I Will Be Having Back to Back Coolscupting Treatments on the Same Day in my Flank Areas. How Much Bruising Will I Have?

The coolsculpting works by freezing the fat. The skin and fat are brought into an applicator's head and fixed in position to freeze for one hour. Suction enables the tissues to stay in position. The strong suction creates a "hickey"-like bruise in most patients. It disappears at different rates depending on the person, blood thinners, and other variables including medical conditions. Usually in one to two weeks the bruse is gone but it can take up to three weeks in rare circumstances.

The amount of bruising seen after a Coolsculpting treatment can vary greatly from patient to patient.  Thinner patients that may have a more difficult time getting adequate tissue to draw into the applicator may experience more bruising.  Medications and supplements that thin the blood can also contribute to bruising.  Some patients only experience a transient redness in the treatment area, others may get a superficial, more hickey-like bruise.  It is difficult to predict with any certainty if you will bruise and to what extent unfortunately.  We always advise patients that they will most likely bruise so they may want to avoid running around in a bathing suit for the first few days after treatment if they are trying to keep what they have had done confidential.

In our experience the flanks rarely bruise with a single treatment.  When you say back to back treatments I am assuming adjacent areas will be treated. Doing immediate repeat treatment on the same site, same day, has not been studied enough to give you feedback.  The recommended protocol is one treatment per site and repeat in 3 months if desired. We have seen great results and minimal side effects when following this protocol.  I hope this helps!

Bruising varies from patient to patient. Some patients only experience a little redness after the treatment, and some patients have obvious bruising. The most common type of bruising post Coolsculpting is right around the edges of the applicator, and generally look a little like a hickey! It is all from the suction of the applicator and the amount of force behind it! Good luck with your treatments! Back to back treatments, also known as "stacking" are becoming more common and we are seeing greater results this way.

The amount of bruising varies from person to person post-treatment. Usually, a few patients may experience short temporary redness, bruising, or mild discomfort in the treated areas that resolves quickly.

My first question is why are you having back to back treatments? Some people achieve the result they want after a single treatment, particularly thinner people.  To maximize results, be certain there is adequate massage performed. This is what helps to break down the frozen fat cells.  The fat is then processed by the lymphatic system. This is why in my practice we incorporate vibrational therapy and both manual and mechanical massage.

If you mean two areas treated back to back, that is perfectly reasonable and will not increase the possibility of bruising. Some people bruise. others don't. Some people bruise following some treatments and not others. It is unpredictable. We always ask patients to be prepared for some bruising. 

Post surgery patients receive arnica montana to reduce bruising, but you do not want to use arnica following CoolSculpting as it may interfere with the results of the procedure.

There is no way to determine how you will bruise, if you do. If you have taken aspirin, anti-inflammatories, vitamin E or fish oil within 2 weeks of your treatment it increases your chances for bruising. We have seen patients that only bruise where applicator was placed, some bruised on surrounding tissue and some didn't bruise. I would suggest staying away from medication that are blood thinners as I mentioned above. That may help. 

It really just depends on you!  Some patients bruise and others don't.  In my experience the flanks tend to bruise more frequently than say the abdomen.  A higher level of suction is usually applied to the hips because the skin is tighter in this area, and it takes more suction to get the fat into the applicator. The bruising typically fades fairly quickly and does not cause a problem.

 I am a real believer in the stacking method which means doing the same area twice in the same day.  I do not think it contributes to more or less bruising - but it significantly kills more fat cells.

Best of luck! My patients have been VERY pleased!

Jennifer Harrington MD