Who is Qualified to Operate the Coolsculpting Machine? Should It Be Only a Doctor?

I was the first plastic surgeon in the Houston area to bring on Coolsculpting.  I would say with any device, there is a learning curve.  Both in terms of knowing what the limitations of the device is, and gaining experience if this is something that can be delegated within a physician practice.I have found in my own practice that when I delegated completely, the results were more inconsistent.  Today I am involved in every consult and draw out the treatment plan for every patient prior to their treatment.  I still do many of the treatments myself depending on my schedule, but I do have a team that supports me. I would be weary of going to place where you don't see a physician or where the surgeon is not an expert in body contouring.

Hello, Thank you for your question. Anyone who has been trained by CoolSculpting can operate the machine. It is rare that a doctor will be the one treating. With this being said it is best to find a CooSculpting technician who has been to CoolSculpting University and has experience. This provides extended training that ensures quality results. Best of luck in your search 

In our practice, our licensed nurses and Certified Laser Technicians perform the CoolSculpting procedures. Texas law allows non-physicians to treat CoolScupting patient sunder the direct supervision of the physician. They have all undergone extensive training and received advanced training at CoolSculpting University's intense program in order to diagnose and treat patients for optimal results. As the medical supervisor and with my 18 years of experience as a board-certified plastic surgeon, I am on site and available to answer any questions or address concerns should they arise. Our providers confer with me often about the best treatment plans for patients deciding between CoolSculpting, liposuction, and tummy tucks. Our CoolSculpting patients are treated as carefully and specifically as our surgical patients, even though CoolSculpting is a nonsurgical procedure which does not require anesthesia. Because of the high level of professionalism in our office, our patients are very satisfied and confident that they are getting the best CoolSculpting treatments from our certified providers.

Applying the coolsculpting applicator is not difficult and any tech can do it.  The hard part is mapping the areas of treatment prior to applicator placement and having a skilled and knowledgeabe person who can determine the correct applicator, the correct contour mouth that accompanies the applicator, and the correct number of cycles needed to get the appropriate result in that area.  Of course, plastic surgery practices have plastic surgeons who can guide the coolsculpting staff on these issues since they have experience with fat reduction.  Having physician supervision is highly important.  

CoolSculpting should be performed by a trained, certified CoolSculpting technician, nurse, or physician.  The practice/facility in which you are having the treatment performed should also be CoolSculpting certified. The manner in which the applicators are placed onto the body is very technician dependent and if one does not handle positioning properly, results can be displeasing.

Hello,
Great question! Coolsculpting is performed by a
qualified technician who has completed an extensive training course with
Zeltiq, the company that created Coolsculpting. This training is a 2 day,
one-on-one training course with Coolsculpting Specialists. There is also
additional in-office training with the Coolsculpting Representative. It is
ideal to have your procedure with someone who has been doing the procedure for
longer than 6 months. Typically it is not a doctor who performs the procedure, although
it is required that a physician monitors the Coolsculpting technician. Having 4
years of experience with Coolsculpting at my practice, our Coolsculpting Team
Leader has completed over 1500 cycles. It is important to have your procedure
done with an experienced provider to ensure an optimal result!
Best of Luck,
Dr. Thomas E. Kaniff

You do not have to be a physician but the clinic should be certified by Zeltiq and ideally they should be doing Coolsculpting for at least a year.  Our Laguna Niguel, Orange County office was the first private practice in the OC to perform Coolsculpting.  Since 2010 we have performed over 5000 treatment cycles, including dual sculpting (2 areas at once.)  This type of experience and also having the latest handpieces, like Cool Advantage, is what you should be looking for when vetting an office.

Kudos
to you for asking who specifically performs a cosmetic procedure -- you are
being a proactive patient. The company that makes CoolSculpting, Zeltiq,
provides practices with extensive training as part of a certification process
that ensures consistency. CoolSculpting University is a comprehensive, 2-day
program that includes intensive, one-on-one training. CoolSculpting is
typically offered by plastic surgery and dermatology practices, where trained,
qualified members of the medical staff may perform the procedure. It is safe
for physician assistants, nurses, aestheticians, and others to perform the
procedure if they are certified, but it is wise to also be sure that a
physician is on hand.

                  Coolsculpting
is usually performed by a healthcare provider who is under the supervision of a
physician. This includes nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants
who manage the coolsculpting machinery and apply applicator heads.

                  Decisions
regarding patient selection and formulation of a treatment plan are made by the
supervising physician. This physician would perform a comprehensive evaluation
on the patient before proceeding with intervention. This approach ensures
appropriate patient selection and optimizes results.

                  It’s
important to understand that coolsculpting may not necessarily be the best
choice for some patients. It’s therefore important, to see a physician who is
familiar with the complete range of therapeutic options. 

Doctors do not need to be the ones who apply the applicator and do the treatment. In our NYC practice, we, as many others, have taken extra effort to become certified by Zeltiq to perform CoolSculpting. The medical assistants are trained well and supervision is provided by the physician.  As the physician of the patient, I, or another physician, see the patient in consultation and determine if the patient is a candidate for the procedure and discuss the treatment and its consequences, along with its risks, and measure the patient for which applicator is fits best per area to be treated and mark the exact site upon which the applicator is to be placed. In this way, any of my assistants can apply the CoolSculpting applcator.