Zeltiq CoolSculpting - Are There Any Side Effects?

Coolsculpting is one of the most popular treatments in the cosmetic industry.  There are several common side effects.  Most people do experience some numbness, swelling, possible bruising, and mild discomfort in the area of treatment.  This resolves over the first few days after the treatment though numbness can persist for a couple of weeks.  Some patients bruise easily and some patient swell easily.  It's hard to predict who will and won't so be wary that this can happen and could last 5-10 days in unlikely cases.Rare side effects include nerve pain that starts 5-14 days after treatment and usually lasts about a week but can be treated with nerve pain medications and compression devices.  Extremely rarely the coolsculpting treatment can have the opposite result and fat can increase in the area of treatment.  If this happens, it is seen within the first 3 months after treatment (this isn't weight gain).  Coolsculpting will pay for this to be liposuctioned if it happens so even this can be resolved.  Coolsculpting is a very safe procedure enjoyed by thousands.  The majority of unhappy patients either were better candidates for liposuction or they were undertreated.  We always recommend a consultation with our plastic surgeon during your visit with us to make sure we are performing the right procedure for you prior to treatment. 

For people who don’t want surgery CoolSculpting is a very effective option to help reduce fat in selective areas. The CoolSculpting fat-freezing procedure is the only FDA-cleared, non-surgical fat-reduction treatment that uses controlled cooling to eliminate stubborn fat that resists all efforts through diet and exercise. Common side effects are numbness, swelling, tenderness, and bruising to the treated area, though these typically subside in a few days, but can last as long as a few weeks. After CoolSculpting, treated fat cells that die are naturally eliminated from the body. This process is not as rapid as invasive procedures, such as liposuction. Typically, the most dramatic results are seen in 1-3 months after treatment. Careful patient selection is important to ensure safe and effective treatment, so I suggest making an appointment with a board certified plastic surgeon for consultation to discuss your options.

Hello Sas12,
Coolsculpting is a safe non-invasive procedure for fat
reduction. You may experience temporary side effects with Coolsculpting such as
bruising, swelling, redness, tenderness, itching, tingling, and numbness.
Occasionally a patient will have some delayed onset with pain, or strong
cramping.  There are no permanent side
effects with Coolsculpting, although some side effects may last weeks to months
after treatment. Each patient is different, and as always it is important to
have your treatment performed by an experienced Coolsculpting provider.
 Best of Luck!
Dr. Thomas E. Kaniff