Losing weight isn’t easy, and the older you get, the more difficult it can become. Unfortunately, whether you’re in your prime or cruising into your golden years, weight doesn’t always come off the way we want. Stubborn pockets of diet and exercise-resistant fat can accumulate around your body which can be difficult to get rid of. At River Region Dermatology and Laser in Montgomery, AL, we may have the answer you seek by way of CoolSculpting treatment.
What Is CoolSculpting?
Also known as cryolipolysis, it is an FDA-approved, state-of-the-art treatment for addressing unwanted pockets of diet and exercise-resistant fat. Through the use of gradual cooling, subcutaneous fat cells are frozen and crystallized, after which they die off and are eliminated from the body through urine. As the fat cells are eliminated, the treatment area becomes increasingly sculpted.
Does CoolSculpting Really Get Rid of Fat for Good?
Yes, the fat cells that are frozen and expelled from the body are gone for good. However, not every fat cell in the treated area will die off – though that’s normal and won’t affect your end results. To understand how cryolipolysis works to permanently rid your body of fat, it’s important to first understand the types of fat found in your body, and how they are burned off during weight loss.
Types of Body Fat
Visceral Fat
Visceral fat sits deep within your body and surrounds your organs and muscle tissue. Visceral fat helps insulate and protect your vital organs and is firm to the touch. The areas of your body where visceral fat accumulates will depend on your genetics. For example, fat generally accumulates around the abdomen in men and around the thighs and buttocks in women. However, sometimes the opposite can be true. It all depends.
Visceral fat is highly responsive to diet and exercise. When you hit the gym and eat healthily, the weight you lose will come primarily from visceral fat.
Subcutaneous Fat
Subcutaneous fat sits just below your skin and is very difficult to eliminate via diet and exercise alone. The reason for this is two-fold. The first reason is that diet and exercise typically target visceral fat as opposed to subcutaneous fat. The second reason is that subcutaneous fat tends to accumulate in specific areas, and it’s impossible to target these areas alone for weight loss unless you seek outside help in the form of cosmetic treatments.
How Cryolipolysis Eliminates Fat for Good
As mentioned, the only way to “spot target” problem areas is with outside help in the form of cosmetic treatments, and CoolSculpting is easily one of the most effective on the market. Treatment involves the use of a paddle-shaped applicator that fits around the area in which you want to eliminate fat. Suction is used to keep the targeted area within the applicator paddles. Treatment begins when the paddles start to cool your skin.
Why Does Treatment Result in Permanent Fat Loss?
Not everyone has the same number of fat cells in their body. As you grow, your body will continue to produce fat cells until you’re about 25. After that, weight gain and weight loss are due to the expanding and contracting of fat cells – not the generation of additional cells. Because of this, the fat cells destroyed by cryolipolysis are gone for good.
That being said, just because your fat cells are removed permanently won’t result in the treated area remaining sculpted forever. If you gain additional weight after treatment, the remaining fat cells in the treated area will expand once again and will compromise your results. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle post-treatment can help keep your body looking young and sculpted for years.
There are some other key benefits as well, though:
Less Invasive Than Other Options
Cryolipolysis is 100% non-invasive. Treatment doesn’t involve any injections, incisions, or anything else that breaks the surface of your skin. At most, you may notice some redness from the paddles but that will quickly dissipate.
The treatment lasts about 30 minutes, though it can take longer if you choose to treat more than one area. The combination of zero downtime and short treatments means you can stop in for treatment and then continue on with your day. Many patients choose to come in on their lunch break.
The Results Are Natural-Looking
Every cosmetic surgery seeks to take what you have and make it better fit your aesthetic goals. Cryolipolysis results in a natural-looking body contour over time as dead fat cells are eliminated from your body.
Increase Your Self-Confidence
Working hard in the gym to sculpt the body you want can be discouraging when the results aren’t working in your favor. When you look good, you’ll feel good, and CoolSculpting can help put the finishing touches on the body you sweated for.
Are You a Candidate for Treatment?
Since CoolSculpting is non-invasive, most patients who desire virtually painless body sculpting make excellent candidates for treatment. If you have any pre-existing medical conditions, make sure to notify your provider. There are very few issues that may complicate your treatment and affect your candidacy, so feel free to be candid with your provider.
CoolSculpting is an FDA-approved treatment for “spot-targeting” areas of diet and exercise-resistant pockets of fat around your body. It is completely non-invasive, treatment is short, and you can target more than one area in a single session to achieve even more dramatic results.
If you’ve had trouble losing your last few pounds due to diet and exercise-resistant subcutaneous fat and you think CoolSculpting is right for you, call River Region Dermatology and Laser in Montgomery, AL to schedule a consultation today.
