SculpSure Experience - 5' 4", 35yo Mom 116lbs Post MM

As a 35yo mom, I've spent the last year finally spending time and energy focusing on my own health and wellbeing. I have a wonderfully supportive husband and a kind-hearted almost 9yo daughter who was 9lbs at birth (42 weeks!). While I've always had a thin shape, I spent years after giving birth disguising the extra skin my pregnancy produced over my abdomen. Worse still, because I didn't have a lot of fat on my stomach, my belly skin looked wrinkled - like a 90 year old woman's!
I never considered myself overly vain, and really resisted the idea of plastic surgery. It didn't feel like something I would have ever done. It wasn't "me". But when the skin on my stomach STILL bothered me, almost a decade after giving birth, I finally gave myself permission to explore the possibilities. While many woman embrace their post-pregnancy bodies (and I applaud them for doing so!), I was tired of trying to accept the way my navel looked - even though I was the only person it bothered. 8 months ago, I had a "mommy makeover" and got a tummy tuck and breast augmentation. My experience was hard but ultimately, such a gift. My confidence in myself skyrocketed. Additionally, the surgery made me realize how grateful I am to be alive, to have a healthy body, and to want to take care of it. I started working out 5x week - something I had NEVER done consistently previously! Now, I feel like I've never been stronger and healthier. A month or two ago, at an afterschool function when a topic shifted to healthy living habits, I overheard my daughter describing my husband and I by saying, "Both my parents eat really healthy and exercise almost every day. They really take care of themselves." It made my heart swell. While I've always eaten well, I never considered myself athletic and I sure didn't do everything I could to be healthy. (My husband has always been a distance runner, so he was already exercising). Hearing my daughter's view of me as being someone who really makes the effort to be strong made me feel like I'm setting a positive example. This website was immensely helpful for me to overcome my own mental blocks to get plastic surgery, understand what to expect and demystify fears. I would have NEVER gone through with my MM without it. As a result, I've become a Real Self "Real Friend". Helping encourage other women who are going through these deeply personal and emotional journeys to discover their strongest selves has been AWESOME! Now, I have the opportunity to try a relatively new procedure - SculpSure - and report back. Wow. What an honor!So thus begins my SculpSure review. While I am participating in this as a promotional opportunity, rest assured that anything I write here is my honest and hopefully valuable opinion. If you've read my MM review, you'll know that every procedure has its ups and downs (!) and I'm happy to share mine.I received this complimentary treatment through the RealFriends program.

Ahhh! I'm getting so excited to try SculpSure!

Three weeks ago I was reviewing a few different SculpSure providers in town to determine who to consult with. Just like with my MM surgery, I mainly looked at things like:
~Existing online reviews from multiple sites, including Real Self. Some providers are newer to Real Self, and in this case, all 3 of the ones I was considering had limited information on this site, so I looked at other sites like Yelp, Google Reviews, etc. to help inform my choice.

~The website of the providers. I look specifically at how much information they provide, whether the info on their site feels well-rounded and highlights not only benefits of procedures, but risks, realistic results, and outlines which patients are best suited to which procedures, etc. I always look for before and after pictures of real patients, ideally with diverse body types and a body types/age similar to mine.

~The credentials of the providers themselves, be it physicians/surgeons, aestheticians, nurses and support staff, and how much ongoing education or research they appear to continue to participate in. Ideally you want to be entrusting your body with people who are interested in learning about new techniques and advances, but can also be cautious about following trends of the "the next big thing". Surgeons/practices that teach often have to stay fresh with their skills.

~How long have they been in business? What is the focus or specialty of the practice? Some providers do everything under the sun and others seem to focus more narrowly. IE, when I chose Dr. Kerr/Synergy Plastic Surgery for my MM, I knew he was a well-established expert on body procedures.

I ultimately chose Personique on the Spot (Domain location) for a consultation. Once I had chosen them based on factors above, I arranged with their patient coordinator, Briana, to come in for a consult.
Going in to the consultation I was a little nervous. I hadn't researched SculpSure to the same (possible anal retentive) degree that I had researched my MM. Typically, I'm the opposite of a min-maxer - I over-prepare and over research everything! This has led my friends to tease me, but also ask me things like, "Which washing machine should I buy?" because I'm the person Most Likely To Read All the Stuff before making a decision. In the case of medical decisions, I often use my husband's access to published research literature to go deep (he's in the medical field). So going into this SculpSure consult less prepared than usual had me feeling some anxiety.

