Is there any death or complication risk associated with Coolsculpting? What about more than one session?

Because CoolSculpting is a noninvasive, nonsurgical procedure it is very uncommon that patients experience anything more than temporary swelling, numbness, and a dull itch around the treatment area.

Coolsculpting is a
great option for patients who wish to avoid the downtime, risks and
complications associated with liposuction. The CoolSculpting procedure is
completely non-invasive, which allows immediate return to normal activities
such as work or exercise.There have been no reports of death from
Coolsculpting by Zeltiq. Side effects after Coolsculpting include
firmness, redness, bruising, swelling, numbness, muscle aches, itching and pain
at the treatment area. These side effects are not permanent and can last
anywhere from one to eight weeks depending on the patient. The risk for
complication does not change with more than one session.

Complications from CoolSculpting are uncommon.  The vast majority of patients tolerate this procedure extremely well.  Some will experience temporary bruising, soreness, or numbness.  Unless the patient has an uncommon disorder such as cryoglobulinemia, paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria, or cold agglutinin disease, serious side effects are extremely rare.

The main complication with Coolsculpting is localized redness, swelling, bruising, or discomfort.  This is a localized non-surgical procedure without any surgical risks.  Best, Dr. Green

Dear foreveryoung908,

CoolSculpting is a technique where specific section
applicators are applied to unwanted localized excess of fat and the fat is
subjected to 5 degrees Celsius. This
cold induces non-inflammatory death of fat and reduction in the contour. At SpaMedica we have been performing
CoolSculpting longer than most centres in Canada and have a lot of experience
with a non-invasive destruction of fat both through CoolSculpting, UltraShape,
SculpSure, BodyFx and other non-surgical fat destruction techniques. CoolSculpting is generally very very
safe. Patients can experience post
CoolSculpting mild sensitivity, bruising and discomfort.

Approximately 5% of patients can experience a very
significant painful dysesthesia that may require some Gabapentin pain relief
medication until it resolves which can take 6-12 weeks. Fortunately, 95% of CoolSculpting patients do
not experience this. It is extremely
rare, but patients who suffer from some rare blood disorders such as
cryoglobulinemia, cold agglutinin disease or paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria,
which living in Toronto and our cold weather would have likely been diagnosed
in you by now, can suffer complications that can be serious following
CoolSculpting. Short of these rare blood
disorders, CoolSculpting is extremely safe.


It’s also important to remember there are other permanent
reduction techniques that don’t involve cryolypolisis or cold induced fat death
such as UltraShape which uses gentle high frequency focused ultrasound or
SculpSure which uses warmth rather than cold to kill the fat cell or even
BodyFx which will use electrical poration to kill the fat cell. At SpaMedica we have one of the most
successful non-surgical liposuction programs in Canada as we could deploy
several techniques such as CoolSculpting combined with UltraShape and BodyFx
and even SculpSure to achieve the absolute best perimeter non-invasive
reduction of fat.

I hope this information has been of some assistance and best
of luck.

For more information, please review the link below as well as
the sections in CoolSculpting and SculpSure.

To schedule a consultation simply fill out the consultation
request form and a client service representative will be with you promptly.

R. Stephen Mulholland, M.D.

Certified Plastic Surgeon

Yorkville, Toronto