Frequently asked questions about CoolSculpting

• 1. Am I a candidate? Who can use CoolSculpting? Who can get CoolSculpting? Who qualifies for CoolSculpting?

  If you’re bothered by stubborn fat despite being vigilant about your exercise and diet regimen, you may be a good candidate. Although it is ideal for anyone who is within their ideal body weight range. As long as you have stubborn fat that bulges, you may be a candidate. A free consultation with one of our highly qualified medical consultants will help you figure out if this treatment is right for you.

  Individuals with cryoglobulinemia or paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria may not be suitable candidates.

  

• 2. Where is CoolSculpting done? Where is CoolSculpting available?

  CoolSculpting treatments are performed at one of our 9 clinics in southwestern Ontario. See our locations at the bottom of this page.

• 3. Where can CoolSculpting be used?

  

  The treatment can be performed in the following areas:

  • upper abdomen
  • lower abdomen
  • love handles
  • back and flanks
  • chin – great for double chins!
  • inner and outer thighs
  • bra line
  • knees (above)
  • jawline
  • neck
  • upper arms
  • back fat
• 4. How effective is it for upper arms?

  The third most popular area to treat is the upper arms. Skin Vitality is the first in Canada to offer the CoolAdvantage Petite, the only applicator designed specifically for the upper arms. The applicator is uniquely shaped, cutting down the treatment time to just 35 minutes.

• 5. What happens during my treatment? What is CoolSculpting procedure like? CoolSculpting what to expect?What does CoolSculpting feel like?

  This treatment isn’t plastic surgery. It’s non-invasive fat reduction that requires no incisions.

  The area with the fat deposit to be treated is placed between two plates, which is held in place by a suctioning device. The plates deliver cooling energy directly to the fat. You may feel the intense cold at first, but you’ll become accustomed to it quickly and no longer feel anything. This takes about five to 10 minutes. More than one area can be treated during your session. If you have work to do, feel free to use your phone, iPad or laptop, because it won’t interfere with your sessions.

  After the treatment, you may feel some tingling as the area is massaged for 2 or 3 minutes. Patients are usually able to return to normal activities following their appointment. What to Expect has more information about what happens before, during, and after your CoolSculpting procedure.

• 6. How many sessions do I need?

  Most patients only need one to three sessions of this Zeltiq procedure. Of course this depends on how much fat you’d like to get treat, and how many areas you’d like to treat.

• 7. Can it help get rid of my belly fat and belly pooch?

  The stomach is one of the most popular areas to have treated since so many patients are prone to the development of excess fat there.

  

• 8. Do I need to take time off from work?

  No, you can return to all regular daily activities immediately after your treatment.

  
  *This is an example of one patient’s results. Results may vary.

• 9. When will I see results? When does CoolSculpting start to work? Are CoolSculpting results immediate? How long to see results?

  Although there is no recovery time, you’ll need to wait a few weeks to see results. This is because your body needs time to process the fat cells. According to a study on the CoolSculpting device published in Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, the soonest you may see results is about three weeks, but ideal results take about one to three months or so to appear.

  
  
  
  *These are examples of patient results. Results may vary.

• 10. How much weight loss?

  CoolSculpting isn’t for weight loss. It’s to sculpt the treated area (hence the name) by targeting excess fat. You won’t see much difference on the scale, but like our patients, you’ll most likely see a huge difference in how you look!

• 11. What does CoolSculpting feel like?

  At first, you’ll feel a little cold in the area treated because after all, it is a fat freezing technique. However, after a short while, the area will feel numb. You may feel some tugging and pulling as well.

• 12. Are there any side effects or risks? What is CoolSculpting side effects?

  There are a few side effects related to the treatment. All are minor and temporary.

  • numbness (can last about a week or so)
  • mild soreness
  • mild bruising

  Zeltiq has performed several studies on CoolSculpting in the treatment of specific areas. During these studies, they have found the following side effects resulting from treatment:

  Flank area
  Patients in the studies have reported pain and discomfort during or after their treatment, some bruising in the treated area, redness, temporary numbness, and tingling. Swelling and cramping have also been reported. Once the treatment was discontinued, these side effects went away without medical intervention after about 4 weeks.

  Abdomen
  Some pain, numbness, and nausea have been reported by patients. One instance of anxiety, headache, vasovagal episode, and menorrhagia were also reported. These side effects went away.

