Mary Beth Mudd, MD

Hi Courtswonderland, Thanks for the photos! You definitely look like a great candidate for BodyTite. Your photos show some mild fat deposition and mild skin laxity in the lower abdomen, but for having 2 children, you look great overall. BodyTite should remove some of the residual fat but also tighten up your skin. You can also get some instant tightening by contraction of the fibroseptal network bands although this can vary by patient. Just remember that skin tightening by making new collagen can take up to 6-9 months for some patients, so plan accordingly if you are thinking of looking better for vacations, etc. Work with a physician who is experienced in using BodyTite and can show you photos of results on actual patients they have treated. Best wishes, Mary Beth Mudd

Thanks for your question. Without a photo, it is difficult to speculate on what might be the cause for the lack of results. Final results for CoolSculpting are seen 4 months after the most recent treatment, so depending on when you had your last treatment, it is possible it is too early to see the results. Another possibility especially seen in the abdomen is that the CoolSculpting helps remove fat but it does not do anything to tighten loose skin, which is not uncommon on female abdomens, especially if one has had a pregnancy at some point in life. Skin laxity actually becomes more apparent when fat is removed-sort of like taking stuffing out of a pillow will make the walls of the pillow look more floppy. Hopefully before and after photos were taken and I would ask for these to be reviewed with you. I would also suggest that you have your abdomen re-assessed by someone who is knowledgeable about fat and skin laxity to help answer your questions. Best wishes, Mary Beth Mudd

Thanks for the photos. You do appear to be a candidate for CoolSculpting on your flanks. The best CoolSculpting candidates are within 20 lbs of their ideal body weight since CoolSculpting is a permanent fat removal treatment for localized areas of unwanted fat and not a weight loss treatment. Each treatment will remove approximately 20% of the fat in the treated area over a 4 month period. Whether you will need 1 or 2 treatments will depend on how much fat you wish to remove, but most patients are happier with the results from 2 treatments. I would suggest a consultation with a physician who is experienced with CoolSculping who can properly assess you and advise you properly. Best wishes, Mary Beth Mudd, M.D.

Thanks for the photos! You are obviously very fit and I can see why the left saddlebag is bothersome to you. I have both CoolSculping and also do LaserLipo in my office. If you were seen here for consultation, I would suggest LaserLipo (which I prefer to traditional liposuction since the laser heat helps tighten skin and the patients recover more quickly since there is less trauma induced in the treatment area). The LaserLipo treatment can be customized to account for the asymmetry of your saddlebags so that more fat could be removed from the left side than the right side. With CoolSculpting, the applicator is "one size fits all", so that if it does not perfectly fit your body's fat deposition, you could possibly either have areas of overtreatment or undertreatment. I would suggest a personal consultation with a physician who performs both of these treatments who can properly assess you and advise you as to the best treatment to give you great results. Best wishes, Mary Beth Mudd

This is a very common question. Enlarged pores are genetic so people with good pores hit the genetic lottery and then there are the rest of us that didn't! As we age, the pore openings seem to get larger since our collagen levels, which decrease 1% per year starting around age 21, are not keeping the openings as tightly closed so they are more obviously noticeable. I think that the retin A is a great idea but as far as procedures go, I think that the Halo laser gives the most improvement. As a member of the Bad Pores Club, I have struggled with this my entire life and I held the office record for worst pores scores on the Visia Complexion Analysis for years. All the other lasers, etc only improved my pore score from 2% to 8%. My 1st Halo laser improved this to 20th% and the 2nd Halo laser done 1 month later further increased my pore score to 50th%. I now do a Halo laser about every 12-18 mos to maintain better looking pores. By the way, the Visia is used to compare your scores with patients of your age who have the same skin type as you, so it gives you a very objective look at how your pores (as well as several other assessments such as wrinkles, superficial/deep sun damage, texture, redness, etc) really are doing for your age and also allows you to follow your level of improvement. I would suggest getting consultation done with a physician who performs Halo laser and also has a Visia device so you can be properly assessed, treated, and followed to watch your improvement. Best wishes, Mary Beth Mudd, M.D.