liposuction:

●      Surgical Risk

●      Downtime

●      Compression Garments Leave Creases In Skin

●      Small Areas Per Treatment, Costing More $$

●      General Anesthesia

Benefits of CoolSculpting:

●      Non-Invasive Procedure

●      No Downtimes

●      No Garments; Leaving Smooth Skin

●      Large Treatment Areas, Costing Less $$

So that’s the skinny on CoolSculpting® VS liposuction.  A phone call to schedule a FREE consultation to evaluate the area(s) you want treated is the best!That way, together we can come up with a treatment plan that is specific to you, your goals, available time and budget. Because ultimately it depends on what you want, how you feel about the treatments options, and what your priorities are.And in the meantime, post a comment below and let us know if you’ve had experience with either treatment and what your advice would be to your fellow ladies!