CoolSculpting has quickly become one of the most popular ways to successfully reduce the amount of fat on a variety of the body’s trouble spots. The fact that it is non-surgical and involves no downtime has greatly contributed to its popularity. So now the main question on everyone’s mind is this: Is CoolSculpting Painful?
Just to recap the basics, CoolSculpting is an incredible technology that crystallizes fat cells which are then flushed away over time by the body’s own metabolic processes. Coolsculpting treatments generally last about one hour per treatment area. During the treatment, a technician places a gel pad over the area to be treated to act as a barrier between your body and the CoolSculpting device. The device is cooled to its appropriate temperature and placed on the gel pad. The fat underneath the pad freezes, leaving the surrounding organs, nerves or tissue unharmed because they freeze at a much lower temperature than the fat cells.
Once the fat cells have been frozen, they will die and be consumed by regular cells. Once that happens, they are eliminated from the body through the body’s natural metabolic process. Results can begin to see results in as little as four weeks after the first treatment with full results being visible in 3-6 months. The average person needs two to three treatments to achieve their ideal results.
There is a certain amount of discomfort associated with the CoolSculpting procedure. Because each person’s tolerance for pain varies, it is difficult to describe an exact pain level. For some patients, the cooling effect causes some numbness, tingling, or stinging. Others have described a slight pulling and pinching sensation during the treatment. When the treatment is complete, most patients have some degree of pain, itching, tenderness, and/or swelling which lasts anywhere from a few hours to a few days.
Over-the-counter pain medications are typically strong enough to relieve any pain that a patient encounters from CoolSculpting. In general, though, the “pain” associated with CoolSculpting is relatively minor and short-lasting.
In fact, most patients report returning to all of their normal daily activities immediately following their treatments!
