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POSTED UNDER SculpSure REVIEWS

Active Adult Male - Low BMR - Low Body Fat - Treating Abdominal Area - Ten Pounds Overweight - Downers Grove, IL

ORIGINAL POST

I am an athletic, fit and active adult male. I...

Mr Chicago
$2,101
I am an athletic, fit and active adult male. I work out five to six times per week. My girlfriend and I still like to compete in multiple sports, so we are exceptionally active. We do 5 and 10k running events, we do 8-person rowing races, the obstacle type races, some as long as 15k, play volleyball, softball and tennis. Despite all of that activity and excellent diets, I still had a bulging abdomen that my doctor attributes to my age and says there is nothing I can do about it - diet or exercise related.
So I researched non invasive fat reduction and over the last four or five years never found anything that made scientific sense - until SculpSure came out and was FDA approved.
I chose a facility in a Chicago suburb over the facilities in the city for one main reason. That was that I was assessed by a doctor, not a tech. After much discussion I worked out a price I thought was fair. In most Chicago and suburban locations the charge is $350 per paddle, so $1400 per full treatment area. There was no doubt that I would have needed both upper and lower abs done so I made a deal to do both upper and lower for $2100, if done that day, to which the doctor agreed.
The key to negotiating these sessions is to remember that they booked your time, and whether or not you use it, they still have that hour off the books. So to me it is better for them to make a deal and fill the hour than to have you walk. Plus I had written prices from other facilities and I would have walked if I did not get my price.
That said, I did the four paddles on the lower abs, then immediately did four paddles on the upper abs. The procedure is painful, just like getting a burn. Frankly, despite what they show on the show The Doctors, the procedure is unlikely to work unless it hurts. The mode of operation depends on high heat, high temperature and therefore, most likely pain. I had the tech constantly moving the level up and down as my tolerance allowed. I was not able to keep it at 1.4 due to having a skin injury from a fall in one of our races, but I managed to move from 1.1 to 1.3 and a few at 1.4, up and down.
There is absolutely no recovery time needed. I went from the chair to running stadium steps 20 minutes later. I had a lot of pain during, but zero pain after.
It has been ten days since the procedure and so far I see zero results. They want me to come back at six weeks for assessment and a second procedure (already negotiated at $1500 for both areas), but I will not return except to complain if I do not see results better than what I am seeing so far.
I was supposedly the "ideal" candidate - fairly lean, only ten pounds over weight, area to be treated is not sagging, BMR is low, total body fat percentage is low. And I included my activity above to give perspective. If this does not work for me I can't see it working for anyone consistently. I saw the before and after on the manufacturers web site and I am no where near as fat as the one guy who seems to magically lose 60% of his gut. My "before" is like his "after" and so far no results.
I will update after six weeks and let you know real results.

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The doctor that assessed me was easy to communicate with and seemed genuinely interested in a positive outcome. He is a board certified surgeon and being a surgeon, first recommended lipo suction of some sort over the SculpSure. He said I was an ideal candidate for SculpSure but also noted results are controlled and virtually guaranteed with lip and that the cost was not that much more. Optimal SculpSure results would require two treatments to as many as two or three areas and would ultimately cost over $4,000 if abdomen and flanks were each done twice. His lipo offer for the same areas was $4,500. He did not push, just wanted me to weigh cost versus outcome.

Replies (6)

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November 15, 2016

Thank you for your post! Will you post some pics too? Love to see your results!

What prompted you to choose SculpSure over other non-invasives like CoolSculpt?

November 21, 2016
I'll try to post pics - rather shy on that stuff and don't want anyone to "notice" me... :-)

I actually did the CoolSculpt about 18 months ago and it was a disastrous waste of money. I paid for one large applicator for my low/mid front abdomen and for two small applicators for my center obliques, by which I mean the area between the obliques and abdomen.

CoolSculpt is only capable of removing as much fat as will fit in the suction machine. Practically speaking, that is equal to a long bar of butter. The treatment does extend a bit beyond that area, but not much.

Additionally, the applicator must be applied properly and securely. I had three total treatments, one to the front abdomen and one to each side at the front of my obliques.

In all cases the device slowly slipped off. It did not slip all the way off, but even if it did, there are no redos. It falls and you're done.

The placement is awkward, the device is heavy and is held in place with pillows and is trying to pull off from the moment it is put on.

Granted, I do not have a lot of fat so there is not much to pull, but placement should have been adjusted. It was not. The tech said it was fully functional even though it slipped a bit - if it was that makes the experience even more negative.

After all three treatments and six weeks of waiting, there was zero change to my profile. Perhaps I should have taken this as an omen that I am not a candidate for non invasive treatment, but due to my activity level, in both cases the doctor with which I consulted said I was the "ideal" and "perfect" candidate.

The CoolSculpt tech put the devices on my body while I was almost in a full standing position, making my abdominal skin tight - too tight in my opinion to get a good chunk of fat in the device. Maybe it is not the right way to go, but I wanted to be seated, where it's easier to grab fat, but I'm not the tech, so what do I know.

