How long should I wait after CoolSculpting before moving forward with liposuction if I do not see results?

Question

I am not happy with my cold sculpting results. I got it done last year in September and it's been about 6 months now and I'm seeing no difference. I am planning on going in for one more round on March 14th, and give myself till June to see the results. If I don't see much difference, I will lock an appointment for Liposuction and schedule my surgery for August or September. Can you get liposuction just a few months after your cold sculpting treatment or is that not recommended?

Alan Gonzalez, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello @Keeetz, thank you for your question. If do not see the desired results, it is recommended that you wait for at least 3 to 6 months before considering liposuction. This waiting period will allow the body to naturally eliminate the treated fat cells, which can take several weeks to several months. For more information and recommendations, it is best to consult with one or several board certified plastic surgeons. Best wishes! Alan Gonzalez MD, FACS. American Society of Plastic Surgery Member (ASPS), International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics and Science” Member (IFATS), Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery member (SCCP)

Randal Haworth, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello !

Yes, it is possible and there is no known risk. 
It is still best to consult with your regular physician beforehand.

Good luck !

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question regarding the advisable waiting period between CoolSculpting and liposuction. I understand your eagerness to progress with your body contouring journey.

CoolSculpting is a non-surgical procedure that eliminates stubborn fat by freezing fat cells beneath the skin. After the procedure, your body naturally processes and eliminates these dead cells over the course of a few weeks. Post-procedure, there may be some inflammation and residual scar tissue in the treated areas. This is a normal part of the body's healing process.

Given these considerations, it is generally recommended to wait a minimum of two months after CoolSculpting before proceeding with liposuction. This time frame allows the inflammation to subside and the tissue to heal adequately. This pause also helps in ensuring a smoother surgical experience and optimal results from your liposuction, as the surgeon would be operating on a more settled and less inflamed area. Rushing into liposuction before two months may involve dealing with residual scar tissue, which can potentially complicate the procedure. Therefore, patience is key here to ensure safety and the best possible outcome.

I hope this answer helps. Good luck!

Sincerely,
Dr. Katzen

David Hansen, MD · Answer

So many patients waste money on cold sculpting procedures which don't work and then get lipo.  Be sure to get tumescent liposuction with the micro canulas and get done under local (NEVER GENERAL Anesthesia) if you want good results.

George Marosan, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Do yourself a favor, cancel your next Coolsculpting session, save this money towards your liposuction procedure. Coolsculpting leads to freezing of fat and mass necrosis or death of fat. This is unpredictable, but it does leave intense scarring in the fat layer. This creates difficulty with your subsequent liposuction and expected results. I say this, because in my practice close to one third of my patients who seek body contouring had one or more sessions of Coolsculpting. I use the VASER technique to release these dense scars. Another side effect of Coolsculpting is PAH (paradoxical adipose hypertrophy) or fat growth in plain English. Although this is reported as a "rare" side effect, this month I already had three requests for consultation due to this phenomenon.
See a board certified plastic surgeon experienced in advanced body sculpting techniques for an in person consultation/evaluation. Good luck.

Zoran Potparic, MD · Answer

It takes good year for soft tissue (fat) to recover from treatment like cool sculpting, liposuction. You should wait at least one year between two procedures. Good luck.

Ryan Rebowe, MD · Answer

After any treatment that is placing trauma on your body, I would recommend waiting six months between CoolSculpting and a surgical correction. While technically it is safe to move forward sooner, 6 months will give your body time to recover properly and also allow you to see maximum results. If you are still not pleased after this time period, I would pursue surgical correction such as liposuction.

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

You probably won't see and change even with more treatments so save your money for liposuction. Liposuction actually removes fat. You have waited long enough to see results.

Douglas Taranow, DO, FACOS · Answer

Save your time and money.  Drop the cool sculpting and go directly to liposuction.   
Best wishes 
Dr. Taranow

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Your planner sounds appropriate. I would say that unless your last session of cool sculpting is pre-paid, you may as well skip doing it. The procedure is renowned for leaving patients disappointed.
That said, it’s also really important to get a proper assessment in regards to what are correct treatment options. Not everybody who consult for fat removal are great candidates for these procedures. People often are not able to clearly differentiate the impact that skin laxity or pregnancy related changes may have on body contour and often believe fat is the main corporate when in reality, treating other tissue variables are more Important.
When it comes to quality Liposuction results, there are two variables you need to take into consideration.
These two variables are the only variables that really matter when it comes to getting quality results in High patient satisfaction.
The first is patient candidacy. This basically means getting a quality assessment and having a clear understanding of what is causing contour issues. You didn’t describe what area is being treated but by far the most common area to be treated with Liposuction and cool sculpting is the abdomen. In regards to be able to minute. There are four variables that contributes to what the abdomen looks like. In other words, if somebody doesn’t like the way, their belly looks it is always because of one or more of four different variables. These variables are abdominal skin, laxity typically related to previous pregnancies or weight loss, excess, subcutaneous, fat, muscle separation from previous pregnancies, or excess visceral or intra-abdominal fat. 
Ideal candidate, for Liposuction tend to be young pudgy women who have not had previous pregnancies.
This means older individuals or women with pregnancy related changes are not always ideal candidates for quality results from any type of fat removal procedure because the problem is often more related to skin laxity or muscle, separation, or potentially excess visceral fat.
Secondly, is the choice of the provider. Delivering consistent quality liposuction results is much more difficult than most people believe. The number of plastic surgeons who do liposuction exceptionally well on a consistent basis is relatively few. People have a false understanding that Liposuction is a simple procedure that most plastic surgeons can handle without difficulties. In reality the number of plastic surgeons, who do Liposuction well is in a small minority. Because Liposuction can leave people permanently disfigured patients need to be very selective when it comes to choosing the right provider. Do this by having multiple in person consultations at which time you should insist on seeing sufficient number of before and after pictures of previous patient to have similar body characteristics to your own, to get a clear confirmation, that you have a very good understanding of what average results look like in the hands of each provider And get a good understanding of how many of these procedures each surgeon has actually done. Being shown a handful of preselected images, representing the best results of a provider’s career is completely insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like or how many procedures they’ve actually done. Being board-certified plastic surgery with an overall good reputation and years of experience does not mean that somebody has mastered Liposuction. 
Results from these procedures are permanent and irreversible. You’ve done poorly patients are left just figured, and poor outcomes are almost impossible to improve upon.
I suggest patient start by having at least five in person, consultations and consider scheduling more than that unless they feel very confident they found one of the best providers for this procedure in the community. This process will most likely take time and it’s unlikely one more session of something that’s not working is going to make a significant difference. 
When it comes to the abdomen, I generally prefer to treat the entire torso as a single anatomic unit in order to leave people without unnatural transition zones between treated and untreated areas. 
Lower extremity liposuction is technically difficult as his arm liposuction. Arm liposuction generally has the potential for giving much better results than lower extremity liposuction but both areas can give good results if patients are good candidates, and choose sufficiently skilled providers.
I personally do not recommend patients, have virtual consultation, and I highly recommend against traveling long distances for elective surgical procedures.
When in doubt slow down and schedule more consultations.
You need to have a clear understating of your assessment and what each procedure can and can not accomplish. Likewise it is critical you choose a sufficiently talented provider. 
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD

How long should I wait after CoolSculpting before moving forward with liposuction if I do not see results?

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