Briana put that all to ease! In a private consult room, she walked me through the basics of SculpSure, how it differs from other types of non-invasive fat removal like CoolSculpting, how it works/why, what realistic results to expect, etc. She talked about how she's been in this business for over a decade, and has seen how both surgical (lipo) and non-invasive fat removal trends have come and gone. We discussed at length the risks/benefits associated with things like Liposuction and CoolSculpting vs. SculpSure. Besides just explaining what to expect during the procedure (alternating heating up with blasts of cool for relief), she talked about WHY the diode laser works and how (by super-heating fat cells that sit just beneath the skin layer). She talked about how in each session, approximately 24% of the fat cells in the treated area are reduced (destroyed, and then later cleared through the lymphatic system). Thus, most people benefit from more than one session for a cumulative and more visible result (24% + 24% = 48% of the fat cells over 2 sessions). We also talked about how because heat-based fat removal has a "feathering" effect (meaning, some heat reaches fat cells adjacent to the targeted area), patients often see some reduction in fat in areas near their treatment area -- which also results in a smoother result compared to CoolScuplting or Lipo, where bumpiness/shelfing are greater risks. I know going into my MM that I had A LOT of concern about Lipo and the sometimes inconsistent results it can have. I had a small amount of lipo done on my flanks during my MM, but I asked Dr. Kerr to be conservative because I feared a non-smooth or very targeted look. I was relieved to hear that SculpSure has a more gradual effect between treatment and non-treatment areas. Likewise, we talked about how in comparison to CoolSculpting, there are fewer risks in using heat based treatement. The Diode lasers have been well studied, and don't have adverse reactions such as nerve damage that freezing can create.

We talked about the realistic timeline for seeing results (6 - 12 weeks) and all pre and post procedure care, including massage, hydration, etc. I was especially grateful to hear her say that she's never had a patient feel the laser was too painful to proceed or proceed at the highest treatment level (typically level 4). Briana showed me some real patient before and after photos, including some of Personique's own staff present that day - so it was really nice to be able to talk to people who have access to all different procedures and ultimately choose to do SculpSure on themselves because they believe in the product and the results!

After answering all my questions and quelling any anxiety I had, Briana and her team worked with me to come up with a couple different options for treatment. While my thighs are my "problem area" (where I genetically store fat), I wanted to be open minded about what area they thought would give the most pronounced results. Because SculpSure was FDA approved for treating abodmen/flanks more quickly than for thighs, there seem to be fewer reviews online that show thigh before-and-afters. I wanted Briana's opinion about whether she thought it worked less well in that area. She was reassuring and said that most people do use the laser for ab/flank areas, because it can show such pronounced results and create an hourglass shape in most people -- even perhaps those with higher BMI's who aren't considering surgical options. But she's seen great results with thighs and encouraged me to try it if its what meant the most to me.

We played with a few configurations - treating perhaps my flanks and outer thighs, or my inner thighs and "banana rolls" (the area just below my buttocks). I'm considering a combination and we'll make the final decision on my first treatment day - Thurs 19th July.
A typical session of SculpSure includes 4 rectangles applicators over the treatment area and applies the laser which operates for 25 minutes. I'm getting 8 applicators during my first session, so there's a couple of combinations for me to consider. Briana highly suggested doing my flank area to help exaggerate my hourglass result from my MM, and then perhaps doing my inner or outer thigh/ saddle bag area. Decisions!

I'm attaching some before photos of my thighs/back. It's SO HARD to take photos at these angles, so forgive the quality. I'll be sure to post the photos the provider takes before and after also. I'm now VERY excited to do this procedure!

