Are certain areas/body compositions more responsive to Coolsculpting than others? (photos)

Question

I'm considering Coolsculpting on 1 of 3 areas, inner thighs, outer thighs or calves. Given the investment & my uncertainty, I want to start with just 1 area. Both my inner & outer thighs are strong but have more fat than my calves. My calves are very muscular with a smaller layer of fat than my thighs. In your experience, does one mix/composition/area/etc. have better results than any other? Also, is there an 'art' to Coolsculpting the way there is with fillers or plastic surgery?

Michael I. Echavez, MD · Answer

The areas that are most responsive to CoolSculpting are generally the areas that have the most amount of fat.  Between the three areas (calves, inner thighs, outer thighs) you mentioned, I would say usually the inner thighs would have the most amount of fat and thus would see the most change from a CoolSculpting treatment.  The calves generally do not have much fat and the outer thighs can vary.

Jeff Rapaport, MD · Answer

In my opinion, there are two considerations as to the areas that are best to treat with Coolsculpting. Number one it is the amount fat. Number 2 is the type or density of the fat. Area with the largest amount of will do better, most likely because the ratio of fat to fibrous tissue is higher. It is my opinion that areas with firm fat do not do as well. Fibrous tissue predominates and does not respond sufficiently to the cool sculpting procedure. Often a second procedure cycle is recommended in the same area. Seek a  doctor with experience in cool sculpting and one who will show you pictures. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

Honestly coolsculpting is only mildly effective and isnt the best for contouring unless you are doing many treatments over many months.  I had stopped this in my practice and do a lot of body contouring under local anesthesia with very little downtime.  The lower legs are especially best for laser scupting and I think you should consult with a body contouring specialist to get the best individualized opinion and treatment options.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Michael A. Zadeh, MD, FACS · Answer

Certain areas which have more fat, such as the belly and love handles, respond more dramatically to CoolSculpting. As far as the thighs go, usually the inner thighs respond a little better than the outer thighs. For both the inner and outer thighs multiple treatments may be required to achieve your desired results. The fat of the calves is usually unpinchable and too small to accommodate the non-suction based applicator so it usually cannot be treated with CoolSculpting. There definitely is an 'art' involved to CoolSculpting. Knowing which applicator to choose and exactly where to apply it to give you the best results requires skill and experience. Please choose an experienced provider for your CoolSculpting treatments. Best of luck to you.

Surya Challa, MD · Answer

CoolSculpting would work great for the inner and outer thighs. We personally do not treat the calves because this area is usually composed of more muscle than fat and it is very difficult to get a good result. CoolSculpting is definitely an "art-form" of sorts. Your practitioner should do a full body assessment to understand what areas of treatment would best benefit you. Each person has different presentations of fat, therefore not every patient should be treated exactly the same. Sculpting the body is the goal.

Suzanne Kim Doud Galli, MD, PhD, FACS · Answer

coolsculpting selectively freezes fat cells to induce programmed cell death. It has been FDA cleared to treat abdomen and flanks; however, there has been success in many off label uses. Have an in person evaluation by a doctor that performs coolsculpting to see if you are a candidate.

Louis C. Cutolo, Jr., MD, FACS · Answer

Those
are good questions. There are a few issues to address when considering
CoolSculpting. There are 2 different types of handpieces associated with the
machine. One type works by having a vacuum draw the skin into the handpiece. The
skin and fat sit between 2 cooling plates for this treatment. For areas that
have skin that can not be pinched or drawn into the handpiece by the vacuum,
there is another handpiece that will lie directly on the area to be treated.
The duration of the treatment with the vacuum handpiece is 1 hour, and the
duration of treatment with the handpiece that lies directly on the skin is 2
hours. So the areas have to be evaluated to decide which handpiece will give
you the best treatment. Another issue is the amount of excess skin that is
present. Although skin contraction has been documented with both liposuction
and CoolSculpting, liposuction usually leads to more skin contraction. If the
area has more skin than fat, then your result with CoolSculpting will not be as
dramatic. If you treat your calves, remember that there is much less fat in
that area, and while you will probably have a 20% reduction, it will not appear
to be dramatic because you started with less.

Joshua L. Fox, MD · Answer

Yes
there is an art to body contouring and subsequently an art to
Coolsculpting. I would recommend an in
person consultation with an experienced cosmetic dermatologist or plastic
surgeon. Areas that tend to do better
with Coolsculpting are areas of “loose" easily pinchable fat. I would focus on the inner and outer thighs.

Stanley G. Poulos, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Yes, there is an art to CoolSculpting,
and much of it is in deciding which areas can best be treated. It is difficult
to assess completely from your photos which area is best, but it appears that
either the inner thighs or outer thighs should be treated first. I recommend
you choose the area that is most bothersome to start with. A different type of
treatment head is used for each of these 2 areas, and more than 1 treatment may
be necessary to achieve optimal results. Good luck in your decision.

Michael L. Workman, MD (retired) · Answer

It is always recommended to have a face-to-face consultation with a provider in order to determine if you would be a good candidate for CoolSculpting and how many treatments you may need. During the consultation, the health care provider will visually assess the fat in order to determine if the person needs debulking or sculpting. The physician will physically assess the orientation of the fat by pinching and feeling it. Areas that respond well will be areas with fat that can be pinched and pulled away from (ie, abdomen, flank and inner thigh). There is a 20-25% fat reduction in the treated areas. Patients are usually brought back at the 30 days mark to assess their results. At that point, the patient and physician can communicate and determine if additional treatment might be needed for optimum result.

Are certain areas/body compositions more responsive to Coolsculpting than others? (photos)

Answers (10)

More CoolSculpting Questions

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS

Answers (10)

More CoolSculpting Questions

Silly Question re:Coolsculpting - when doing the inner thighs - does that count as one area or two areas in terms of cost?

Underarm fat axillary region correction male chest. What are my options for the best result? (photos)

Glycerine and water soked pads

I have cellulite fat on my thighs. Will cryosculpting help this problem or make it worse?

CoolSculpting fat freeze. My skin was cold but not red enough. Does that mean my skin wasn't sucked by the machine properly?

What Temperature is CoolSculpting Done by Zeltiq?

WE SEND PRETTY EMAILS

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS