Sculptsure painful! Did the Doctor do something wrong?

Thank you for your question. Your technician should work with you to create a comfortable and safe treatment. SculpSure uses Contact Cooling technology to prevent damage to the skin and keep the patient comfortable. I suggest that you discuss how to improve your procedure experience with your board certified facial plastic surgeon.
Best wishes,

During the first 4 minutes of your sculpsure treatment the laser is heating up the tissues. Once this build phase is over the heat intensity subsides quite a bit. For those that cannot tolerate the heat during this phase it is possible to get a cool shot to take the heat down immediately for tolerance purposes.  I have not had anyone that has not been able to get through a treatment. The majority are actually quite comfortable and describe the pain as cramping or just heat. 

I'm sorry to hear that your experience wasn't comfortable.  Having received the treatment myself and also personally perform over 200 treatments so far, I haven't had a single patient that required me to stop the treatment.  I spend good 5 minutes going over of what to expect and give them an intensity chart so It relieves the anxiety. There is a gradual build up of heat under your skin, which does reach up to 46 deg Celcius, which is equivalent to 115 deg F, but the treatment is felt like waves, you feel heat followed by cool. First 4 minutes may be uncomfortable but after that, it gets easy as your body is used to the sensation.
Maybe you were on or close to your period, which increased your sensitivity.  I had patient who felt nothing on 1.40 settings during their first treatment, but on the second treatment came around their cycle, and I could not get the settings higher than 1.25.  I strongly suggest that you give it another try since this is a phenomenal treatment and has over 90% satisfaction rate.  Best, Dr.Avaliani

We have performed many SculpSure treatments by now and it should really just be "uncomfortable" at the most without being painful.  If you are so painful within the first few minutes, there is a chance that the Dr. doing your treatment may have "clipped" your skin by accident while putting on the applicator. This can be the painful feeling you experienced.  All he/she needs to do is to re-attach the applicator (maybe loosen up the straps a little so your skin won't get caught within the brackets).  It is an excellent procedure and we have seen great results with it.  Keep this in mind in case you would like to try it again.  Thanks for sharing your experience!

There can be some discomfort with Sculpsure and it could be due to the settings used. I recommend a "Fire and Ice" treatment with Coolsculpting and Vanquish which will give you better results. VASER and ThermiRF are also an alternative. See an expert. Best, Dr. Emer

Pain with a SculpSure treatment is not usual.  The settings for SculpSure can be adjusted and this normally will prevent it from being painful.  You might check with your doctor to see if perhaps the energy setting could have been decreased.  

I have had sculpture done on myself, so I can tell you that there is some discomfort. The first 4 minutes is the most discomforting as the heat increases. After treating over 100 patients, I have found the pain is quite variable. Some patients have no pain and others complain more. I have found that by varying the temperature settings, the pain can be controlled. I personally would try it again, but I might try a different technician who is experienced and knows how to vary the settings.

The first 4 minutes are the worst. It does get better after that. You can have the energy level turned down just keep in mind that it won't be as effective (but more effective than not finishing the treatment, I guess). 

I'm sure the doctor didn't do anything wrong.  There is pain involved, but it is usually not severe, or even close to that.  The energy level can be turned down to allow better tolerance, but the higher the energy the more fat destruction.  Anxiety or fear of the unknown could be playing a role here.  I think it's worth trying again; the doctor can monitor your progress and adjust the energy level accordingly.

Your experience seems normal, but Sculpsure energy can be reduced to make your treatment more comfortable, but you'll get the best results, with the most fat destroyed if you have a higher energy, hotter treatment.  Consider distraction by watching a NetFlix movie or listening to music while you have your treatment.  We have had very few patients unable to complete their treatment.