Does CoolSculpting sound too good to be true? If you’ve considered the fat freezing treatment offered at Cosmos Aesthetics in Melbourne, no doubt you’ve questioned the effectiveness of the procedure.

Will it really address the stubborn fat around your tummy and love handles? Can it give you a more feminine facial profile by correcting your double chin? And what about the results – will they last or will the fat come back?

As CoolSculpting is a walk-in, walk-out procedure that eliminates the need to undergo invasive cosmetic surgery, it’s only natural to think that there’s got to be a catch. One of the most common questions we receive at the Melbourne clinic is “how long will the results last?”.

Are CoolSculpting results permanent?

CoolSculpting is an FDA-approved procedure that uses controlled cooling to destroy unwanted fat cells. The process involves a specialised applicator being applied on to the skin of the treatment area before it transmits freezing cold temperatures into the submental fat. As fat cells are particularly vulnerable to cool temperatures, they naturally die off. This process is known as cryolipolysis.

Over the course of the next few months, the destroyed fat cells are eliminated naturally by the body through the lymphatic system. This means your results appear over time. Some people will notice changes to their body shape or the treated area a few weeks after the treatment. However, final results tend to appear 3 months after the CoolSculpting procedure.

These results are permanent. Regardless of where you’ve had the stubborn fat removed from, the fat cells are permanently destroyed after the CoolSculpting treatment. The number of fat cells you have generally increase throughout childhood and adolescence before stabilising in adulthood. The size of the fat cells can vary with the cells constantly expanding and contracting in response to changes in lifestyle and diet.

Just like with other fat reduction procedures such as Liposuction or bariatric surgery, you can still gain weight after the procedure. Where that will be in your body is unknown. What is known is that your body contouring results are likely to remain the same; you’ll just be a larger version.

What’s the catch?

There are lots of benefits to the CoolSculpting treatment:

  • It’s a same-day procedure allowing you to resume our normal activities immediately.
  • The side effects are minimal with no significant bruising, swelling or pain.
  • There’s no need for anaesthetic or scalpel.
  • It’s effective on a variety of areas of the body.

So what’s the catch?

CoolSculpting is not a weight-loss procedure. In fact, neither are some of the other popular fat removal procedures such as Vaser Liposuction. If you thought you could have a non-invasive treatment with no downtime and still consume your fast food diet without any consequences, you thought wrong.

In order to maintain your long-term results, you need to adhere to a healthy diet and regular exercise. Thankfully, you’ll have an extra incentive to do so after the procedure.

There are also some limitations to the fat reduction treatment with most experiencing noticeable by not significant fat loss results. You need enough excess fat bulges for the procedure to work effectively, but not so much that you the results won’t be significant enough for you. It’s ideal if you have excess fat in your love handles or upper arms that you can grab. However, if you have a large amount of fat in the problem areas, you may be better suited to a surgical procedure.

The other thing to consider when choosing the right fat reduction procedure for you is that you will most likely need more than one CoolSculpting treatment. Typically, people undergo 2-3 treatments to get the most out of the fat freezing technology. This will be discussed and outlined in your treatment plan should you choose to undergo the procedure.