The machine popped off after 35 minutes when the other areas treated lasted 45 minutes, will this affect my results?

Question

I had CoolSculpting on my hips, it's a newer machine and only took 45 mins in each area but at 35 mins it popped off, will this affect my results? The technician reapplied. The machine very quickly and added on a few mins on top of the 10 minutes left. Will this have any affect on my results?

Anoosheh Lolachi, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Zeltiq's machine we use for Coolsculpting gives us 3 different treatment times. The older technology was 1 hour treatment time, New technology the treatment time is 35 minutes. The chin treatment is 45 minutes. After 35 minutes with the newest technology your treatment should have been finished and massaged out to redistribute the frozen cells. Typically with what I have seen is that if a hand piece has popped off before 10 minutes it is reapplied and the treatment continues. After 10 minutes the cycle is gone and a whole new treatment must be done.

Garry K. Kim, MD · Answer

The process of crylipolysis, where fat cells are "frozen" works through sustained exposure to cold temperature.  The pop off may affect the end results.  If it was a short period of time, and they were able to get the applicator back on fairly quickly (within a minute), it's not likely to affect your results.  The skin and underlying fat retain that cold temperature for at least a minute, so if they were able to get the applicator back on within that period of time, the results should be fine. Even if they took a little bit longer, the change that resulted would probably be imperceptible. 
Hope that helps,
Dr. Garry K. Kim

Justin Harper, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Hi Lyra7,
I have extensive experience in CoolSculpting so I hope this helps. The short answer so you can relax is, NO - your results won’t be affected by the brief pop off if the technician reapplied very quickly. The efficacy time on a 45 minute treatment is 40 minutes or more; which makes 35 minutes just 5 minutes shy of being acceptable. 
Apart from how much time elapsed from popping to re-attachment and the minutes added to complete the cycle, what would matter as much, is the condition of your hip/s when the hand piece was quickly reapplied. The applicator should fit properly and create a proper suction over the contact area during re-attachment; something not possible if the hip was already “too rigid” from the procedure. 
When this happens in practice, we decide on a case-to-case basis since it is not as simple as merely adding minutes to complete one cycle. However, one thing you should take note of when you go back for your “after” pictures is whether the fat reduction is symmetrical on both hips, specially on the area where the initial pop off was premature. 
All the best,
Justin Harper, MD.

The machine popped off after 35 minutes when the other areas treated lasted 45 minutes, will this affect my results?

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The machine popped off after 35 minutes when the other areas treated lasted 45 minutes, will this affect my results?

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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.