Does Coolsculpting Run the Risk of Adding More Fat to Other Unwanted Areas of the Body?

Question

Will your body compensate for the lost cells by just adding more fat in a different area? For example if you use cool sculpting on your thighs, will you gain more fat around your waist?

Lorrie Klein, MD · Answer

Coolsculpting and liposuction are the only permanent  methods of fat removal.  Because your body often wants to keep itself at a certain percentage of body fat it can cause fat cells in other areas to take on more fat.  Losing weight would help avoid this.

Ron Shelton, MD · Answer

Some people who have had liposuction have noticed fat accumulation in other body sites after the liposuction. This may be because they had a large amount of fat removed and that was reflective of them consuming a larger number of calories than needed. The excess calories turn in to fat. If someone has liposuction, but continues to eat as much and does not increase their exercise, then they may put on more weight. They need less calories per day than before liposuction.  Some weight can go on areas treated by liposuction and the rest can go to other areas.

	CoolSculpting removes less fat than liposuction so there shouldn't be as much a differential in the caloreis needed for maintenance of the body shape, before and after the procedure. However,  as we are doing multiple adjacent sites and repeating treatments as a series often, six weeks apart, we are seeing more fat reduction so that it may be that there can be some fat accumulation in other body sites after the CoolSculpting is completed. This can be minimized by eating a proper diet, the total calories of which are appropriate for your body, and to maintain an exercise regimen. Remember that energy consumed as calories of food, are used up with normal metabolic functions and exercise. If you consume more than you need, you will accumulate fat. You need to reduce this positive caloric balance if you want to maintain keeping the fat off after a cosmetic procedure.

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

Thank you for the question.

	As with any “body contouring” procedure,  surgical or nonsurgical, it is best to have these procedures done when patients have achieved a long-term stable weight.  Cool sculpting, like liposuction surgery, is indicated for patients with diet and exercise resistant adipose tissue (with acceptable overlying skin elasticity attributes). Assuming patients maintain a stable weight after these procedures, fat cells in other areas of the body should not increase in size.

	I hope this helps.

Jeffrey E. Schreiber, MD, FACS · Answer

When the fat cells are removed after Coolsculpting, your body will dispose of them just like clearing an infection.  So, the fat won't go anywhere else on your body.  As long as you eat healthy and exercise, you can maintain the results for a long time!  Good luck!

Amy Forman Taub, MD · Answer

It isn't known if this occurs after a Coolsculpting treatment as no research on the subject has been done.  It would be much less likely than with liposuction for the following reasons: much less fat is treated at once, and only 20-40% of the fat compartment in a small area is targeted; the fat cells are lost slowly through a more natural process than forcibly removed all at once. To be on the safe side, continuing an exercise program which will be helpful to maintain a normal weight anyway should be employed to reduce the chances of this happening.  In the study on liposuction that showed that some people increased their deeper fat by 10% it was also shown that those who exercised regularly did not have this problem.

Does Coolsculpting Run the Risk of Adding More Fat to Other Unwanted Areas of the Body?

Answers (7)

Answer: Coolsculpting won't increase fat elsewhere on your body

Answer: Coolsculpting won't increase fat elsewhere on your body

Answer: A regular exercise program will help to maintain fat loss

Answer: A regular exercise program will help to maintain fat loss

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Everything you need to know about CoolSculpting

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.

Does Coolsculpting Run the Risk of Adding More Fat to Other Unwanted Areas of the Body?

Answers (7)

Answer: Coolsculpting won't increase fat elsewhere on your body

Answer: Coolsculpting won't increase fat elsewhere on your body

Answer: A regular exercise program will help to maintain fat loss

Answer: A regular exercise program will help to maintain fat loss

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about CoolSculpting

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.