First things first, my first appointment was actually January 4th, 2020, but RealSelf won’t let me input that. I had a follow up appointment a month later on February 7th, 2020 for additional cycles. I got cool sculpting done on my upper arms, bra line, and stomach alongside my partner. We’d been reading up on different non-invasive, less expensive fat reduction procedures, and the literature for CoolSculpting makes it look amazing and easy. When they tell you you’ll have some discomfort and then it’ll go numb and you’ll be fine, know that your mileage may vary. A lot. My partner had no problem, but for me, it was incredibly painful on my arms and I had a panic attack. It feels like cold little needles being stabbed into your skin, and when that subsides and you go numb, you can still feel the pressure and suction and tension on your skin. At first, it looked like I was going to have really good results, at least on my bra line and stomach. However, I went into pretty extreme systemic inflammation afterwards and actually put on about 12 pounds just in fluid retention from my body’s reaction to the procedure. It started to subside, but then I went in for my second round of cycles, so I spent the first several months of 2020 as a puffy, inflamed mess. All of the spots I had treated have reverted back to how the were before I had coolsculpting, but in the case of my braline and arms, I’m actually bigger now than I was. It’s not paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, but there’s more fat there than when I started. All of the “success” photos you get shown are people that get a really high number of cycles done, which isn’t communicated clearly. Regardless, it wasn’t worth the side effects for me, especially for no results.
Ideal Image, Fox Point WI Consultation: Free, which is why I chose them. Everyone was nice and all. Sadly they don't offer any kind of "guaranty". I was told (summarized)-only if you are completely unhappy with your results, and if they agree you didn't achieve results, then they will redo the procedure. But even that is not a guaranty, nor would they give you any money back. I paid for 2 of the smaller "pads" on my lower abdomen. 4 pads would have been around $2500. Day of procedure. They took lots of pictures, about 8. They did not measure my stomach, which is stupid, but I measured it before hand. They weighed me, which I also think is stupid. The point is to kill fat on my stomach. Even in the consultation, the lady said "if you gain weight, it won't go to your stomach, it will go somewhere else". So why weigh people? Why not take an actual measurement of their stomach, because pictures can be deceiving, they can be altered and manipulated. I made sure to take my own measurements and pictures. The procedure itself was painless and took 1 hour per pad, they do 1 at a time. So I was there for 3 about hours. After it was over the lady tells me I should wear a compression garment for a few days or weeks, could've told me at the consultation, oh well. When I left I was fine, went grocery shopping, had lunch, and went to work that night (10 hours later). One week after cool-sculpting and everything is fine except some weird stomach pains. Not regular cramps or nausea, but feels like sharp, stinging pains, IN the fat of my stomach. My skin still also has the numb feeling. But nothing serious. No results yet. Updated on 29 Jun 2017: My coolsculpting was in march, so today i had my 3 month follow up. I measure my waist and weigh myself regularly, there have been zero changes. The lady who did my follow up was the same person who did my coolsculpting procedure. When I walked in she asked how I felt about the coolsculpting, I was straight forward and said I was not happy at all and had zero results. She said, "well we'll look at the pictures". . . She took the "after" pictures and was comparing them over and over again to the "before" pictures. She was desperately searching for some kind of visible results, but there were none. She said, "well let me feel your stomach, is it hard fat?" I said "no, it's squishy, has always been". I was told at the consultation I had the perfect kind of fat, the squishy kind. You can't have hard fat. I was the "perfect candidate". yeah right. She agreed my fat was very squishy and said she will have to go talk to n*** (she was the lady who did my consultation, and she was in her office that day). She left and was gone 20 minutes. She came back and said another lady will be looking over my pictures and contact me via phone call. I'm guessing the technicians and the consultation ladies don't have any authority on what to do next when a client has zero results. So I waited 20 minutes just for her to say she can't do anything about it. Now I have to wait 2-4 days waiting for some lady to call and discuss my options. So I'm pretty upset I wasted $1360 and didn't even loose 1/2 an inch. If they recommend I do the procedure again for another 1360 I'll say h*** no. If it's going to happen again it better be for free, even if I don't get any results. Then I'll at least be able to warn you guys out there who have also been told "you're the perfect candidate". I'm not uploading any "after" photos right now because they look IDENTICAL to the "before" photos. Updated on 19 Jul 2017: A nurse was supposed to review my before/after pictures and call me within 2-3 days. I waited 3 weeks and no one called. I called and left a message and I received a call the next day. She was very nice and apologized for the delay because they are getting backed up. She said she reviewed my pictures and will be submitting a claim to the corporate office to issue me a full refund. I thought "wow, that was easy". She asked me a few questions about any problems I had with the coolsculpting or the aftermath, and asked if I had any questions for her. Now I guess it might be up to the corporate big wigs to decide whether or not to actually give me the refund?? We will see. . .