Good afternoon ladies. :)
I survived my first SculpSure session! Hurray!
I thought I'd share some details before I forget.
STATS/ SPECIFICS:
`. Weight today was 116 at Personique Medical Spa before beginning treatment.
2. Measurement of the widest part of my thighs (including banana roll area) has been 21.5" (R) - 22" (L) prior to treatment. When I got home from treatment, my thighs were measuring 22.25"(R), 22.5" (L - treated first), I assume due to the beginning of swelling - or maybe the 104 degree Texas heat?!
3. I had two 25 min treatments during this 1st session. One leg per 25 min treatment.
Each outer thigh had two rectangle treatment applicators strapped vertically to the saddle bag area (left leg first) and one rectangular applicator was put horizontally underneath my buttocks to treat the banana roll area, just under the butt. So each 25 min treatment had 3 applicators each (6 total). I was there for approximately an hour.
4. The machine appeared to get up to a 1.3 level after the initial 4 min. warm up period. The technician and I worked together to verify that I felt a 'zone 4' level/ fat-burning response at that level (tingling, prickling, heat, pressure/cramping).
EXPERIENCE/ PAIN LEVEL:
My experience at Personique was excellent. The team continues to appear very professional and knowledgeable. I met Brianna when I arrived and waited in a consult room until my appointment time (I arrived a few minutes early). The medical spa is very clean, nicely organized and aesthetically beautiful. I also appreciate that the space has calming, soothing colors and strikes the balance between "medical" and "spa" nicely. It kept my anxiety levels down. Importantly, it also feels very private when you're in a consult or treatment room.
When it was time for my treatment, the technician talked me through the steps. I undressed (privately) and was provided with a robe to wear over my underwear/bra during treatment. We talked about the treatment options we had considered at my previous appointment (thighs vs flanks) and ultimately thought I would have a more pronounced result with my thigh/banana roll area. It's also where I experience the most stubborn fat, so I was happy to tackle it! We did a weigh in, and just like during my consult, the whole procedure was re-explained and the technician verified that I had followed pre-procedure protocols: not applying lotion/creams to my treatment areas, not having recent sun/sunburn in the area, not taking NSAIDs prior to (or in the week following) treatment, being hydrated and having something in my stomach, etc.
We attached the 3 treatment applicator frames to my left leg first. The technician provided me with a pillow and large comforter blanket to use comfortably as I laid on the treatment table to keep my left thigh/buttocks up. It was kind of like using a pregnancy pillow and allowed me to get positioned comfortably before beginning. The frames do feel funny strapped on - they squeeze your skin/subcutaneous fat unflatteringly in a rectangle shape. Ha! The technician talked about how important creating that "pillow" of skin is to helping ensure the laser has good contact with the skin, etc. At every step of the way she made sure I was well-informed and that there was an evidenced-based logic for everything she did.
As others have described, after attaching the lasers to the treatment applicator frames and beginning, there's a 4 min warm up period that acclimates your skin to the laser. It alternates between heat and cold. I would say the first 6 or 7 minutes were not overly uncomfortable. The technician provided me with a chart of expected symptoms as the laser geared up. Ideally patients want to experience something between Level 3 (tingling, heat) and Level 4 (prickling, crampiness, pressure, more heat) to make sure the laser is being effective. Strangely, the level of the laser itself is less important as the patient response - you want the maximum amount of laser power tolerable to produce the desired feeling, but not necessarily more. For me, this meant the laser got up to and stayed about a 1.3 level.
I didn't experience the sensation as much as "heat" or burning feeling, so much as a prickling/pressure/cramping sensation. It was definitely uncomfortable, but not unbearable. And like others have described, just as I would think, "ooooouuuchy" the cooling sensation would kick in and provide a sense of relief. Some women have described the pain as similar to menstrual cramping, but I never got those (I always had dull backaches). I think the "waves" of discomfort followed by relief is not dissimilar to early childbirth contractions -- and I don't mean that in a scary way! But just as the body (for those who hopefully had relatively non-immediate or emergent childbirth) sort of warms up to a contraction and it gets more uncomfortable, bit by bit, and then releases and feels better, the SculpSure treatment followed that same kind of pattern. I was definitely able to have a conversation throughout and talking with the technician made the time go by much easier. We laughed and exchanged stories and it really helped.
My left leg seemed to go by faster than my right leg, which for whatever reason felt more painful than my left. The level of the laser was the same for both legs (1.3) and I made it through both - but my right leg required a few deep breaths at about the 15 min mark (in part because I knew I had 10 more min to go and my first leg had gone by so much faster!). It seemed less painful the more distracted I was by conversation. Keeping my muscles relaxed also helped alleviate peak discomfort.
After I was finished, we talked again about aftercare (no crazy sun exposure for a few days, expect swelling for up to 1 - 2 weeks, expect tenderness, HYDRATE for the full 6 weeks, massage at least twice per day 5 - 10 min in treatment areas, NO NSAIDs for at least a week, take Tylenol if needed, etc.). We also scheduled my next appoint for 6 weeks (last week in August) where we'll take follow up pictures and do Session 2.
Overall the experience was very tolerable. Its been about 3 hours and I'm somewhat tender in the treatment areas - especially when sitting on a toilet in the banana roll areas (ack!). I know that will reduce in the next few days. I also plan to do some extra walking/exercise over and above my usual 5x week routine to encourage my lymphatic system to move the dead fat cells out. My MM Review on this site also outlines my supplement routine (collagen, Vit C, Vit E, Multi Vit, Co-Enzyme Q10, Tumeric, Omega 3's) and eating plan (whole foods, low glycemic index/low carb - lots of veggies and protein).
All in all, it was a little less scary than I feared! :)