Brian Opitz, MD

Thank you for the question.   This is curious and could be something concerning.  Swollen lymph nodes are more commonly caused by infection and inflammation.  Most serious causes like tumors or cancer can also cause swollen lymph nodes. This certainly requires further evaluation by your physician.  

CoolSculpting is not known to cause lymphadenopathy, or swelling of lymph nodes, and certainly not during a treatment.  Lymph nodes noted during a treatment came from something else that occurred beforehand.  And honestly, without knowing the details of your treatment, it is very difficult to attempt to correlate your lymph nodes with your CoolSculpting.  

In general lymph nodes become swollen based on anatomical areas of lymph drainage.  For example, infection or inflammation in the arm can cause swollen lymph odes in the axial or armpit.  Infection or inflammation of the lungs or abdomen can cause swollen lymph nodes in the supraclavicular area, that is, just above the collarbone.  And the best example is a throat infection that causes swollen lymph nodes on the sides of the neck.  

Again, please get this checked out by a physician and based on your question, I do not suspect this is related to CoolSculpting. 

No problem!  You can use standard cryotherapy after CoolSculpting.  With little to no downtime, most CoolSculpting clients can return to their normal daily routines right after a treatment.  That means work, play, exercise and recover, or whatever it is you do.  If your recovery routine includes cryotherapy, including whole body cryotherapy, that will not augment your CoolSculpting results or the ability of your body to complete the cryolipolysis process.  

Thank you for your question and best of luck with your CoolSculpting results!  

For those not familiar with cryotherapy: basic or standard cryotherapy for post workout recovery and injury treatment include ice packs, ice water baths/ cold water immersion, cold gel packs, and ice massage.  There are countless other cryotherapy devices available on the market.  Always consult a reputable advisor or physician before purchasing or using one of those products.  

 

Great question and thank you for posting!  This is very important topic.  

Regarding a diet plan after CoolSculpting, I would love to be able to give you specific advice. In order to get some specific advice, I would require to know a lot more information about you. Because unfortunately, there is no one size fits all when it comes to diet.  

We all have a different basal metabolic rate, lifestyle, genetics and a long list of individual factors that influence the way we process and store calories.  Some basic information to consider is age, your height and your current weight.  What is your current diet like?  It would be important to have a general idea of your current calorie needs and intake. Additionally, what kind of foods do you like to eat?  What kind of foods will you not consider eating at all? This is one of the most under-considered factors when giving diet advice.  

Do you exercise and if so, how much? For people that are inactive, low calorie plans may be helpful to lose or maintain weight. For active people, it is important to get plenty of calories to meet your daily needs and avoid rebounding weight gain effects from low metabolism due to inadequate calories. 

I think the most important general advice I can give you is that if you are able to maintain a stable weight, you do not necessarily need any specific diet after CoolSculpting to appreciate the potential results. Rely on what you know about yourself, your eating habits and be honest with yourself about how many extra calories you may or may not burn in a day due to physical activity.  

Thank you again for posting your question.  Do not hesitate to comment or reply.  And best of luck with your CoolSculpting results!

Great questions and I hope my answers are helpful.   The answer to your first question I think is no, the amount of body fat you have will not be major factor in how long the physiologic process takes.  Although everyone will experience different rates of apoptosis, or programmed cell death after CoolSculpting, I don't think total body fat is going to influence this process.  The range of time it takes to see results is anywhere from 2 up to 4 months.  The limiting factor of how much fat can be treated though, is dependent on the size of the CoolSculpting applicator(s), that is how much tissue will fit inside of it.  In order to tell you specifically if you are a candidate and what areas can be treated, you do need to have a consultation and evaluation.  During an evaluation, your CoolSculpting provider will measure areas on your body and determine which applicators will be used.  Depending on your desired outcome and expectations, your provider may recommend more than one treatment.  And so, to answer your second question, multiple treatments will cost more.  Multiple treatments may also be done over a period of time, which would take longer to see effects.  So, to answer your question from that perspective, it could take longer to treat, if you have more body fat requiring a staged approached with multiple sessions.  Again, I hope this helpful and best of luck to you!

Good question! And the good news is that there is not any contraindication to CoolSculpting with metal in your back. To find out if you are a candidate for fat treatment with CoolSculpting, you will need to have a consultation.  I would recommend being seen by a provider that is certified, experienced and well-qualified. Many people do end up being good candidates for CoolSculpting and most are happy with their results.