Best Thing I Have Ever Done for Myself - New Brunswick, NJ

Rather than a day by day chronology, I have chosen to provide a sectional review, targeting various aspects of the procedure. This review is be broken into: Background, Procedure, Post Op, Results, and Summary.

Background: I am 53 years old and mother of one child, 24 years old. I have always been weight conscious, at times bordering on anorexic. I exercise moderately 3-4 times/week. Since the birth of my son at 28, no matter how skinny, I was never able to get rid of the little pouch in my lower abdomen. I am 5’3” with weight over the years ranging between 95 and 115lbs. Even at 95lbs the little stomach bulge remained. Since having a hysterectomy at age 50 and going through menopause it has gotten a little worse. When visiting my plastic surgeon, Dr. Wey at PSANJ, I saw a pamphlet on Coolsculpting and decided it looked, well…cool. So I asked Dr. Wey about it. He told me because I was so thin, he was not sure I could have it done. But when his assistant who performs the procedure examined me and saw my little pouch, she said I was perfect candidate. So, I scheduled the procedure on my lower abdomen for 26-Dec. Before the procedure I read up on it, and to be honest, the reviews scared the heck out of me, but decided to go through with it. I was ready for a long recovery, pain and had low expectations.

Procedure: On 26-Dec I arrived at the office, they promptly took me in, weighed me, and then had me remove my top clothing, under garments remained. She had me go to the rest room, which was a very good thing; you can’t be getting up with that machine, so you would be in trouble if you had to go once the procedure starts. Pictures were taken and my abdomen was marked. She then took me into the procedure room. There was a reclining chair, the machine and a TV on the wall. I had my ipad and my cell phone so I was ready. She had me get on the chair, gave me a blanket and explained the procedure. She then put on the gel pad; it was a little cold, but nothing much. Then she hooked up the machine and placed a pillow under it to support. It is bulky. She turned it on and bam, my little pouch was sucked in. She said it looked great and she was amazed at how well the suction took it up for such a small pouch (she did use the large device). It was a little cold, but actually not as bad as I expected, and I hate cold. I played on my ipad, phone and watched TV. I was a little uncomfortable, but way less than I expected. About 45 minutes into the procedure I got a cramp on my left side. I was going to call her, but before I knew it, the hour was up and she was removing the machine. I told her about the cramp and she said I should have called but I said it was not that bad and it was over so quickly. When she took off the machine it was like a stick of butter. She said it was one of the best results she has ever seen. Then she explained she had to massage in order to warm up the area quickly and get good results. I had heard this hurt, but again was surprised, for me it did not, just pressure. After she massage, was the worst pain when I started to thaw. That felt like searing cramps, but within 10 minutes it was over. She gave me hot coffee and had me rest a bit and then let me get dressed. I was numb and a little tender but not too bad. I went home and continued my day.

Post Op: Although I was tender to touch, it was not debilitating. I actually resumed my workouts the following day. I had no trouble sleeping, including on my stomach. I also had some swelling that lasted for about week. From days 2-5 I had minimal discomfort. On day 5 I started having some burning and additional tenderness. It helped when I gently massaged the area. It lasted until about day 8. I also want to mention I have a blood condition that causes me to bruise very easily and I had no bruising! Once the swelling went down and the pain subsided, the results were miraculous. So now on to the results.

Results: Right now it is about 3 weeks post procedure and all I can say is that the results for me are miraculous. As I said I went into this with low expectations, and at week 3 I am completely amazed and beyond thrilled. I know that it is very early but I am seeing results. I will post pictures once I get my before ones from the doctor. The doctor told me my stomach would not be made flat, well he was wrong. At 3 weeks my stomach is almost completely flat; my stomach has never been flat, even at 95 lbs. My skinniest jeans are loose. We went out to eat the other day and I had on my tightest skinny jeans and I did not feel uncomfortable. I put on a bikini and at 53 I felt like it looked like beyond amazing. I honestly can’t believe my eyes. Every day my stomach gets flatter. If this keeps up, my stomach could end up completely flat!

Summary: I would have this done again in a heartbeat. It is the best thing I have ever done for myself. The procedure itself, for me was not that bad, except for the 10 minute warm up. For me there was no down time, just some discomfort that varied. Yes, there was swelling, but not excessive and I wore stretch pants for about 5 days. It was all well worth it. I don’t think I have ever looked this good, even in my 20’s. My husband commented that not just my stomach but overall look my look is amazing. So, in summary coolsculping is well…cool.
I hope this is not a fluke and my results continue to improve. The doctor is sending me before pictures and I will take some additional ones and post them when I get them.