What can be expected from the first SculpSure treatment?

I had two SculpSure treatments for my abdominal area.  I had lost some weight through diet and exercise but this stubborn area of fat was difficult to reduce.  My philosophy is that in order to be able to tell my patients what something feels like, if appropriate, I try to experience it myself.  
During treatment here is what I experienced: 
1) Just prior to a feeling of heat, I experienced some cramping in the treatment area for 5-10 seconds.   I would say that the cramping was similar to that experienced by women having menstrual cramps. My female patients who have had the procedure agreed with me on this.   While the cramping was uncomfortable, it was tolerable. 
2) After the cramping sensation, I experienced a wave of heat, as if I were standing with my abdomen close to a hot oven.  During this time (only about 20 seconds), I "went with" the sensation, rather than fighting against it, if you know what I mean.  I thought about how the heat was destroying my fat cells and that it would be a success and that it would be over shortly.  Having a nice view out the window and some nice spa music playing was helpful.  I also had a fan blowing air at me. Just as I thought the heat was getting to be to the point where I didn't want it to continue, the heat sensation ended.  I then felt a cooling sensation for five seconds.  
This cycle of heating followed by cooling went on for the entire procedure (25 minutes) and before I knew it, the treatment was finished.
I purposely had the technician set the power at the maximal level in order to feel what that was like. I really couldn't tell that much of a difference between the initial setting and the maximal setting although increasing it gradually was probably helpful as opposed to increasing it all at once. 
During the treatment I was not really interested in talking to anyone or texting anyone or watching a show on my phone.  However, I have had many patients who have no problems having a conversation or playing games on their phones.  I think for most people as long as the atmosphere in the room is pleasant (music, aromatherapy, nice lighting, nice view out the window), any discomfort experienced is mild and completely manageable.  
It is easy enough to have the treatment adjusted to your comfort level, so just tell the technician if you feel that the power level should be decreased.   However, ideally you should try your best to tolerate some mild cramping and intense heat, so that the procedure is as successful as possible for you.  
As far as discomfort following the procedure, there is really not much to speak of. I did not need to take any ibuprofen or use ice packs or anything like that. After about one week, I felt some nodules of destroyed fat in the treatment area when massaging the area. These nodules were mildly tender, kind of like a muscle feels if you bruise it.   So I was aware of these nodules from time to time during the day, but certainly it was not a constant feeling and it was not painful.  Very mild discomfort at most.  For me this lasted about 4 weeks total, gradually diminishing.  By the time of my 2nd treatment (at 6 weeks), any nodules and discomfort had completely resolved.     My 2nd treatment was less uncomfortable during the procedure and after the procedure. 

SculpSure begins with a cool blast to the surface of the skin to start the tissue preparation. The next four minutes consist of a cooling and heating of the fat cells in the treatment area.  During this period, the technician is assessing the comfort level of the patient.  This is done with a zone scale from 1-4 with 4 being the fat destruction zone.  At zone 4, the patient should be experiencing longer peaks of moderate deep warmth and cooling but not pain.  The settings are adjusted based on patient feedback regarding the zone scale.  The next 21 minutes consist of periods of heating and cooling of the fat cells.  Our patients have reported one or more of the following:   no pain, deep warmth, the sensation of an ice pack and mild cramping.  Immediately post treatment, the skin may be a little red but no pain or discomfort reported.  Some patients have reported mild soreness on day 3-7 post treatment.  Overall, patients have described SculpSure as extremely tolerable and would do it again!

Average patient discomfort was 3.7 on a scale of 10 for the SculpSure treatment.  Afterwards you can expect some mild tenderness, redness and swelling. It's very tolerable, and people who have had both Coolsculpting and and Sculpsure have reported being much more comfortable afterwards than with Coolsculpting.

Treatment session per area is approximately 25 minutes.  Having had the treatment myself, I can say that the treatment consists of moments of alternating heating and cooling.  Some patients have reported soreness similar to what they would feel after working out at the gym. Others report no soreness post-treatment.  No downtime, meaning that patients are able to resume normal activities immediately.  

The vast majority of patients who have this treatment have mild to minimal discomfort, which cycles with the heating and cooling of the pads. I have personally had the treatment and I can assure you that the pain level was very tolerable.