Why are procedures like coolsculping NOT for the overweight or obese?

The reason for this statement in my opinion is that cool sculpting has limitations on what would give a person a visible and positive outcome. Each treatment costs anywhere from $750-$1500 per cycle and if a client is not at or near their healthy height and weight you could literally be treating areas several times over and still not get a visible result. You could be spending thousands of dollars on a treatment which would still not make you happy which just isn't the right thing to do. Hope this helps. 

Coolsculpting is an excellent form of non-invasive  fat reduction for
the right patient. Some applicators take 1 or 2 hours but the new advantage
applicators take only 35 minutes and have significantly less risk for delayed
onset pain (especially in the abdomen). Results are seen at 2 months and
typically 1-3 treatments will be necessary on each area to achieve ideal
results. The number of treatments depends on the amount of fat there and the
patient's goals.  There is not downtime and the results can be impressive
in the right patient.  We also use the Zimmer Z-wave for improved patient
comfort and added results. The best candidates are those who are in pretty
good shape with areas of stubborn fat that won't go away no matter what. There are two types of fat in the body(visceral and subcutaneous fat). Subcutaneous is under the skin and coolsculpting can destroy it. The visceral fat is around the organ and exercise can help get rid of it.    

My best,

Sheila Nazarian, MD, MMM

Beverly Hills, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Great candidates for CoolSculpting are typically within 30 lbs of their ideal weight and wanting to address pinchable areas of fat in order to contour their body. Ideal is variable from person to person, but the results may not be as effective for some patients. Whether CoolSculpting is the right procedure for a patient depends on the his or her unique goals and is determined at a consultation appointment. CoolSculpting is not an alternative for weight loss as many patients may not even lose weight. Specific bulges of fat are able to be reduced by 25% incrementally, and this may not be evident on a scale. Consult a board-certified plastic surgeon on the procedure that would be best for you to achieve your aesthetic goal. Good luck!

Thank you for your question; coolsculpting has limitations and that may be the reason why certain people may not be a good candidate for the procedure. Coolsculpting works on subcutaneous fat or what we call “pinchable fat” and not the fat the surrounds organs (visceral fat). This is also not a procedure that will help tighten loose skin, which can occur form an obese person losing a lot of weight. A consult is warranted to see if the desire outcome is something that can be achieved with coolsculpting alone, or is surgical option needed.

Non invasive options like coolsculpting and sculpsure only do a 20% improvement at most during a single treatment. They do not work well for those overweight as they are contouring procedures.  Best, Dr. Emer.