All About Aesthetics

Could it be that Summer is almost here? Finally?

Time to move on the removal of those bulges!  Fortunately, we have just the solution: it takes NO downtime, has very little discomfort associated with it and REALLY works! CoolSculpting is very reasonably priced!

As someone who has struggled with unwanted fat since high school, I have had a personal interest in minimally or non-invasive procedures to win the battle of the bulge for many years! About 5 years ago, I read about such a method, called cryolipolysis (cooling fat to death!) which two very well-known dermatologist researchers from Harvard were getting a patent on.  They got FDA-approval for the device CoolSculpting in fall 2010.  In spring 2011, we had the first CoolSculpting device in the Raleigh-Durham-Cary-RTP area!  (And we had it nearly a year before anyone else around here did!!  This is important, because we have the most experienced technicians in these towns who know how to position you to get the most fat reduction per treatment… i.e. the BEST VALUE! )

These docs got the idea from a peer-reviewed journal in the 1950’s which was called “Popsicle Paniculitis”, which described the phenomenon of kids getting dimples in their cheeks from frequently sucking on popsicles.  The study found that the cold and suction caused death of fat cells in the cheeks of these kids, resulting in the formation of dimples!! (Paniculitis means inflammation of fat.)

Does it really work? YES!!!

How? Well, I like to explain it best as the Refrigerator principle…let me explain:

Most of your cells are made of predominantly water.  Put a glass of water in the refrigerator and check it an hour later and what do you have? Cold water! No change in the volume, chemistry, or any other feature of the water.  Fat cells are made of predominantly fat.  They are analogous to softened butter.  Put softened butter in the refrigerator and check it an hour later and you have SOLID butter.  When we cool fat down enough, the fat solidifies and crystallizes, which tears holes and tears in the cell membrane of the fat cell (technical term is “adipocyte”).  When the CoolSculpting applicator is placed on fat, it causes injury to ALL of the fat cells it can cool—and over the course of just one hour, 20-25% of those fat cells will have been injured beyond repair.  That’s right! They will begin to die within 72 hours!

The key is knowing that you normally only reproduce fat cells twice in your life: at 9 months and 12 years of age.  After 12 years of age, your individual fat cells can get bigger or smaller, depending on diet and exercise…but the number of fat cells stays constant!

So CoolSculpting gives you LONG-TERM FAT REDUCTION!!  When do you see the area getting smaller? Most people can see a difference in 2-4 weeks, but since the final result depends on your body’s immune system removing those dead fat cells, the final results are generally not seen for 3-5 months after the treatment.

After CoolSculpting, even if you gain weight, you will be smaller where you were treated than if you had never had the procedure!!

We have special pricing on CoolSculpting this spring, and can accommodate scheduling as you need us to.  So take charge of that pesky fat, give us a call, get a complimentary consult, and say, “Good-bye forever” to that fat!

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