POSTED UNDER CoolSculpting REVIEWS
Worst Money Ever Spent. New York, NY
ORIGINAL POST
I am 35 years old. No children. 5'5 138 lbs....
pixiewngJune 2, 2016
$1,800
I am 35 years old. No children. 5'5 138 lbs. wanted coolsculpting because I have stubborn fat on my lower abs. During my consultation I was told I would need the large applicator on my lower abdominal area, and the small applicator on my upper ab area. The quote was $1800 and I chose a payment plan.
The actual procedure was extremely uncomfortable the entire time. The first 10 mins the technician stays with you to make sure you are ok, and that is by far the worst part of it. However, when they say it gets numb and you cannot feel the rest of the 50 mins they are LYING. It hurts the whole time. The machine is very heavy on your tummy as well, and I felt at any moment I might call it quits and rip it off. I have no idea how I got through it but I did. Then the "massage" happens. This haunts me to this day. Imagine having a HUGE painful bruise and someone pushing and rubbing it hard for 5 mins.
Days 1-4 were just weird. My belly was swollen and just sort of hanging there cold.
Days 5-14
EXCRUCIATING PAIN. Day 5 I could not even get out of bed. I am not a wimp about pain either. Every single day I had to have an ice pack constantly on the area that was treated. 24 hours a day of pain. At night I had to get up every 4 hours to refill my ice pack. FOR NINE DAYS! It is not a joke. I don't take pain meds so that was not an option. Advil literally did nothing other than laugh at me.
5 months later. I went for a follow up today and there has been zero progress. To say I am disappointed is the understatement of the century.
I am a healthy girl who eats well, drinks little, and works out 3-5 days a week. There is no reason this shouldn't have worked except to say it is a TOTAL RACKET! I feel like this company sold me a lie, and I am now stuck paying it off for the next year.
Please message me if you want real advice on this. It is 100% not worth it.
The actual procedure was extremely uncomfortable the entire time. The first 10 mins the technician stays with you to make sure you are ok, and that is by far the worst part of it. However, when they say it gets numb and you cannot feel the rest of the 50 mins they are LYING. It hurts the whole time. The machine is very heavy on your tummy as well, and I felt at any moment I might call it quits and rip it off. I have no idea how I got through it but I did. Then the "massage" happens. This haunts me to this day. Imagine having a HUGE painful bruise and someone pushing and rubbing it hard for 5 mins.
Days 1-4 were just weird. My belly was swollen and just sort of hanging there cold.
Days 5-14
EXCRUCIATING PAIN. Day 5 I could not even get out of bed. I am not a wimp about pain either. Every single day I had to have an ice pack constantly on the area that was treated. 24 hours a day of pain. At night I had to get up every 4 hours to refill my ice pack. FOR NINE DAYS! It is not a joke. I don't take pain meds so that was not an option. Advil literally did nothing other than laugh at me.
5 months later. I went for a follow up today and there has been zero progress. To say I am disappointed is the understatement of the century.
I am a healthy girl who eats well, drinks little, and works out 3-5 days a week. There is no reason this shouldn't have worked except to say it is a TOTAL RACKET! I feel like this company sold me a lie, and I am now stuck paying it off for the next year.
Please message me if you want real advice on this. It is 100% not worth it.
pixiewng's provider
Replies (108)
June 4, 2016
Very disturbing to hear. I had the procedure two weeks ago. I didn't experience the pain you speak of but I have read other reviews who have also had significant and lasting pain. I will post in a few weeks as to whether or not I think it worked. Maybe too good to be true is just that.
June 7, 2016
If you paid with a credit card, 90 days is your window to file a dispute.
Folks, get a guarantee in writing before handing over your hard earned cash!!!
Folks, get a guarantee in writing before handing over your hard earned cash!!!
June 5, 2016
If I were you, I would complain and try to get refunded. Did you pay by credit card? You may have recourse there. I'm sorry it didn't work for you.
June 7, 2016
You are too late for credit card help (90 days is limit), but I would negotiate a refund. Contact Zeltiq because if pics show no change, they may issue machine credits to Skinny Med and they can refund you.
I am amazed that folks are still falling for this!
I had two treatments with zero results.
I am amazed that folks are still falling for this!
I had two treatments with zero results.
