Coolsculpting® Post Care Instructions
What to expect after CoolSculpting
- You can expect none or some of the following symptoms immediately after the procedure.
- These symptoms may persist for up to several weeks. Most patients have very mild symptoms but, as with any medical procedure, each patient experiences it uniquely.
- Symptoms always subside over time and have NO long lasting complications.
- The treated area may be red for up to a few hours after the applicator is removed. This is an expected but temporary effect.
- Bruising, swelling and tenderness can occur in the treated area. This typically resolves within a week or two.
- Nausea, tingling, stinging and cramping in the treatment area are possible on treatment day.
- You may feel a temporary dulling of sensation or itching sensitivity in the treated area.
- Numbness at the site is common, resolving over 1-3 weeks.
- There typically is minimal recovery time after CoolSculpting. You will be able to return to your normal daily routine immediately after procedure.
- It is common for the treated area to feel bloated and to look swollen for the first three weeks after CoolSculpting. Compression tights such as yoga pants or Spanx may feel good to wear during this period.
- You may experience a temporary dulling of sensation or itching/tingling/off sensation that can last several weeks.
- 4 to 10 days post CoolSculpting you may notice more intense sensations than during the first few days. This is due to the inflammatory response your body naturally mounts to remove the dead fat cells. For most patients the symptoms are mild to moderate and often are more apparent when trying to sleep. If you are having difficulty sleeping please notify the office and prescription medications may be helpful.
You may experience:
- deep itching
- tingling
- numbness, soreness, or tenderness to the touch
- pain or aching in the treated area
- cramping or muscle spasms
- diarrhea
Please notify the office if these conditions persist beyond two weeks. Please notify us if your symptoms are severe or are interfering with your ability to perform activities or sleep
When do I expect to see results?
Following the procedure, a gradual reduction in the thickness of the fat layer will take place. You may start to see changes as early as three weeks after CoolSculpting and you will experience the most dramatic results after two to three months. Your body will continue to process the injured fat cells from your body for approximately four months after your procedure.
How do I maximize my treatment results?
- Weight gain will prevent you from appreciating your full results. Maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine after your procedure can help prevent this. Just like liposuction, CoolSculpting kills and eliminates fat cells from the targeted treatment area. If you are eating more calories than you are burning off through normal activity and exercise, the extra calories will be stored as fat in other locations in your body.
- This if the perfect time to evaluate your eating and exercise habits and to make changes to optimize your result. Our providers are happy to provide advice and counselling to help you make changes or assess proper calorie goals if you feel that you may benefit from them.
- Avoid the use of anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and Celebrex for six weeks after the treatment. The inflammatory response in your body is the mechanism which removes the fat cells and inhabits the body's ability to mount a response may slow the progress of your result following CoolSculpting.
- Schedule a follow- up medical assessment to review your clinical results and discuss the option of additional treatments to achieve desired outcome for this treatment site and other treatment sites.