How to Prepare and What to Expect During a Coolsculpting Session

Obesity is a common lifestyle disease in the United States, affecting both teenagers and adults. If you are obese, your specialist may recommend physical exercise to help reduce excess weight and maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI). While exercise may help patients with this condition,  body areas such as the arms, thighs, and chin may retain fat. When diet and exercise fail to reduce excess fat in these areas, you may consider Dayton Coolsculpting to contour your curves and freeze the fat.

What is coolsculpting?

Coolsculpting is a procedure that stems from the science of cryolipolysis, which involves extracting energy from fat cells, causing them to die gradually. It does not affect the surrounding structures such as nerves, muscles, and other tissues. Your doctor may recommend this process only if other weight-loss treatments such as diet and exercise have failed to eliminate fat bulges in your body.

How do you prepare for coolsculpting?

Like any other treatment method, it is essential to consult with your specialist to learn the details of the procedure and the dos and don’ts before the procedure. During a consultation, it is necessary to ask your doctor all the questions about the process to clear any uncertainty that you may have. Here, your specialist may send you home with a list of guidelines as you prepare for treatment. They include:

•         Avoid taking aspirin and dietary supplements, including fish oil, at least a week before your session. These may cause blood thinning and make you vulnerable to bruising during the process. However, it is best to consult with your doctor before you discontinue treatment. Other times your specialist may prescribe an alternative medicine that you can take as you await treatment.
•         Protect your skin from direct sunlight to avoid tanning. Tanned skin may be sensitive to treatment and result in discomfort.
•         It is recommended to stop smoking at least a week before coolsculpting as this may interfere with results and slow down your healing process.
•         Avoid activities that could cause bruising on your skin area that needs treatment. Since coolsculpting involves some massaging and suctioning, you may not be a good candidate for this process if there is a cut or your skin is severely bruised and may need to postpone treatment to avoid worsening your wound.

What happens during the procedure?

Your specialist will apply a gel on your skin and guide an appliance on the areas with fat.  In some cases, multiple devices may be used to treat different places at the same time. Most patients have reported feelings of pulling and pinching during the process. The discomfort fades away immediately after treatment. Your specialist will then massage the treated areas to help your body absorb the damaged fat cells and break up any frozen deep tissue. The massage may be uncomfortable for some people and all right to some. Treatment may last from one to three hours, depending on the size of the treated area. Some patients may sleep during the process, and others may read a book.

Coolsculpting is not a weight-loss procedure for obese individuals. For further inquiries about coolsculpting, book a session with your specialist at PureMD.