1 Max vs. 2 regular overlapping for tummy bulge?

This is a decision that should be made by your treating physician and not you. Choosing the appropriate Coolsculpting applicator and attaching it to you in a way that will give you the best results involves knowledge of anatomy and fat distribution. Anyone can attach the device to you, but that doesn't mean it's going to work as well as it should. I personally see all CoolSculpting consults at our practice myself and create all of the treatment plans. If your provider did not create a personalized treatment plan for you and left it up to you to choose then I would consider this a red flag. Also, you are describing the older applicators. There are newer applicators available now that have more surface cooling area, less discomfort, and faster treatment times. Make sure you are under the care of an experienced physician provider. Best wishes.

I would get a formal evaluation to see if you are best suited with non invasive or surgical.  Plan if you do non surgical to do at least 2 sessions with coosculpting and series of vaniquish.  Best, Dr. Ener.

After an examination of you, it could be determined what type of applicators and placement would be best to treat your abdomen with CoolSculpting.  If the larger applicator can fit your abdomen and includes all of the desired treatment areas, that is what I would recommend.  I would only use two of the smaller applicators if the larger one is too big for the patient's body.  

This totally depends on the patient, the amount of fat, fat distribution and the peaks of the fat pads. The provider should be doing a detailed assessment on you the day of the treatment, marking you with the sizing tools, and deciding which one is best for treatment one. Sometimes this treatment plan may change on treatment two. We usually recommend 6-8 weeks between treatments for this reason so we can see some changes from the prior treatment and gauge more effectively to next best plan. 
Good luck!
Jennifer Tinelli, NP-C

The Cool Max and the regular applicators are not interchangeable as they are used to treat specific bulges of fat based on orientation and location of the fat bulge. Often times, client's have 2 peaks of fat beneath their belly button, one slightly to the right and the other slightly to the left. For body types like these, we typically treat the client with 2 regular applicators to ensure that we are aligning the peak of the fat bulge with the center of the applicator for best results. There are also instances wherein the peak of the fat bulge is truly centered beneath the belly button and then we would most likely use the Max applicator. This is not as common as the latter treatment plan. With all that said, it is the job of your Coolsculpting technician to properly assess your body to find the most appropriate treatment plan as no body is created equally. 

I'm sorry you even feel the need to ask this question- this decision is not something that you should be made to make as you have no experience with CoolSculpting.  An experienced CoolSculpting facility should be guiding you as to the best applications to achieve your goals.

Usually the desicion is made by the physician evaluating your bulge. The max is more powerful and it might give you more tangible results, but it has to fit your stomach size, that is the reason you need to be evaluated by an expert physician.
Good luck.

Hi amikjones,You can leave the decision to your Provider who will actually make some markings on your body and simulate a "good fit" or suction. This would depend on the girth and the protrusion. If the area is too wide (horizontally), it might be better to use 2 smaller ones.All the best, Justin Harper, M.D.