Does massaging the area help to eliminate the dead fat cells faster?

Question

How often should I massage and how hard after CoolSculpting? I think I was one of the unfortunate people who have all the side effects mentioned, severe lower ab pain, itching and very swollen belly. I have been putting ice packs to help with the pain and the itching but it seems like is getting worst by the day. Massaging the treated area is extremely painful, even wearing spandex does not help. I had the procedure done a week ago.

Martin Jugenburg, MD · Answer

Massaging the area is only effective immediately after the treatment. A two minute massage should be done as the applicator is removed. This will help improve your results. Please consult with your provider if you have further concerns.Best,

Jeffrey B. Wise, MD, FACS · Answer

After having the Coolsculpting treatment your technician will massage the area for approximately 2 minutes. There is no need to do any massaging after that. Some mild discomfort and swelling is normal. If the pain persists after a week I would follow up with your provider. You may be experiencing delayed onset pain and medication can be prescribed to help elevate the nerve pain. Best of luck!

Tina B. West, MD · Answer

Your CoolSculpting provider will massage the treated area for approximately 2mins after treatment. 
The massage is only effective directing after treatment.   You do
not have to worry about any at home massage care.  I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing lower
abdominal pain ( though not uncommon).  If it persists, contact your
provider.   Best of Luck!

Kyle Coleman, MD · Answer

Swelling and pain after coolsculpting are uncommon but most common in women who have had abdominal surgery using the older suction technology on the coolsculpting.  Anti-inflammatory medication, muscle relaxers and compression may help.  Definately, don't overdue cold compresses or warm compresses as this may irritate the area further.  Sometimes a steroid injection is waranted to calm the inflammation.  Lymphatic massage may help with the swelling but will likely have no effect on final results.   Massage immediately after coolsculpting can help to reduce fat cells by causing increased fat cell death while frozen, but beyond that is unlikely.  Best of luck.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

Massage helps eliminate any swelling you may have, which can last 3-6 months after Coolsculpting.  I recommend adding hyperbaric oxygen and lymphatic massage along with your compression to help decrease swelling. For best results with Coolsculpting, a combination approach is needed. I recommend adding radiofrequency treatments like Vanquish, Venus Legacy, Exilis Ultra for skin tightening and with Z wave/Cellutone for skin smoothing. However, a Vaser with ThermiRF procedure is the best combination for bodyshaping. See an expert. Best, Dr. Emer

Kahlil Andrews, MD · Answer

Hello, thanks for your question! First, I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing so much discomfort. The symptoms you describe sound like normal signs of the healing process one week after your procedure; even though you can’t see this happening on the surface as you would with a cut or a bruise, your body is still going through the same kind of recovery as your fat cells die.At this point, massaging the area is not likely to make much of a difference in your results, and if it is painful you should avoid doing so. The massage you may have received immediately after your CoolSculpting session is meant to evenly distribute the frozen fat cells and promote cell elimination across the whole treated area. Massaging the area later than that will not have much of an effect, and it will not speed up the elimination process. I would recommend talking to the person who provided your CoolSculpting, or to another board-certified plastic surgeon, to see what they recommend to help manage the discomfort. Good luck!

Peter Petropoulos, MD · Answer

Hi,  sorry to hear you are having a rough road after your procedure.  It sounds like your nerves in the treatment area are starting to come back to full function.  Ibuprofen or non-drowsy antihistamines like Zyrtec may work. If your provider has a Zimmer Z wave, treating the area again with the Z wave may help improve some of the swelling.   The initial massage is the critical massage for fat cell death, after that no other massage will help kill more cells.  Good luck with your recovery, I hope you get great results!

Edward Stokes, MD · Answer

This is a great question. The 2 minute massage that is administered at the end of a CoolSculpting treatment is very important to getting the best possible results. Massaging the area immediately post treatment breaks down the fat cells, some of which may not have been destroyed. Clinical tests have proven that results are typically up to 68% better when the area is massaged right away. Although some do recommend that patients continue massaging the treated areas once home, no study has shown that this is helpful toward achieving better results. Additionally, it sounds as though you may have chosen to treat with the original applicators for the lower abdomen. Those older technology applicators use a much more intense suction and frequently result in rather intense post treatment discomfort.  I would highly recommend that you try the new Advantage applicators if you need to retreat the area. The Advantages are faster and infinitely more comfortable while treating, and we do see the post treatment discomfort when patients have had the Advantage. Good luck with your CoolSculpting journey.

Renee Burke, MD · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question. The massage is a crucial part of the treatment immediately after. The post treatment massage should be done for two minutes immediately after the Coolsculpting treatment has finished. This massage helps break down the fat cells and can increase your reduction up to 60%. Any massage done later that the two minutes right after treatment will only be beneficial for your comfort if you have swelling. For the itching I like to recommend to our patients a non drowsy benadryl. If you have any other concerns I would contact your certified Coolsculpting provider. Best of luck to you!

Sandra Elder, MD · Answer

A 2 minute massage should be done on each area treated immediately following the treatment.  In other words as soon as the timer goes off and the applicator is removed.  This will increase your results by 60-70%.  No further massage is needed.

Does massaging the area help to eliminate the dead fat cells faster?

Answers (15)

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