After six weeks there was no change in the treated areas, or rather no positive change. The change I did note was that I had a thin, wide strip of fat that appeared to harden into an undesireable bulge.

On top of that, the area under the navel was numb to the touch. It has been 18 months and I still have no feeling in parts of my abdomen and in other areas I have a tingling, like being hit on the 'funny bone'.

All in all a negative experience with CoolSculpt. I did negotiate on price, however, and paid less than half advertised price for both treatments. By that I mean I paid less than half of one treatment for all three of my treatments. For what they wanted to charge me for one large applicator for my abdomen, I got the front and both sides for half that.

No matter, it did not work.
March 9, 2017
I am in the same boat as you - really fit, in Chicago. I have probably 18%body fat (female) but I have some excess subcutaneous fat on my thighs and stomach I want to get rid of. I went to my dermatologist who told me flat out I am too fit for cool sculpt. Please give me an update! Did this work for you?! It would save me a lot of wasted time and money to know ... thank you!!!
May 15, 2017
Sorry for the delay in reply. CoolSculpt was a total waste of money. SculpSure was a total waste of money. As noted in my review, I did not have much to lose, just a bulge at the waistline which to me is out of place with my general level of fitness - and makes me look old. Anyway, there was zero fat reduction with CoolSculpt, but I did suffer some skin damage from the extreme cold. After SculpSure I was certain this would work, but after TWO treatments of eight paddles each time, and after continuing intense exercise and with 16 weeks since the second treatment I see ZERO results.

I decided to go low carb, only eating chicken, fish, turkey and green veggies, such as spinach, asparagus, collard greens, broccoli and such. I have been dropping weight by about a pound a month and I have reduced my waist by two notches on my belt.

Unless you're going to have lipo, try going low carb and low calorie. If you don't waste all of your calories with carbs you can eat a TON of veggies and protein - you won't miss the carbs.

I do a variation of Atkins, but I use the app to track my calories and carbs and I love it. Save your money. Go low carb.
November 22, 2016
thanks so much for this frank and honest review of both SculpSure & below of Coolsculpt too. The manufacturers literature and the docs insist that healthy subjects with good BMI but who have isolated pockets of fat resistant to diet & exercise, are the people who will best see results. I am like your build, and I too have seen zero results from Coolsculpt. Now I've seen your experience with Sculpsure, I surely will not waste another minute thinking about whether to try it myself. Thank you for helping me make an informed decision against this treatment, and saving me many $$$$ too
December 6, 2018
You have not given it enough time! It works! Wait until the 8 week mark to notice some change and at 3-4 months out you will see it!
UPDATED FROM Mr Chicago
5 months post

SculpSure - Round Two With Increased Intensity

Mr Chicago

My motivation for trying AGAIN with this treatment is two fold. Firstly, I am an athlete, competing in Tri's, cycling, swimming and straight running events. I also row competitively and participate in tennis and volleyball club events.

I had the first treatment for the same reason as I had the second treatment. Despite all of my activity and great diet, I looked like I never worked out a day in my life - due to the bulge of fat below my navel and just above. A front and unsightly fanny pack of fat. My first go 'round with SculpSure produced ZERO decrease in that fat pocket. Being open minded I considered the whole process, the tech, my prep, my mental state, diet, water I drank and so forth. The only deficiency I could identify was that the setting my tech used was one or two levels below what others typically use. I was at a 1.0 instead of 1.1 or 1.2. I could not tolerate the pain of the 1.2 and did the 1.1 intermittently. I surmised that because the tech had me shave my abdomen with cheap, 50 cent disposable razors, which caused a great amount of irritation and sensitivity, that the shaving made me less tolerant of the heat. So I made a call the office, explained what I thought happened and negotiated a GREAT price for the treatment. I paid about $1,100 for upper AND lower abs the first time. The second time I paid only $600 for upper and lower again - for five paddles, twice. Great deal and great doctor. This time I shaved three days ahead of time with five blade razors and treated the area with Aloe every day until the procedure. My skin was more or less normal sensitivity on treatment day. You may have seen on The Doctors that people describe SculpSure as a "warm" sensation, or like a "warm massage". I can tell you with certainty, it is not "warm" by any manner of description. If the device paddles are only warm, then they are not working. The hotter the paddles the more likely you will get a benefit. I cranked them as high as I could tolerate and my best description of the feeling is that they feel like someone is pressing a hot steam iron onto your skin. If you are lucky, you can count down in your head and wait for the cooling cycle to start before you squirm out of your seat. Proper treatment temperature is painful. So - this time I managed 1.1 and 1.2 for the whole session, upper and lower. A hot iron on my abdomen, cycled with cooling, for 22 or whatever minutes. It has been more than five weeks and I have had zero fat reduction. If I had paid going rate I would be pissed. But from what others have told me, I got a good deal and I can't complain - it was my decision to go, then go again. Now into my 16th week post first treatment I DID find something that works. I started the Atkins 20 two weeks ago and lost 2 pounds each week so far and think it will continue. Good luck.

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