  Inner and Outer thighs
  Hyperpigmentation (darkening of the treated area), numbness, pain and mild contour irregularity have been reported. With the hyperpigmentation, it lasted over 16 weeks. In the very rare instance that this occurs, it tends to resolve spontaneously.

  Submental Area (under chin)
  Redness, hyperpigmentation, and swelling were reported in clinical studies.

  A note from Zeltiq Aesthetics, the manufacturer of the CoolSculpting device: if you suffer from any symptoms or side effect(s) related to your treatment that are concerning to you or lasts for more than 2 weeks, please discuss with your doctor. You can also contact the Zeltiq CoolSculpting Product Support line. They can be contacted at 1-888-ZELTIQ1.

  Most of the time, however, our patients do not experience any side effects at all. In very rare cases, some pain may be felt during and after treatment which can be alleviated with pain medication. When does CoolSculpting pain stop? It should go away with pain medication. One case of frostbite has also been reported, but it went away without problem. Complications are extremely rare.

• 13. When does CoolSculpting swelling go down? CoolSculpting how long does swelling last?

  If you experience swelling, it should go down in a day or two. In severe cases, it can take a couple of weeks. If it lasts more than a couple of weeks, please let us know.

  One thing you can do to help reduce swelling is to massage the area treated. Although there isn’t any scientific research that proves the validity of this, it has helped our patients. Do a gentle massage once a day for about 5 minutes, preferably while bathing. The heat of the bath, combined with the massage, will improve blood circulation to the area and ease swelling.

  Another suggestion is to wear a compression garment, however this may not be as effective for swelling as it is to ease discomfort.

• 14. Why does CoolSculpting cause diarrhea?

  It is highly unusual if diarrhea results from treatment.

• 15. Why does CoolSculpting hurt after treatment? CoolSculpting how long does pain last?

  Pain can follow a session and while it is frequently discussed by some patients, it’s not a side effect that’s common. Pain is caused by your nerves waking up, much like when your foot wakes up after falling asleep. As the numbness wears off and you begin to feel the residual effects of the suction and massage that the device performs, you may start to feel discomfort in the form of stabbing, shooting and tearing pain. It may appear right after your treatment, or a few days later – some develop discomfort 3 to 5 days after their session. The pain should go away quickly, but it can take a couple of weeks to fully disappear.

  Here are some things that you can do to help ease pain and discomfort after CoolSculpting:

  1. Eat a healthy diet. Not only will this help maintain your results, a healthy diet provides the essential fuel that your body needs to recover. Eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit.
  2. Drink plenty of fresh water. Water helps flush your system of the fat cells that were crystallized by your treatment by helping your lymphatic system do its job properly.
  3. Wear a compression garment. This can improve blood circulation to the area and provide support, making you feel better.
  4. Use hot or cold packs. Apply for 10 minute stretches every couple of hours. Some patients prefer hot packs, while others prefer cold.
  5. Perform massage. Remember what we said about massaging in the bath about 5 minutes a day to help with swelling? Well, doing this can also help with the pain.
  6. Get plenty of sleep. Sleep is one of the best ways to ease pain.
  7. If the pain you feel is unbearable, please let us know. You may be prescribed medication that helps deal with nerve pain.

  A note on anti-inflammatory medications

  Please avoid anti-inflammatories, such as ibuprofen. These types of medications should not be taken as they can actually make your recovery worse. This is because they interfere with the fat reduction process that occurs after your treatment. The fat cells that have been crystallized need to be digested by other cells in the area, and if you take anti-inflammatory medication, this process is interrupted and you won’t get the results you want.

• 16. Why does CoolSculpting itch?

  After the numbness goes away, your nerves “wake up” again. This can cause tingling and itchiness.

• 17. Can I get as many treatments as I want? CoolSculpting how many treatments?

  As long as you have bulging fat which is “grab-able”, you can get treated.

• 18. What happens to fat after CoolSculpting?

  The fat crystallized by the treatment will simply be processed by your body, like waste matter.

• 19. What happens to my skin?

  Because this technology has no effect on any other tissues except fat, the state of your skin will not change in any way. If you have lax skin, you may want to consider a skin tightening treatment.

• 20. CoolSculpting when do I see results? Are CoolSculpting results permanent?

