4 sessions CoolMax on abdomen? $5000?

Hi. Using the 4 CoolMax is not considered "stacking" and will not be the same as 2 separate sessions.  While it might help reduce some fat, it will not address the excess skin, excess hip & waist fat, and probable muscle laxity that comes with having had 2 children.  You may be disappointed if you only flatten the front a little bit because the overall change will be minimal.  You can get more areas treated with more fat removal with surgery-the maximum contouring will come from a tummy tuck with liposuction and probably will cost just a little bit more.  Have some other consultations with Plastic surgeons that offer coolsculpting as well as surgery.  Good luck!

Hi!To answer your question will be difficult without any baseline pictures.  Everyone who does non invasive such as cool max will have variable responses.  At that price point for 4 sessions, you may also want to see a body/lipo specialist to obtain a quote and see if your goals can be met in one session of a minimally invasive procedure vs 4 sessions which will mean 4 different healing periods.  All patients are different as are what they are trying to achieve.  With minimally invasive lipo (smart, vaser) you know the fat in areas that you are concerned about will come out and be gone.  Recovery is fairly quick with patients returning to work the day after or 48 hrs after.  Hope this helps

Good afternoon, I can certainly understand your lack of satisfaction with your CoolSculpting results.  Unfortunately, not every patient is a candidate for CoolSculpting.  This procedure can produce satisfactory results for some patients; while others like yourself, would be better candidates for a Tummy Tuck and/or Liposuction of the abdomen.   You appear to have a moderate amount of loose skin.  With that said, Liposuction of the abdomen could be performed resulting in less projection of your stomach, however the same amount of skin remains appearing loose and stretched in most cases similar to yours.  The best option for your current body type would be to undergo a tummy tuck.  During this procedure, your surgeon will perform what is called "muscle plication" which literally flattens the abdominal muscles creating more defined abdominal muscles as well as getting rid of any excess skin.  A new belly button will also be created giving the naval a more youthful appearance as a whole.  (Replacing the saggy appearance of the previous naval) . 

The CoolMax applicators will not stack on top of each other if it's in a diamond shape. There may be some overlapping and that's ok. CoolSculpting can target the fat pockets but it will not tighten the skin. If you wanted to address the skin and fat at the same time then a tummy tuck would be a better option for you. 

Thanks for your questions and your photographs, amhartley.  I would encourage you to find a provider facile with many different techniques and technologies for body contouring.  The recommended procedure would really depend on your goals.  Your photos demonstrate "mommy changes" with skin excess, stubborn adipose deposits, and likely some laxity of the underlying muscles (or possibly a diastasis) attributable to pregnancy.  If you wanted the greatest improvement and best procedure to restore your figure, you may want to consider an abdominoplasty.  If you are reluctant to consider a procedure of such magnitude, then discussions could be entertained detailing the assets and liabilities of minimally invasive procedures such as liposuction versus non surgical treatments such as CoolSculpting.  Both could be effective at reducing fat, but the quality of the result would be dependent on your underlying musculoskeletal build and the ability of your skin to retract.  Certainly if you did CS, the four applicators would achieve more than simply using two, and the diamond pattern that has been recommended is a standard technique to address the abdominal wall.  I would caution you that many patients undergo a cycle with the four applicators, but to improve their results, they repeat the treatment at 3 month intervals an additional one or two times.  If this is your preference, you may want to find a practice that is able to "dual sculpt."  Practices that have multiple devices can place multiple applicators on a patient simultaneous to significantly reduce the time that they are in treatment.Alternatively, a single session of liposuction could likely achieve as much if not more than a few rounds of Coolsculpting, but would obligate a surgical procedure, require a few small incisions producing scars, and necessitate some down time.  Often we find one session of liposuction to be economically more favorable when compared with multiple rounds of Coolsculpting.Best of luck as you consider your options!  Good luck.

Without actually seeing your abdomen in person or in photos, it is difficult to determine how much of your abdominal problem is related to fat and how much is due to loose skin (especially after delivering an almost 10 lbs baby!). I like to tell my patients that it is important to establish the actual cause of the problems in order to get a great result. CoolSculpting removes approximately 22% of the fat in the treated area (where the applicator is placed, not the whole abdomen), so it means that the device will have to be applied several places on your abdomen to treat enough area. It generally requires 2 separate treatments for each area, placed 2-4 mos apart and final results take 4 mos for each treatment. This will also not help any skin laxity that is present. LaserLipo/SmartLipo, liposuction, or VaserLipo is able to treat a larger area and remove more fat in a single treatment session and can get the entire area so it is more precise. In the case of LaserLipo/Smart Lipo and Vaser Lipo, the heat produced can also help tighten skin so you can get improvement if there is any skin laxity issues. Many offices just have CoolSculpting so they tend to recommend it since it is their only option and the consultation is done by a non-physician who is not experienced in assessing both skin and fat issues. I would suggest seeing a physician who specializes in body contouring, preferably with experience in both CoolSculpting and LaserLIpo/liposuction/or Vaser who can properly assess your abdomen and give you honest information on how these various treatments will help you achieve the results that you are seeking.  Best of luck!  Mary Beth Mudd

Hello,
It would be important to know what you would achieve by going through this treatment.
I suggest to have second opinion and obtain a quote for liposuction. I think I would rely on liposuction for better results. The results are expected within days.
Liposuction may be done by Tumescent liposuction, Vaser or Smart lipo. It all depends on the physician's training and experience as well as what you would prefer.
All the Best
Ray Bayati, MDSacramento area, California