Thermal event with tattoos

Question

I’ve had cool sculpting done on abs and flanks. During consultation, I was asked how old a couple of tattoos were, as they can sometimes cause false thermal events. Sure enough, it did. First time I got down to 3 minutes left, and was told I still got the full benefit. 2nd time I only made it about 10 minutes in. She said it’s a known issue, but not known why. We are gonna try again, but she’s concerned it may never complete with as early as it triggered. Do I have any hope?

Ran Y. Rubinstein, MD · Answer

Hi. You are correct, tattoos in the CoolSculpting treatment area can cause thermal events. This is thought to be due to the possibility of lead in the tattoo, more commonly with colored ink. Unfortunately, if it has happened in the past, it may likely occur again. Because of this known possibility we typically begin treatment on the tattooed area first. This way, if one side of the body cannot be treated, you will not be left imbalanced. Hopefully this helps clarify a little more.

Danielle Shanley, MD · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question. I would try again and if you got another thermal event I would ask your provider what other options they have for body contouring.

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