Non-Surgical Body Contouring with CoolSculpting
Dr. Elisa Burgess is proud to offer CoolSculpting®, a non-invasive and non-surgical method of fat reduction in the Portland, Oregon area. This treatment decreases the amount of fat cells and has very little downtime. CoolSculpting® is FDA cleared for fat reduction to any pinchable area of fat on the abdomen, flanks, inner/outer thigh, under the chin, and upper arms. So if you have a problem spot you can’t get rid of, CoolSculpting® is your answer!
Be sure to schedule a one-on-one consultation with Dr. Burgess today by calling 503-699-6464 to determine whether you are a candidate for the procedure!
CoolSculpting FAQs
CoolSculpting® works by a process called Cryolipolysis®. This process occurs by applying a targeted cooling process to the fat cells in a specific area on the body. The fat cells exposed to this cooling process begin to die over the next few weeks and are absorbed through the body’s own immune response. It is reported that over 20% of fat cells are decreased after a treatment.
During CoolSculpting treatments, you will find yourself comfortable and relaxed as your fat cells are treated. A gel pad is placed on the treatment area to protect your skin from the suction/cooling handpiece. The provider will apply the handpiece to the desired area and then select the correct treatment. For the first 5-10 minutes there will be a strong sensation of suction to the treatment area. This sensation will subside as the cooling process begins and the area becomes numb from the cooling. Each treatment area will differ in length. On average, each area is about 1 hour and several treatment areas may be necessary.
Once the treatment is initiated and the cooling process begins, patients are welcome to read, listen to music, or take a relaxing nap.
Coolsculpting is FDA-cleared to treat stubborn fat in 8 areas of the body. These areas are the abdomen, back fat, bra fat, love handles (or flanks), upper arms, under the chin, underneath the buttocks (banana roll), as well as the inner and outer thighs. It is also FDA-cleared to affect the appearance of lax tissue under the chin.
Yes! Coolsculpting is a safe and effective non-surgical way to get rid of stubborn pockets of fat with little to no downtime. There have been over 6 million treatments of Coolsculpting performed worldwide. What we love about Coolsculpting is that the machine is very smart. There are sensors embedded in the applicator that continuously monitor the skin and temperature during the treatment. These sensors send feedback to the machine to adjust the cooling throughout the treatment and give feedback to the provider through a paging system. If for some reason the temperature isn’t perfect or the applicator moves off the treatment area, the provider will be notified, and the treatment will stop. It will also notify the provider when the treatment is complete.
No. Coolsculpting uses controlled cooling to gently target fat cells and cool these cells, causing them to freeze and then die. In the weeks that follow, your body will slowly and naturally process out these dead fat cells and eliminate them out of the body. Liposuction is typically performed in the hospital under general anesthesia and involves making small incisions over the area of concern, injecting a diluted anesthetic fluid, and inserting a narrow suction tube into the fat layer to carefully remove the fat. Liposuction does have some down time while Coolsculpting does not. However, the results of Coolsculpting are not as fast or dramatic as liposuction. For many patients this is ideal, as they would like to avoid the recovery time and pain that is associated with surgical procedures.
This depends on the area of treatment and how much excess fatty tissue there is as everyone’s body is unique. Each application will reduce the treated area by 20-25%. Some patients may desire more reduction and can re-treat these areas as long as there is enough pinchable fat.
It can take anywhere from 8-12 weeks to see the results of Coolsculpting with some patients continuing to see reduction up to 16 weeks after treatment. Occasionally, we have some patients that report noticing results as early as 6 weeks after treatment.
You will feel a gentle tugging or pulling sensation when the applicator is applied and then the tissue will get cold and go numb. The massage after the treatment can feel similar to the sensation when your foot falls asleep.
As the cooling is applied, it will target the fat cells causing them to undergo a natural cell death called Apoptosis. The body will then send in macrophages to eat up the fat cells that have died and slowly process them out through the liver and into your waste over the coming weeks. This is a natural removal as the fat cells are gently eliminated through the body’s normal metabolism process.
Ideal candidates are patients who maintain a healthy weight and are relatively fit but have modest-size stubborn pockets of fat that are not easily reduced through diet and exercise. These patients are looking for spot treatment of specific areas of fat, but are not considering a surgical procedure. They understand that Coolsculpting is not intended for weight loss or obesity.
Coolsculpting is completely non-invasive treatment with no downtime which allows patients to return to normal activities such as work and exercise immediately after treatment. Patients can expect to see redness in the treatment area which may last from a few minutes to a few hours. There can also be swelling and/or bruising in the treatment area which typically resolves within a few weeks after treatment. Many patients will experience a temporary dulling of sensation (numbness) in the treatment area that can last anywhere from a week to a couple months.
Why Choose Burgess Plastic Surgery For CoolSculpting?
We offer a team of highly trained Registered Nurses who are all graduates of Coolsculpting University. Coolsculpting University is an elite program designed to fully immerse practitioners in the theory and practice of Coolsculpting procedures. Through both lectures and hands-on education, our providers have gone over every aspect of the procedure from consults, to 360 degree patient assessment, to treatment at Coolsculpting University. We have been performing Coolsculpting at Burgess Plastic Surgery since 2014, which means that we have long term outcomes and results for our patients. We are also in the prestigious Coolsculpting Club 1,000! This means we have done over 1,000 Coolsculpting treatments. Working for a plastic surgeon, we are trained with an eye for body contouring and attention to detail. We customize treatments plans based on a patient’s individual goals.
We also address skin laxity at our office. While Coolsculpting does a great job at getting rid of stubborn fat bulges, some patients may choose to layer their treatment with another device that can help tighten the skin. We offer a treatment called Fire and Ice in which a patient will have ThermiSmooth radiofrequency to the treatment area first for skin tightening and, at the same appointment, we will then apply the Coolsculpting applicator to the area of concern to address the fat. We also have ThermiTight radiofrequency treatments that we may recommend to further improve skin laxity. Finally, we include acoustic massage using Slimspec with all of our Coolsculpting treatments to further improve your results.
Book a Personalized CoolSculpting Consultation in Lake Oswego, OR!
CoolSculpting can help to bring out the washboard abs or that hourglass figure that is hiding behind those stubborn lumps and bumps of fat. Many of our Portland CoolSculpting patients feel more confident with their new bodies and are excited when that old shirt or dress that was once too tight now fits like a dream.
Ready for Your CoolSculpting Treatment? Contact our office to schedule your consultation! Call 503-699-6464 today or fill out the form in our contact page.
