I had CoolSculpting today and my session stopped due to thermal event. Do you think I got a full effective treatment?

Question

I had cool sculpting today, 2 medium applicators on my mid ab and 1 large on the lower. the lower session stopped 40 minutes into the 45 minute session due to thermal event. My Doctor said this was close enough to the full time to be considered a full treatment. My lower abs are redder, but less pain full, less swollen compared to my upper abs. Do you think I got a full effective treatment? maybe the larger applicator I would not be as swollen/pain full as the medium ones? Thanks

Michael Kerin, MD · Answer

Hi.  Thanks for the question.  You have had an adequate treatment if you only lost the lst few minutes.In general, I prefer the smaller applicator over the larger applicator because two small treatments will treat more tissue than one large one, and in our practice, the cost is the same.Best of luck.Michael Kerin MDKerin MedSpa

Michael I. Echavez, MD · Answer

I would agree with your doctor that 40 minutes of a normal 45 minutes of a CoolSculpting session on your lower abdomen should be fine.  I would not judge the effectiveness of a CoolSculpting treatment based on redness, swelling or tenderness.  Different parts of the body may react differently to the treatment and sometimes one side can have more swelling than the other.

Michael A. Zadeh, MD, FACS · Answer

40 minutes of a 45 minute treatment should be adequate for fat reduction. You need to wait up to 3 months to evaluate your full results. Make sure you voice any concerns with your treating physician. Best wishes.

Center for Aesthetics and Plastic Surgery - Grand Rapids · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question.  If it was really just the last few minutes, I would say you still received an effective treatment.  Different areas respond differently to coolsculpting, so just because one area isn't as tender as another does not mean that your treatment wasn't effective. You should expect to see results in 6-8 weeks. Hope this helps!! Holly, RN

Scott D. Holley, MD, FACS · Answer

If you only lost the last few minutes of the cycle it still is considered a full treatment. As long as the massage was still performed immediately afterward you should expect good results! The soreness of the treatment area does not correlate to the effectiveness. At West Michigan Plastic Surgery we perform many upper and lower abdominal CoolSculpting treatments and patients often report greater discomfort in the upper abdomen. Final results are typically seen two to three months after treatment so you will have to wait to evaluate then.

Laura A. Katz, MD · Answer

If you truly lost only the last few minutes of your treatment, you likely still got a full treatment and should expect good results.  You cannot judge the treatment effectiveness based on after treatment soreness.  At Monroe Comprehensive Laser Center in Monroe, Mi, we perform many Coolsculpting treatments in the abdominal area and many patients do report greater discomfort in the upper abdominal area than the lower.  We think this is probably related to the fact that in most of the patients that we treat, the subcutaneous fat pocket is larger in the lower abdomen than the upper abdomen.  Therefore the hypersensitivity can be greater in the upper abdomen.  Truthfully, only time will tell if you were still able to get the results that you wanted.

Grant Stevens, MD · Answer

You may have in fact received an adequate Coolsculpting treatment on your lower abdomen despite the applicator having a thermal event in the final minutes. Differing sensations and appearances between the upper and lower abdomen after treatment are not uncommon because the fat and skin can be different even in adjacent areas. Having less pain or swelling is not indicative of insufficient treatment. Give all the areas time to reach full effect (approximately 3 months) and then decide if additional treatments are necessary. Best of luck.

My Botox LA Med Spa - Account Suspended · Answer

Dear Soday,
Nothing to worry about, if you got a thermal event at 40 minutes out of the 45 minute cycle it is considered to be a full treatment and you will get full results. I am not sure what your abdomen looks like nor do I know your weight and height, but on average it is very important to get about 3 treatments spaced 4-6 weeks apart for best outcomes!  Best of luck from Los Angeles!

Martin Everhard, MD, PhD, FACS · Answer

A thermal event with only 5 minutes remaining will be a satisfactory treatment. During the last 5 minutes the device changes to  a message mode which will be simulated with the manual massage by the treating person.  The CoolSculpting(r) machine has safety settings that turn the machine off if the skin temperature is in danger of causing skin injury.  One of many safety features of the machine.

I had CoolSculpting today and my session stopped due to thermal event. Do you think I got a full effective treatment?

Answers (12)

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