June 5, 2016
Yes, I am the same height and weight (+ or -) and had coolsculpting done on my stomach. I only had 1- treatment with no results. During my research, I noticed that those who said they were pleased with their results usually had at least 2-treatments. Maybe I would have seen some results with more than 1- treatment, but I can't afford another one. Honestly, it would be cheaper in the long run to have a tummy tuck, at least there would be results.....to good to be true!!!!!
July 11, 2016
Hi
I had two treatmenrts and not seeing the results. Waiting until month 3 which is in two weeks.,I've been working out so expected more.,the pics they show you are a scam
I had two treatmenrts and not seeing the results. Waiting until month 3 which is in two weeks.,I've been working out so expected more.,the pics they show you are a scam
June 6, 2016
Thanks for sharing. I read about it and am very skeptical about if it really works
Replies (13)
June 5, 2016
Hi, I'm so sorry that you didn't see any results!!... I had the procedure done on a few areas about 5 weeks ago and I've already seen some pretty substantial results. That said, I don't think the treatment is some kind of scam, there are lots of journal articles and scientific research that shows it does work. However, there are a super low percentage of people for whom the procedure actually does the opposite -- meaning they have a reaction called hyperplasia, which is where the treated area gets permanently bigger. From your pics, it looks to me like your lower belly is actually larger than before you had the treatment. If this is the case, I've read that the only solution is liposuction on the area. Some providers will actually offer this for free if hyperplasia happens after a coolsculpting treatment. This is why it's a good idea to have the procedure done at a certified plastic surgeons office -- but I think you may have had it done at a spa? In any case, I'd talk to the staff where you had it done and DEMAND that they offer to refund your money at least... Then if you need to go see a plastic surgeon, you will have some funds to go toward a corrective treatment. Even if you don't decide to do lipo, you shouldn't be paying for a treatment that made your issue worse. I know the contract you sign probably says there are no refunds, but in my experience, if you get angry enough, people will refund your money rather than face a bad reputation.
Did the practitioners talk to you about the possibility that hyperplasia could be an unfortunate (albeit VERY unlikely) result? It's unfortunate, but it does happen.
Here is a journal article link to the hyperplasia phenomenon in coolsculpting patients, in case you want to read about it. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4171727/
Again, I'm so sorry to hear you didn't get the results they promised. That would really [RS bleep] me off too. Hope this info helps in some way.
Did the practitioners talk to you about the possibility that hyperplasia could be an unfortunate (albeit VERY unlikely) result? It's unfortunate, but it does happen.
Here is a journal article link to the hyperplasia phenomenon in coolsculpting patients, in case you want to read about it. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4171727/
Again, I'm so sorry to hear you didn't get the results they promised. That would really [RS bleep] me off too. Hope this info helps in some way.
June 22, 2016
Thank you for this! It seems this is exactly what happened to me and I'm so saddened by it. Thanks for the link!
July 10, 2016
Your tummy kind of looks like mine --overall fine --but side view not flat --despite working out! :( Ihave thought about this procedure, too, as an option. What do your docs recommend --are they willing (are you willing?) to try it again? Or do they think it will also be ineffective? Hoping that you have a happy outcome. You look fit now so hope you feel okay about body now. Best wishes!
June 6, 2016
Gosh this sounds really unfair. You should be able to get a refund or at least partial money back. If this procedure is the real deal then it should work, period. For those that it doesn't work for (which should be very few if it's so promising) then there should be no hesitation in giving you a refund, or a 2nd treatment at half the price perhaps. Sorry to hear your experience wasn't great. All the best.
June 10, 2016
i was considering having this done but this scares me. I'm seriously reconsidering.thanks for posting
July 11, 2016
I was considering getting this done also, but this has put me off. Not sure if it worth it. They say you only see a 20 percent difference on first treatment .
I was quoted 600 for my first treatment
You paid a lot . They should refund u or offer you some other treatment.
I was quoted 600 for my first treatment
You paid a lot . They should refund u or offer you some other treatment.
UPDATED FROM pixiewng
6 months post
Definitely hyperplasia
pixiewngAugust 1, 2016
According to my doctor actual Hyperplasia is very rare, however, I do have it and it was caused by Coolsculpting. I am going to a consultation tomorrow with a plastic surgeon to see what my options are. I will post updates about that journey as well.
Replies (9)
August 2, 2016
aww i'm sorry that you got hyperplasia! Hope the office will do the lipo free of charge for you!
September 1, 2016
I also had coolsculpting and am now having to consider smartlipo. I paid 4000 for coolsculpting so are you happy with your lipo?
Thanks for sharing your experience. I hope you find support here in the community.