CoolSculpting® In Encino, CA

Dr. Persky will evaluate your target area(s) and help determine if CoolSculpting® is the right treatment for you. He will thoroughly examine your body and discuss your goals. Dr. Persky may suggest that patients who have an excessive amount of fat try losing weight before considering CoolSculpting® or consider surgical options of liposuction or tummy tuck. Dr. Persky will give you a treatment plan that will include overall sculpting of the area(s) that concern you.

During the CoolSculpting® procedure, patients will be able to comfortably lie or sit down depending on the treatment area. Most of the target areas will need to be treated as two sides: the left and the right. The abdomen can be treated as one area. When treating the thighs, a customizable frame will be applied to the area where an applicator is securely snapped into place. The specially designed applicator and gel pad will be applied to each treatment area. The CoolSculpting® procedure safely delivers controlled cooling to gently and effectively treat the fat cells underneath the skin. The fat cells are crystallized (frozen), the crystals damage the fat cell membrane, and then the fat cells gradually die over time.

The fat cell remnants are cleared by the lymphatic system and filtered through the liver where they are either used as energy or redistributed throughout the body. CoolSculpting® is extremely safe; patients have had their blood work followed for up to 6 months after the treatment with no effect on liver enzymes, cholesterol, fat, or any other blood lab values.

Typically, the procedure takes one hour per area. There are different sized applicators to fit various parts of the body. Patients will feel an intense suction pinching feeling initially, but the area rapidly cools and is numb within five to 10 minutes. Some patients will feel pulling, tugging, and/or mild pinching from the handpiece that uses suction to draw out fatty tissue. Many patients read, listen to music, or work on their laptop, or just fall asleep during the treatment.

Some patients may experience initial redness that lasts anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. There may be some swelling, bruising, mild tenderness, cramping, or itching that can last for a few days. There is numbness in the treated area for a week or two that always returns to normal. Patients can resume work, exercise, and their normal routine immediately following the procedure.

Most patients will see a noticeable reduction of fat and improvement in body contours within three weeks. Since the body takes time to metabolize and eliminate fat cells from the body, full results won’t be apparent for about three months. The eliminated fat cells will be permanently destroyed and cannot return. Unfortunately, the remaining fat cells are capable of enlarging if caloric intake greatly exceeds the number of calories burned. Depending on the patient, one to four treatments may be necessary to achieve the desired results. Each treatment results in about a 20 to 25 percent reduction of fat from the targeted area. Patients will notice that their targeted bulges smooth out as the fat disappears. Some patients also experience a temporary decrease in the appearance of cellulite and a slight improvement in skin firmness.