Serious rare complications of CoolSculpting? (Photo)

Question

I would really like to try Coolsculpting. As you can see from the photos, I have a stomach pooch. (I also have a swayback and am prone to stomach bloating from food, which can make my belly look even worse!). However, I read that cryoglobulinemia and cold agglutinin are contraindications and that these can cause serious complications. What would the complications be? How would you know if you had either of these disorders? Would it be possible not to know? Would I be much better off with lipo?

Teresa Mann, MD · Answer

Cryoglobulinemia and Cold Agglutinin Disease (CAD) are both relatively rare autoimmune disorders that are exacerbated with cold exposure. Patients with cryoglobulinemia often have symptoms that include skin lesions (lower leg ulcerations), joint pain, and peripheral neuropathy (numbness in hands and feet). Cold Agglutinin Disease causes destruction of red blood cells (hemolysis) triggered by cold temperatures and leads to anemia, dizziness, fatigue, dark colored urine, jaundice, cold hands and feet, vomiting, and diarrhea. Both diseases get worse in the colder winter months and require a number of different blood tests to properly diagnose. Both tend to occur in people 50 years or older. The cold exposure associated with CoolSculpting can trigger these diseases with symptoms and complications as referenced above. It is possible, though highly unlikely, that an individual could have one of these two diseases and not yet have a diagnosis. However they would likely have a history of recurrent leg ulcers (cryoglobulinemia) or anemia in the case of Cold Agglutinin Disease. 
I think you are an excellent candidate for CoolSculpting given the localized area of your fat. Liposuction is another option though it is much more invasive and can leave the area with contour defects that appear "lumpy." Good luck!

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