CoolSculpting^®

While a healthy diet and an exercise regimen act as the first line of defense against weight gain and unwanted fat deposits, these measures can only shrink fat cells down to a certain point – they cannot eliminate them. That’s often why despite their best efforts, even the fittest of individuals can struggle to correct pockets of fat such as love handles and bra fat.

The FDA-cleared CoolSculpting^® device from Zeltiq (now part of Allergan, manufacturer of BOTOX^® and Juvederm^® fillers) provides a way to physically flush out these fat cells in tandem with the body’s natural processes. The device triggers a process known as Cryolipolysis^®, which quite literally refers to the destruction of fat cells by freezing.

The CoolSculpting^® applicator cools a targeted treatment area down to a temperature of about 39° F in a gradual and controlled manner. At this temperature range, fat cells can be safely frozen and crystallized until they die, while leaving the overlying skin and surrounding tissues unharmed. Over time, the body naturally processes these dead cells and flushes them out, leaving the treated areas slimmer and more sculpted.

While results may be visible with a single session, it may take multiple spaced-out treatment sessions to achieve the results you are looking for.

It is important for patients to understand that while it is possible for CoolSculpting^® treatments to significantly debulk large or multiple areas, it is a body contouring treatment that should strictly be considered for aesthetic purposes. CoolSculpting^® will not result in any meaningful weight loss, and cannot be used to combat overall excessive weight or obesity.

While the fat cells destroyed by CoolSculpting^® and flushed out of the body can no longer store fat, existing fat cells still can, and can increase in size. The results of CoolSculpting^® can be long-term if the patient is committed to maintaining a healthy weight through sustained diet and exercising.

In fact, the best possible candidates for CoolSculpting^® are individuals who are already at or near their ideal weight range, and have found these pockets of localized fat to be diet- and exercise-resistant.

At South Jersey Skin Care, we stock the entire range of CoolSculpting^® applicators and can address several areas during treatment.

Some of the areas our patients often choose to improve include:

The duration of each session can vary depending on how many areas are being treated. While there may be some temporary redness, swelling, or tingling in the treated areas, most patients are able to return to their usual activities soon after with no expectation of downtime*.

Results will appear gradually, beginning to show about three weeks after a treatment session, with full results visible after three months*.

Unwanted fat can be difficult to lose. Changes to eating habits and increased physical activity require commitment, and even then results are not guaranteed. This is because fat may collect in certain areas due to heredity, not necessarily because a person is overweight.

Of course, traditional methods of fat reduction have their benefits—especially when it comes to health—but even in the best of circumstances there are also some drawbacks for patients.

Standard weight loss via a combination of diet and exercise shrinks fat cells, but does not reduce the total number of them in a particular area or throughout the body. Cells that have reduced in size due to careful planning and dietary adjustments are left to potentially grow larger again if given the opportunity.

Destroying unwanted fat cells, as CoolSculpting^® does, removes them from the equation. They will not grow in size again later because they no longer exist.

Call the South Jersey Skin Care & Laser Center at 856-810-9888 to learn more about CoolMini^® and CoolSculpting^®.

The CoolMini^® CoolSculpting^® applicator is designed specifically to address small, isolated pockets of fat. This makes it especially suited for reducing submental fullness—which is the technical name for the volume that causes a double chin.

A double chin can make men and women alike appear overweight, even if it is the only pocket of fat to be found on the body. Submental fullness can also make patients appear older than they actually are. This is because a bulge at the neck softens an otherwise well-defined jawline associated with youth and health.

The submental area can be particularly troublesome when it comes to losing fat by dieting and exercise alone. It is entirely possible to watch a waistline shrink over time, but never see any change to the double chin that shows up in every photo and appears with each glance in the mirror. The stubborn fat cells that grow below the chin may resist shrinking no matter how restrictive the menu and intense the workout.

Even otherwise trim people can struggle with submental fullness, as the condition can be genetic in nature. While liposuction was long the only choice for patients who wanted this stubborn fat physically removed from their neck area, researchers have developed some nonsurgical solutions in recent years. Chief among them is the CoolSculpting^®—and specifically the CoolMini^® applicator.

Unlike most of the other CoolSculpting^® applicators, which pull targeted tissue between two cooling plates, the CoolMini^® design allows it to sit flush against the skin. Despite this difference, it still achieves the average 20 percent reduction in volume possible with CoolSculpting^® options intended for elsewhere on the body. The post-treatment process is the same as well, with fat cells gradually processed and removed by the body after dying due to being rapidly chilled.

Though results take time to become visible, and ideal contours may require multiple CoolSculpting^® treatment sessions, this double chin treatment is preferable for anyone who wants a noticeable change, but does not want the hassle, cost, or other drawbacks of surgery. Liposuction works by physically suctioning targeted fat cells from the body, which takes care of the stubborn fat, but also requires significant recuperation and down time. A CoolSculpting^® treatment with CoolMini^® accomplishes the same thing—a physical reduction in fat cells in the submental area—but does it with no incisions or sutures to worry about on the neck.