I have Raynaud's Disorder and am scheduled for a Coolsmooth session(2 hours) on my abs, is this advisable?

I appreciate your question.I would not recommend CS with raynaudsThe best way to assess and give true advice would be an in-person exam.Please see a board-certified plastic surgeon that specializes in aesthetic and restorative plastic surgery.best of luck!Dr Schwartz

Treatment with CoolSculpting in patients with Raynaud's disorder is one of the situations where the risks and benefits should be weighed on an individual basis. We have done treatments on patients with a remote history of Raynaud's type symptoms. Often the patients don't actually have true Raynaud's. The abdomen has a more rich blood supply than the fingers and toes. Symptoms, if any, are usually transient. I would make sure you are evaluated by an actual physician before determining whether it is safe to proceed with the treatment.

In our experience, CoolSculpting can be done for patients with Reynaud's disorder without any excess side effects that we've noted in several hundred patients web treated.  Cryoglobulinemia, which is a rare condition, is a true contraindication. 

I personally have seen a patient with Raynaud's phenomenon, without any associated autoimmune disease, who had very severe but transient pain when the applicator was removed.  Apparently she wanted to remove the fat despite this more than she cared about the pain, however, and this experience was repeated when she had a second treatment.  She did not have any untoward effects and apparently responded well to the treatments.  With Raynaud's the vessels constrict quickly in the presence of cold. They do not remain constricted long enough in real-life situations that any damage occurs, but the reason it is considered to be a relative contraindication to CoolSculpting is that 1) we don't want patients to have an increased risk of severe pain with the procedure, and 2) no controlled study can be performed to see whether the parameters of cryolipolysis might induce a more long-lasting vasoconstriction that could lead to necrosis of the skin or soft tissues.So your risks are more pain than usual or other side effects from a period of vasoconstriction (therefore reduced blood supply) to the treated area for a longer period of time than someone who does not have Raynaud's.For more information about CoolSculpting, you can visit my website at SherylClarkMD.com.  2MinuteMedicine has a good summary of Raynaud's: