CoolSculpting: Stories

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Took the Plunge--athletic 39 Y.o Guy - New York, NY

  • posted 1 year ago
  • updated 1 year ago
  • Not Worth It
  • Cost: $700
  • New York City, NY
  • treated side is on the left side
  • treated side is on the right of the screen (tried to take pic with the phone over my opposite shoulder). sorry, it's hard to take self pics in the bathroom LOL

39 male with very good diet (nothing processed)...

  • 6 Feb 2012

39 male with very good diet (nothing processed) and exercise regimen (weights, running, interval training, and pretty much have no body fat except i can pinch an inch or 2 on my lower back/love handles. so after realizing diet and exercise werent getting rid of this, i finally decided to do go for Zeltiq 1 week ago.

I did only one side/love handle because (1) i wanted to do this as an experiment to see if it would work and (2) didnt want to waste 1500 doing both sides if it doesnt work.

so, during the first week after the procedure, i noticed the following: the treated area was extremely red and sensitive for about 2-3 days after, which has gone away after 1 week. I'm still pretty swollen and bloated in the treated area, but I'm told that is normal. There is so far no difference at all compared to my other side (not treated) but I also understand it might take a few weeks.

I'll post an update here in about a week, but if any one else has any feedback or similar situation, let me know. thanks.

So, at the 2 week mark post-Zeltiq treatment. All...

  • 12 Feb 2012
so, at the 2 week mark post-Zeltiq treatment. All the redness, irritation and soreness is gone. I guess I have some dull sensation of numbness in the treated love handle, nothing bothersome. At this point I feel that the area is "fatter" or more bloated than the untreated love handle, and there seems to be an area which feels like a blob of "dead" fat under the skin which feels denser or more solid than the other side, which just feels like a love handle (i.e. a little fat/flab). When I look in the mirror the treated and untreated sides look exactly the same, but unless I'm going insane the treated side "feels" different like there is more solid fat just coagulated under my skin. No visible improvement at all at this point. Will update in a week.

5 week mark--update: 1. visually--the treated...

  • 4 Mar 2012
5 week mark--update:
1. visually--the treated area looks exactly the same as the untreated area. i do not see any change. huge bummer.
2. feeling--the treated love handle still feels periodically tight, bloated, swollen. all of this varies from day to day. i'm hoping this means something is going on where my body is trying to eliminate the fat, but who knows.

So, today is exactly 2 months (8 weeks) since the...

  • 24 Mar 2012
So, today is exactly 2 months (8 weeks) since the zeltiq procedure. I do not see a single ounce of difference. can anyone? (only the right side was treated)

3 months post-procedure, no benefit at all. guess...

  • 29 Apr 2012
3 months post-procedure, no benefit at all. guess i can say at this time it is not worth it. i wonder if Zerona would work...hmmm.....

Great review?

My Doctor: name not provided

My rating:

Doctor's Bedside Manner
Answered My Questions
After Care Follow-Up
Time Spent With Me
Phone or Email Responsiveness
Staff Professionalism & Courtesy
Payment Process
Wait Times

i never actually saw a doctor, only the person who administered the treatment. she was nice. i have not, however, received any followup from them, which is odd. you'd think they'd want to know what's going on.

Comments (11)

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since it has been a while since you posted, please let us know how things are going..
I'm day 5 after doing my flanks, and a similar situation where I work run/crosstrain/etc and couldnt get rid of those stubborn things. The recovery sucks right now, like you described, with bad redness (I'm afraid I may have frostbite!!), hard lumps, swelling, and itching like I feel i'm jumping out of my skin. All of this for a procedure that may not even work - so I really hope you'll say you're happy with your results!! thanks!
  • Reply
hello JS3, it has been over 4 months now, and I do not see any reduction in love handles at all. However, every body is different and, therefore, you might have different results.
  • Reply
Thanks for your response..was hoping you'd see results you were looking for.
At this point I just want time to pass so I can at least go back down to 'normal'.
I'd definitely be bummed if this doesn't work after couple months, and I'm concerned the red/lumpy/swollen side effects won't resolve. Well good luck & thanks!
  • Reply
It looks like your right side is a little flatter? That is the side you had done, right? You barely had any to lose - so 20%-25% * barely any is barely any. Thanks for posting. I think Zerona is about 3x as expensive, and the results are less reliable. If I were you, I'd try to get your doctor to "try it again" for free? ;)
  • Reply
Nobody promises miracles with this thing, and if you read carefully, even the best result reduces your fat deposits in the treated areas by just 25 percent. It looks like you have started with very little fat, so don't be surprised how little the procedure has eliminated. And BTW, the human body does have a tendency to balance itself, which is why many people after lipo notice a reduction in fat levels all over, as their body attempts to redistribute the remaining fat layers. CoolSculpting works, but the results are most visible on people who have more to lose.
  • Reply
I definitely understand what you are saying. Not saying it worked for you but a lot of time our flanks are uneven (one bigger than other) so I am just not sure. Hopefully you will see a change soon. It takes sometimes 3-4 months.
  • Reply
Thanks for sharing, to be honest its really hard to tell from your pictures. It would've been better if you had someone take a before pic and a after picture in the same pose/lighting. I had sides and front done and going into my second week since having it done. I have not seen much of a difference thus far, but I am optimistic. The office took before pictures in 4 different angles, so in three months they will do it again and I will truly see if there is a change. I don't believe they would do that if they didn't strongly feel I would see changes. Time will tell
  • Reply
Hi, well the office did take many before pics but i never saw them and no one has yet called me to follow up (2 months later). All I can say is the 2 sides look exactly the same (1 was not treated), so unless somehow the untreated side also shrunk (I dont know how that would be possible, unless someone can explain that to me), there has been no effect at all. I guess I'll call the office in the next few weeks to ask them.
  • Reply
Do you have a before pic? The reason I ask is b/c My left love handle is bigger than my right love handle so it could've shrunk and be even.
  • Reply
well they took a "before" pic at the doc office but i never got or saw the pics. also, b/c i had only 1 side treated you have the before pic in the current pics because one side was not treated. does that make sense?
  • Reply

Hi there, thanks for sharing your experience with us. Please keep us updated with your progress and results!

  • Reply

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