I only have myself to blame. wasted money.>> I do not have any of my pictures. (was thinking of telling them I'd like them emailed to me) process was rather clumsy. the , for lack of what they are called, the sheet things they put on your skin before the appliance goes on. they were a new style they were just using. took a few tries to get them and the appliance on correctly. after all was on correctly it was 30 minutes or so each... stomach & each side. over all the process didn't hurt, I had skin irritation , nothing major on first day, and some numbness couple days after, nothing major .Each symptom lasted for about 7 days. I was so hopeful for results I would not have cared if it was a lot worse! I have not seen any difference at all.. I had had some extra weight on me 7 lbs approx. from being ill & meds etc. (still normal weight for the height) The weight is gone now and still I see no results. First thing I want to tell everyone, if you feel that your skin is in anyway pulling out of the appliance, (you know, after they suck your fat in and then tell you to lie down,) tell them! Don't sit there like I did. I felt I lost the suction and did not get a full treatment.. Also I think everyone should be told at the beginning you will need more than one treatment to look like the pictures they post . This is all I will write, I'm glad others are happy with their results, but I so wish I had that money I wasted. ..
Great question!!......... Tricky answer. Coolsculpting is a fantastic treatment with very nice results for those who are good candidates. Coolsculpting of the arms can be a challenging area to treat as there are a number of variables that need to be accounted for before treatment can occur. I know of a lot of clinics that will not treat the upper arms as a rule of thumb because of these variables. Our consults with patients interested in having that area treated tend to be a lot more in depth and detail oriented due to the fact that there is a lot more to take into account when treating the arms compared to other areas of the body. Your past medical history of having breast cancer surgery with a lymph node dissection adds another complicated variable. The short answer to your question is "Yes, this procedure could cause lymphodema." The procedure does cause an inflammatory response in the treated area and we do warn people that they will probably notice some swelling in the treated area. This could be of concern for someone like you who has already had manipulation of the arm's lymph drainage symptom. However, there is a more in depth discussion that needs to take place between you and your area Coolsculpting provider before making your final decision. Questions like....1. How long ago was your breast cancer surgery? Was it just a lumpectomy or was it a full mastectomy?2. Have you had trouble with lymphodema in that arm since you had the surgery? If so, has it happened frequently or infrequently?3. Did your breast cancer surgeon perform just a node biopsy or did he do a full sentinel node / axillary node dissection?And of course, after all these questions are taken into account, a full physical exam by your provider needs to take place along with a discussion of expectations ( both yours and your Coolsculpting team's expectations ). Do some research and ask your provider, "how many arm treatments have you performed?", "have you ever treated someone who has had a lymph node dissection before?", "do you know what a lymph node dissection is and what lymphodema of the arm is? ( and I'm not trying to be funny when i say that is an important question to ask). Remember, the Coolsculpting procedure is a non invasive treatment with very little downtime, BUT, it is a medical procedure none the less. Make sure you ask the right questions and make sure you are comfortable with your team and their skill set. Good luck and I hope i was able to answer your question.Best Wishes,Steve Comella, MD
