Get the real deal on beauty treatments—real doctors, real reviews, and real photos with real results.Here's how we earn your trust.

POSTED UNDER CoolSculpting REVIEWS

Coolsculpting- Abdomen and Love Handles - Des Moines, IA

ORIGINAL POST

I've been stalking this site for a while and...

Lani1
WORTH IT$3,200
I've been stalking this site for a while and finally decided to write my own review. I went to a local clinic where they were having a special. As a standard they want you to treat the same area twice. They said second procedure should be done about a month after the first.

I decided to do CoolSculpting because I feel like I can never get rid of my love handles or abdominal fat. I am 5' 7" and typically weigh about 135 lbs. No matter how much weight I lose or how much I exercise I can never get rid of it in my middle section as much as I'd like.

I had my love handles and lower abdomen treated on October 8th. I didn't find the actual procedure to be that uncomfortable. It was uncomfortable when the fat was first sucked in but it really wasn't that bad, especially after a couple minutes when the fat started freezing. The hardest part was half sitting, half lying in this chair that didn't fold back all the way on one hip for an hour without moving.

I didn't have a lot of pain or discomfort in the days and weeks after the procedure. Definitely numb for a long time and itchy sometimes. Shooting tingly pains every now and then for a week or two after the procedure. But definitely not that bad. I was afraid that it was a sign that the procedure wouldn't work. Like if it wasn't enough to cause a lot of pain, would it be enough to get rid of the fat?

I had my second treatment on both areas on November 8th. Pretty much the same story that I didn't think it was that uncomfortable. That was only 3 days ago so my stomach is itchy and a bit numb again. The numbness was almost completely gone from the first procedure when I got the second.

I didn't think I'd seen any changes yet but I decided to take pictures anyway. The pictures are from the day after the second treatment. Even with the swelling I can definitely see a difference which was a pleasant surprise! I weighed 136lbs the day of the first treatment and 134lbs the day of the second. I normally exercise frequently but I since I have had the procedure I have hardly exercised at all. Years of intense exercise haven't reduced my love handles as much as this one procedure did in a month.

I am definitely happy with the changes apparent after just 5 weeks. For how much money I spent I definitely would like to see more results so hopefully I will continue to see changes for the next few months!

Depending on how things go I am seriously considering getting my upper abdomen treated as well and possibly a third treatment on my love handles.

Lani1's provider

David L. Robbins, MD, FACS

David L. Robbins, MD, FACS

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Lani1 rating for Dr. Robbins:

Overall rating
Doctor's bedside manner
Answered my questions
After care follow-up
Time spent with me
Phone or email responsiveness
Staff professionalism & courtesy
Payment process
Wait times

Replies (2)

User Avatar
November 14, 2013

Wow, you can definitely see a difference after just 1 month. You look great, Lani!

Has the doctor said how long it'll take for the full results to show (if there are any more changes)?

November 14, 2013
Thanks! They want me to come in for final photos 12 weeks after my second CoolSculpting procedure, so the full results should show by January 31st..
UPDATED FROM Lani1
2 months post

Slightly more improvement

Lani1
My changes from one month post to two months post don't look quite as dramatic as my changes from before and one month post (even though I had a second procedure done at the one month mark), but I still see a bit of improvement. I took these pictures on 12/4/13, so it was just shy of 2 months from my original first procedure. I weighed in at 134lbs again this past weekend so my weight is the same.

I'll be honest; I would like to see more changes than this. But I did know going in that it can only get rid of about 20% of the fat with each procedure so completely getting rid of my love handles in 2 procedures isn't reasonably expected.

I hardly had any pain or discomfort after the second procedure. My stomach was numb for nearly a month after the first, but I don't think any numbness lasted beyond a week after the second procedure.

I think I will get my abs and love handles done a third time. I think I'll have the applicator moved up a bit on my abs so I get my upper stomach done.

Overall I am pretty happy so far. I got some new pants that fit snugly around the waist and I don't have nearly the muffin top that I would have had 2 months ago. I can wear form-fitting dresses and my love handles aren't nearly as noticeable. It's funny though because I measured myself before the procedure and I'm only measuring maybe half an inch smaller now than before I did CoolSculpting. So the measuring tape hardly indicates any results but I can tell there is a difference in photos and in clothing. I guess that is more important than what a measuring tape says!