After much research I decided to spend my bonus money on coolscukpting. I sort of felt the consultant was a little carsales-y so I was nervous for the procedure wondering if it was a mistake. We will see! My weight has always fluctuated. I was 170 in high school, I took phentermine at 21 and dropped to --2 in 6 months. Then went up to 135 and used diet/exercise to get down to 112 again but 120 is the best weight for me. I was able to maintain it for 15 years and then had 2 kids! Now I need help. I have 10 more pounds to lose and they said I was a perfect candidate. I'm about 20 hours post-procedure and I am SO SORE! This pain is a lot like after my c-sections. I've been wearing a compression tank and it has helped a lot. I don't have a before pic but I'll post my current pic later. My whole abdomen is SO swollen!! I had 4 areas treated. Lower abs (both sides) and upper abs (both sides). It took 4 hours. Updated on 27 Feb 2017: 48 hours post procedure and the swelling is less, thank god! But I'm still swollen and sore but not as sore as yesterday. Posting pics from 24 hours post procedure. I'll post an update on Saturday for a full week after. Fingers crossed! I feel a lot better that the swelling is down and am wearing compression tanks to help with swelling and pain. I'll start back on the treadmill or elliptical tonight. Updated on 28 Feb 2017: 3 days post-procedure today. The swelling is still annoying and I'm still wearing the compression tank. I did 30 mins on the elliptical yesterday with no pain or issues at all. I have a little bruising but nothing too terrible. My ribs and hip bones are tender. Feeling is coming back a little more. Pins and needles. It's really not too annoying. I just cannot wait for this swelling to be gone! That's what I get for treating 4 sections on my entire stomach! Lol! I'll post updated pics on Saturday so it will be a full week comparison. Updated on 1 Mar 2017: 4 days post procedure. I read so many reviews where half complained about nerve pain at this stage and I was hoping I wouldn't succumb to that statistic. Yet here I am with stabbing stinging nerve pain. It sucks SO BAD and is making me cranky in every way. I had to sleep without my compression tank but during the day I need it. The swelling is still going down so that's a plus. I read some people only have this nerve pain for a day or two so I'm holding onto that hope! Trying to edit to add photos from today. Updated on 1 Mar 2017: I have to post again today. This nerve pain is relentless. It has gotten so much worse throughout the day. It is like stinging electrical zaps either random or when I try to bend or really do anything. The compression tank on my skin is starting to feel like a nagging annoyance with these hyperactive nerves! If I take if off, I feel good for 30 mins and then it's a series of zaps and shocks in a different area so I put it back on. The clinic offered to call in an Rx to help the nerve pain but I'm not keen taking new medications unless it's a drastic neccessity. We are now heading into the realm of drastic necessity but I'm trying to hold out. The nurse said this will resolve on its own so maybe today is just the worst day? Dealing with this nerve pain is both physically and mentally exhausting. I'm cranky, I'm yelling at everyone (at work and at home), my house is a mess and bending to pick up toys is excruciating. I just can't do it. I can't. I have to imagine this is still more tolerable than lipo or a major surgery. Drain tubes are disgusting so at least I'm not dealing with that. But this pain... it's like razor sharp daggers plunging into my dying fat cells and sliding across my nerve endings at the same time. Repeatedly. Even if this ends up being worth it, (I really hope it is) I'll never do it again. This pain is absolutely unreal. Is this what fibromyalgia sufferers deal with on a daily basis? I'm not strong enough! Updated on 2 Mar 2017: So today I'm still having nerve pain but it's not as sharp as yesterday or last night. I had a terrible time sleeping so I'm hoping tonight will be easier. Most of the swelling is gone but my middle area is still a bit swollen. I'll post some pics from today. No change besides reduced swelling. Updated on 3 Mar 2017: Day 6 post. The itching started last night and