Slim Lipo vs. Cool Sculpting for Belly Fat and Love Handles?

Hello and thank-you for your questionOur office offers both Laser Lipolysis (Slim Lipo, Smart Lipo), which are a more invasive surgical procedure involving liposuction and the non-invasive alternative Coolsculpting. Laser Assisted Liposcution are more suited for larger fat amounts of fat reduction of multiple ares. CoolSculpting is a great, FDA-approved treatment for fat reduction of the abdomen and flanks. This technology can is best suited a means to produce reduction in inches when the issue is a few extra pounds. Coolsculpting relies on Cryolipolysis due to the fact that fat cells are more sensitive to cold than are other tissues. We utilize the new Cool Advantage applicators which are much more comfortable and reduce treatment time to 35 minutes.  We currently have 4 Coolsculpting machines and can offer "Dual Sculpting" which further reduces the treatment time.  It can be used safely for off-label treatment of the upper arms, inner/outer thighs, bra-strap area, chin, and above the knees. The advanced cooling technology selectively targets and eliminates fat cells gently and gradually without affecting the surrounding tissue. Patients in our office have seen an average fat reduction of 20-25% with each treatment. Depending on the patient's body composition and outcome goals, it generally takes more than one treatment to achieve optimal results. A second treatment is general scheduled 30 to 45 days after the initial treatment. It takes about 2-3 months to get a general idea of the final results. The results are long-lasting as long as you maintain a stable healthy lifestyle. I recommend scheduling a consultation with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon well versed in all options for body contouring to determine if you an ideal candidate for CoolSculpting or laser lipolysis.Best regards,

This comes down to what you look like upon examination.We were the first practice to offer Cool Sculpting in Cincinnati.If it's tough to pinch an inch, Cool Sculpting may be for you. The reason I say this is because smaller amounts of fat would be more affordable to take care of with Cool Sculpting.If you have more fat than the "pinch an inch test" it will probably be more productive to have the Lipo because we can remove almost 90% of the problem etc... vs Cool Sculpting at 20%.Some people absolutely do not want surgery even though technology has Improved a lot over the last 10 years. If this is the case, take a strong look at Cool Sculpting.Find a Doc you trust that offers both procedures and get a consultation! This will be the best way to determine what is the best road to go down etc..

I offer both CoolSculpting and tumescent liposuction in my office. The right choice for you will depend on the amount of fat you want to remove. CoolSculpting has been shown in clinical studies to remove 20-25% of the fat in a treatment area with each session. In addition, in our office we use the Zimmer Z-wave device right after CoolSculpting using acoustic waves to break up the fat for an extra 5% fat loss. Patients may have more than one treatment if they want to remove more fat.There is no anesthesia and minimal downtime with this procedure.

Liposuction offers the ability to produce more dramatic results in a single session. I perform tumescent liposuction using micro-cannulas, which allows me to do the procedure with local anesthesia and tends to shorten recovery time for my patients. Downtime is usually 4-5 days. If skin laxity is a concern, I can combine the liposuction with a skin tightening procedure known as ThermiTight to create a smoother result. I prefer this to laser tightening but either radiofrequency or laser can be used for this purpose.

In my opinion, if you are a small person with small, isolated pockets of fat, CoolSculpting is great. It may get too expensive if there are many bulges or if you are a larger person. Tumescent liposuction offers a “one and done” approach. No matter which treatment you choose, make sure it is performed by an experienced, board-certified physician to ensure an optimal outcome.

CoolSculpting can be used to nonsurgically reduce excess fat in the lower abdominal/stomach area, as well as the flanks or “love handles”. I recommend CoolSculpting to my patients who have stubborn areas of fat that are resistant to diet and/or exercise and who do not wish to have liposuction. The technology works via an application of controlled cool temperatures to the targeted treatment area. After 35 minutes, your session is over, and you are able to go about your normal activities.  Over the course of the following two months, you will gradually lose up to 25% of your fat cells.    