  The optimal results in the treatment area appear about one to three months after your session. The fat cells that have been crystallized by the treatment are processed by your body like waste matter. However, future weight gain can increase the size of the remaining fat cells in your body. Results remain stable as long as you pursue a healthy lifestyle.

• 21. CoolSculpting how many inches can I lose?

  It depends on the amount of excess fat you have in the area treated and how your body responds. We have had patients lose several inches and drop a few dress sizes. But remember – this fat reduction treatment is for bulging fat, not for fat that’s located around our internal organs.

• 22. When was CoolSculpting FDA approved?

  CoolSculpting was approved by the FDA in 2010.

• 23. Which is better CoolSculpting or Venus Freeze?

  The primary difference between these two treatments is the technologies they’re based on. CoolSculpting is based on cryolipolysis, while Venus Freeze is based on RF energy.

• 24. Which is better CoolSculpting or Vanquish?

  If you’re busy and want to get results from fewer sessions, then consider CoolSculpting. Vanquish requires weekly sessions of about 30 minutes each over a month or more, while CoolSculpting only requires 1-3 sessions of an hour or more.

• 25. Which is better CoolSculpting or Velashape?

  Velashape is an older technology that uses radio frequency energy to tighten the skin at the same time as you melt fat. However, you may need more sessions to see an improvement.

• 26. Which is better CoolSculpting or Liposonix?

  Liposonix technology relies on ultrasound energy and can only treat the abdomen, flanks, hips, thighs and buttocks. CoolSculpting can treat a wider variety of areas.

• 27. Which is better CoolSculpting or Liposuction?

  The biggest advantage of CoolSculpting is that it’s a nonsurgical alternative to Liposuction. It’s not a form of laser-assisted liposuction, but it has achieved almost the same results for our patients! You don’t need to get anesthesia, there’s no extensive recovery period, and there are no incisions or scars.

• 28. Which is better CoolSculpting or Zerona?

  Zerona perforates the cells, which releases their contents to be processed by the lymphatic system. CoolSculpting crystallizes fat cells instead.

• 29. Which is better CoolSculpting or Ultherapy?

  Ultherapy treatment is a form of noninvasive skin technology that is based on ultrasound energy. It is typically used to improve skin tone rather than treat fat, therefore consider it more as a skin care treatment rather than fat reduction.

• 30. Who has done CoolSculpting? Who has had CoolSculpting?

  To date, millions of treatments have been performed on patients around the world.

• 31. Who does CoolSculpting in Toronto? Who performs CoolSculpting?

  Skin Vitality Medical Clinic performs CoolSculpting in Toronto and other cities in southwestern Ontario. We have 9 locations. Our licensed medical aestheticians perform the treatment, under the supervision of a board certified doctor.

• 32. Who owns CoolSculpting? Who makes CoolSculpting?

  Zeltiq is the manufacturer of the CoolSculpting technology. The company was bought out by Allergan in 2017.

• 33. Who invented CoolSculpting? When was CoolSculpting invented?

  Two scientists discovered the scientific phenomenon of cold- induced panniculitis in the 1970s, and cryolipolysis was coined a couple decades later by two Harvard scientists. The actual CoolSculpting device was invented by the same two Harvard scientists.

• 34. When did CoolSculpting come out?

  CoolSculpting was approved by Health Canada in 2008, and that’s when it “came out” in the country.

• 35. What is CoolSculpting like?

  The procedure is a comfortable one once the numbness sets in.

• 36. What does CoolSculpting cost in Canada? How much does it cost? How much are CoolSculpting treatments? How expensive CoolSculpting?

  Pricing varies depending on the area treated. The CoolSculpt cost for a single treatment is usually in the hundreds of dollars.

• 37. Why massage after CoolSculpting?

  Massage is recommended after a session because it helps break up the crystallized fatty tissue, making it easier to process by your body.

• 38. CoolSculpting what temperature? How cold CoolSculpting?

  The temperature at which fat cells die is 4C.

• 39. How long between treatments?

  You can schedule your treatments a couple of months apart. Three months is ideal according to scientific studies, including one that was published in Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology. You’ll find out the ideal treatment plan to achieve your aesthetic goals during your consultation.

• 40. Why CoolSculpting doesn't work?

  Please allow up to 3 months for your results to appear after a session. If you don’t see an improvement, you may need another treatment or loose skin is hiding your results.