Ibuprofen After CoolSculpting Treatment. Did I Damage My Results?

There is inflammation after CoolSculpting but if there is less, the fat cells that died are still dead! they eventually will be cleared by the body. If patients do have pain after CoolSculpting, my NYC practice recommends to our patients that they take ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) as long as there is no contraindication based on their other illnesses or medications they consume per day.

The information provided in Dr. Shelton's answer is for educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical advice.  The information provided should not be relied upon as a substitute for consultations with a qualified health professional who may be familiar with your individual medical needs.

Coolsculpting is an excellent way of reducing the fat in a given area.  This non-invasive procedure will reduce the fat by 25%.  Taking motrin will not diminish the effects of Coolsculpting and you can expect to have the same excellent results.

The body does respond to fat freezing with CoolSculpting with an inflammatory response. However, there is no need to completely stay away from OTC anti-inflammatory medications

Thank you for your question. You do not have cause for extreme concern - most likely the ibuprofen will not hinder your results. Your doctor would have specifically told you not to take the drug prior to treatment if it would have a serious negative effect. 

Inflammation is part of the normal healing process but it's doubtful that suppressing inflammation in the case of Coolsculpting aftercare would have any significant effects on your results.  You'll be just fine.  If it made such a big diference or impacted results at all, believe me, we would tell patients to avoid it. We want the best results for our patients.  

Dr. Grant Stevens

The conceptual issue with anti inflammatories and Coolsculpting is that if you take them then you may mute some of the desired inflammatory response associated with clearing and phagocytosis of dead fat cells. This is theoretical and probably does not have a huge impact on the ultimate result.