Thank you for your question. Liposuction is an invasive procedure where Coolsculpting is not. Both procedures can remove more than 25% of the fat cells, however it may take 2-3 sessions of Coolsculpt to achieve the desired result. Both procedures will also remove fat cells permanently but Liposuction has more risks involved such as infection. There will be a few weeks of downtime with Liposuction and little to no downtime with Coolsculpt. Both of these procedures are very effective when performed by a trained and certified professional and you will need a consultation to determine if you are a candidate.

Hi.  Liposuction results are more immediately visible and can remove more fat in a single session than CS.  Neither CS or liposuction can remove fat within the belly, around organs.  CS has the advantages of not requiring anesthesia, compression garments, incisions and the other downtime issues that accompany surgery. CS should not be selected if there is significant fat thickness as it can ultimately cost more than surgery--your PS will be able to guide you for your body type the best.  Good luck! Dr. Dooabh

CoolSculpting is a non-invasive fat reduction system, which means you may need multiple treatments to achieve your desirable look. With CoolSculpting the optimal result takes 3 months. Smartlipo is minimally invasive. With Smartlipo the surgeon is able to remove the fat right away during the procedure. Although you can achieve the same results with both, CoolSculpting requires more treatments spread a couple of months apart.

I prefer Coolsculpting for certain areas of the body over liposuction (even though I do both) because the slow fat loss with Coolsculpting allows time for the skin to retract.  Sometimes, when the skin is not very elastic, you can get saggy looking skin after liposuction.  Discuss with a plastic surgeon to see which he or she recommends.

Both Coolsculpting and smart lipo are very effective to reduce belly fat and love handles. If the amount of belly fat is small and the tummy area has good contour, Coolsculpting can do a great job to reduce belly fat without any down time. If you have  extra fat in the upper, mid and lower belly it is often less expensive and it takes less time to achieve your goals when I use smart lipo which is minimally invasive but does require some downtime. I use the same logic when I council patients on options for reducing fat and contouring love handles. Often times the love handle fat is dense and does not respond well with Coolsculpting. Its always's best to consult an ABMS certified Plastic surgeon who can help you understand all your options to reduce belly fat and love handle fat.

1.If an individual has significant amounts of abdominal fat and love handles accompanied by a high BMI, the person has to consider losing weight before getting either procedure. The person has to maintain a healthy lifestyle after receiving the treatment.
2. Liposuction is a surgically invasive procedure that can eliminate more than 25% of fat from your body, and has risks of infection, hematoma, scars, bleeding, sepsis, complications due to anesthesia, such as lidocaine toxicity, and in some cases death.
3. The discomfort and the downtime is lot less with Coolsculpting, and results are seen after 2 to 3 months. Coolsculpting may require more than one session to reduce more than 25% of the fat. The risk of infection, scars and death are unknown with Coolsculpting. 

As a board  certified plastic surgeon. I am one of the doctors that offers many ways to get the shape you desire.  I offer the newest coolsculpt with all of the available handpieces in the office as well as all in operating room options for patients body contouring needs.  I also offer in office VASER for patients that are candidates for in office liposuction.  Vaser is a vast improvement over other energy based liposuction in that it offers tightening as well as extremely viable fat for grafting.  In my hands, patients choose coolsculpt for three major reasons. One, they simply aren't willing to accept the downtime from any form of surgery. Two, they aren't willing to accept surgical risk even if these risks are extremely small. Or three, they simply have too small of a spot of fat or trouble area that surgery would really be extreme.  The cost of the non invasive is not significantly smaller that the invasive form of treatment.  Doctors that do are usually very upfront.  Just because a treatment is noninvasive does not mean that it will ever be cheap.  There are significant cost in acquiring and maintaining technology.  Technicians to use, sell and service the equipment.  Also, marketing and consumables.  There is no cheap way to get rid of fat. If it is cheap, it is probably ineffective.  Also, please beware of the recent influx of Chinese off market devices that are coming into the US and used without FDA approval.  Any doctor that's willing to risk burns, frostbite or injury to you for a profit is a doctor you should steer clear from quickly.