it's so annoying!!! Anything touching my skin is so uncomfortable. I'm trying to find something that helps but so far no luck. I hope this goes away soon. I slept with an ice pack in my belly last night because it was the only way for the itching to stop! Updated on 4 Mar 2017: I'm 7 day post. Still having nerve pain and extreme nerve sensitivity and firings but am able to manage it with ice and lidocaine. I have to keep on top of it or I'm miserable. Hoping it ends soon! Here are some pics. I see some difference already but I think it's just because the swelling is going away. Updated on 6 Mar 2017: Day 9 update. I've scoured the internet looking for the average day this nerve pain seems to dissipate and it's day 9-11. So I'm hopeful this is ending soon. I will say that last night was a bit better. My stomach felt burning pain but the shooting pains and electric shocks are mostly gone or just not as crippling as they were from day 6-8. I slept without a compression tank last night and the bloated heaviness is a lot better making it more comfortable. Massaging the area seems to help as does a hot shower. I'm still using lidocaine and icing the area regularly but trying to ween off the ice in case it's just extending these nerve issues. Who knows. I feel like there's improvements being made in my tummy. It seems smoother already. I am dieting and still on track to lose 5-7 more pounds so I can't wait to see what that combo brings at the 3-4 month mark! I'm optimistic. Updated on 8 Mar 2017: The pain is soooo much better now! I'm still a bit swollen but my period is part of it. My tummy is still a bit sensitive to touch but no more shooting or stabbing pains. Definitely tolerable. I took some updated pics. I feel like my belly is smoothing out some already which I feel like is progress! I'm hoping to get back to working out tonight now that the nerve pain is subsiding. Updated on 11 Mar 2017: I've lost 2 pounds through dieting so far. Hoping that continues when I finally start exercising again. I know it's still too early to see CS results taking effect but I'm excited to see when they do since I intend to diet away about 5 more pounds. Nerve pain has totally subsided but I do still have sensitivity to touch. I do massage the areas regularly which helps a lot. I'll post again at the 4 week mark! Updated on 18 Mar 2017: Thought I'd share some 3 week post photos. Work has been crazy so I haven't worked out out all yet (my bad). My diet has been good, though. Usually I'd feel disgusting after not working out for a couple of weeks but after CS my clothes are fitting better and I'm already seeing some minor improvements. I'm optimistic and can't wait to see what the next weeks bring since that's when results should really be seen. These last few days have been the most comfortable as far as wearing jeans or anything snug against my belly. Finally. My belly button is still a bit itchy and a little bit sensitive. Updated on 18 Mar 2017: Here's a 24 hours post vs 3 weeks post photo comparison. I was bloated in the first pic but you can def see an improvement. Updated on 31 Mar 2017: Definitely seeing progress! I'll be 5 weeks post procedure tomorrow. So far I'm pleased with results and hope they continue in the next few weeks. I STILL haven't worked out (ashamed!) but intend to get back to it soon. Had a lot of life issues come up that has prevented me from making the time! But my diet is good. Limited carbs and no or very few sweets. Updated on 9 Apr 2017: Definitely seeing results at 6 weeks! When I was 20 pounds lighter my stomach wasn't this flat. They say results START at 6 weeks so I'm really excited to see the next few weeks. I started exercising again but just a few times this week. Diet still good but yesterday I indulged in some Easter treats! Updated on 19 Apr 2017: 7 weeks post! Pretty excited about the results thus far. I'm even a bit bloated due to pms in this 7w post pic! For me, this was definitely worth it. I still can feel a little bit of slight numbness when I rub lotion on my belly. I'm excited to see the next couple of weeks. And I still haven't worked out (man I suck, seriously) but I have kept active with the kids since the weather is so nice! I plan to start exercising (for real this time lol) this coming week.