Replies (3)

December 16, 2013
Definitely see a difference in all areas. You look great!
February 22, 2014
Thank you!
March 19, 2015
Wow! I am so glad to read that the tape measure didn't really so a change, I'm about the same right now and am about 5/6 weeks post.
UPDATED FROM Lani1
4 months post

Third Treatment

Lani1
I had a third treatment done on February 19th. I had the same areas done as I did with my previous two treatments (lower abdomen & love handles) only I had them position the applicators in slightly different positions. They treated mostly my lower abdomen but got a little above my bellybutton this time as well.

I was pretty happy with how my love handles turned out from the first two treatments. Before the CoolSculpting, when I wore a fitted dress I could clearly see love handle bulges and hated it! Plus my rear is on the small side which made the love handles even more noticeable I think. I wouldn't say they are completely gone but fitted dresses look so much better now with a smoother shape. My dress pants used to squeeze at the waist & make them bulge but now they are on the loose side.

However, my waist to hip ratio is a bit larger than I'd like. Either my waist isn't small enough for my hips or my hips aren't large enough for my waist. Apparently 0.7 is considered "optimal" and I am at more like 0.82. Anyway, I don't know how to describe it but my waist is only thin right under my bra, so rather than doing my exact love handle area a third time I had them applied a couple inches above my iliac crest. You can tell how they were applied from the bruising. Hopefully this will make the smallest area of my waist extend a bit further down my sides.

My results from the first two treatments of my abdomen were "ok" I would say. I was hoping to have a bit better results than I did. Honestly I don't think I say any changes after the second treatment. If there were any it wasn't very noticeable. I'm hoping the 3rd treatment will have much better results for my abdomen. I had a different person this time apply the CoolSculpting. It seemed like she really pushed on the applicators and massaged more afterward and I am more sore now than I was after the second treatment. Hopefully this will mean better results!

I took the pictures a little differently this time. I didn't even think about it but I included my legs in the previous pictures rather than just zooming in on the area treated. So I zoomed in the pictures this time; unfortunately I can't keep them from looking a little fuzzy when I zoom in.

Also, I weighed 132lbs on the day of my most recent treatment. A couple pounds lighter but pretty close to the same weight since I first started CoolSculpting.

Replies (4)

February 24, 2014
I think you look great! I am going for a consultation for the same areas....was the price you posted for all 3 of your treatments? I am anxious to look good this summer. I'm 5'5 - 140 pounds (I usually weigh 120) and I'm 43. Even at 120 I have the same issues. I have no clue for the weight gain because I haven't changed my exercise or diet...I am actually going to dr to see if there is a underlying reason for the weight gain.
February 25, 2014
Thanks! No, the price I have listed was just for the first two times I went in for treatments; I haven't updated it yet. The place I went to had an "open house" where you could get two areas, treated twice for $3200. Getting a third treatment in the same spot is $750 per spot, so the total price for 2 areas treated 3 times each was $4700. More than my first car, lol. It is frustrating to gain weight. Over time your body composition gradually loses muscle mass and gains lipids. It is just the way of things and as you get older you have to work harder to keep (or lose) what came easily as a younger adult. Resistance training and lifting weights can help to manage weight better than cardio exercises alone. When doing cardio, you pretty much only burn calories when you are exercising. But when you do exercises to build your muscles, you also burn more calories when you are not exercising due to a higher resting metabolism. By the same token, I completely know how it feels to be frustrated with your weight. For some reason when I was in my early twenties I couldn't get my weight where I wanted. At my highest I was like 152 or 153. Twenty pounds more than I am now. And I exercised 4-6 days a week and ate healthy foods. I still don't really understand how I weighed that much with my diet and exercise. Just remember that this doesn't make you lose any weight. It won't get you to look the same as you did when you weighed 120, but if your middle section is the thing that bugs you it can certainly help! Definitely get your thyroid checked out! And maybe ask about your pituitary gland as well.
February 25, 2014
Thank you...I do my cardio and added lights weights. I have a dr appt today to discuss my weight gain and get a full check up. I definitely hate my mommy apron in the front and want that gone. I always said anything more than a handful is not good for me....so it needs to go. I don't like to suck in my stomach to look thinner because if it anymore. I'm hoping to get this done within the next month....the dr is booked solid with consults to get in sooner.
February 26, 2014
I hope your appointment went well. It is frustrating to gain weight anytime, but especially frustrating when you are already doing everything you can to lose weight or at least stay the same weight! I saw some reviews here with people who didn't see any results. I think that you don't see much when you only treat one area one time. You definitely better results with multiple treatments. Maybe I could have had more drastic results with lipo but this is way less invasive. Let me know how your CoolSculpting goes!!