The Many Types of CoolSculpting® Available in Michigan

CoolSculpting® has captured the attention of patients across the country who want a nonsurgical, noninvasive method for getting rid of stubborn fat. Doctors have noticed, too, and many are welcoming the technology into their cosmetic surgery practices.

Dr. Brad Bengtson and Dr. Ryan Mitchell have worked with CoolSculpting® at Michigan’s Bengtson Center for years, after it was first cleared by the FDA to treat abdominal fat in 2012. Approvals to treat other areas followed: thighs in 2014 and submental fat in 2015.

CoolSculpting® works by making fat cells so cold, they can no longer function properly. The device lowers the temperature of targeted fat cells by removing heat energy from them. This starts a process known as apoptosis, which involves the fat cells dying and then being naturally eliminated by the body because they are no longer needed. Other tissues, including the skin, are not damaged, thanks to fat’s higher freezing point.

While a fat-burning diet and plenty of exercise can reduce overall amounts of fat in the body, so-called diet-resistant fat can remain in isolated pockets. CoolSculpting® is the answer to this problem, focusing on regions where contours refuse to change no matter what patients eat or which workouts they choose.

There is a big difference between the belly and the neck, however, in terms of size and shape. To address this, CoolSculpting® has released a series of area-specific applicators, each made with a design uniquely developed for its specialized function.

• CoolMini™: This applicator is intended for smaller pockets of fat, such as the fat that collects in the submental area and creates the dreaded double chin.

• CoolFit™: Created with straight lines in mind, CoolFit™ works particularly well on the inner thighs.

• CoolCurve+™: Since not all areas of the body present a straight line, this applicator is made to follow curved fat deposits, including love handles and “muffin top” on the flanks.

• CoolCore™: A broad-use applicator, this focuses on the abdomen—a frequently targeted and large region where fat accumulates.

• CoolSmooth PRO™: The other CoolSculpting® applicators target pinchable fat, but not all excess fat is pinchable. The flat surface of the CoolSmooth PRO™ applicator is suited to the outer thighs.

• CoolMax™: Isolated pockets of fat can be large, so this applicator is made to handle volume. That said, patients should know that none of the CoolSculpting® applicators is intended to be used for weight-loss reasons. Their function is strictly for aesthetic body contouring purposes.

CoolSculpting® manufacturer Zeltiq reports that between its various applicators, the device can treat five of the top six areas patients seek to change, and that its applicators deliver consistent results, reducing fat in the targeted area by an average of 20 percent with each treatment. Visible changes do take some time after a CoolSculpting® session, since the apoptosis process can take months to complete. The bulge will gradually diminish throughout that period.

Depending on the amount of fat to be reduced and the patient’s ultimate aesthetic goals, multiple CoolSculpting® sessions may be required, spaced a suitable distance apart to ensure patient safety and ideal results. Subsequent CoolSculpting® treatment sessions will impact 20 percent of the remaining fat, leading to increasingly defined contours.

According to Zeltiq’s research into a clinical study, the CoolMini™ applicator in particular yielded an 83-percent patient satisfaction rate, with eight out of 10 patients saying they would recommend it and seven out of 10 saying that they found it to be comfortable.

Every patient will be different, of course, but a trained and experienced medical professional will be able to guide anyone seeking fat reduction toward the best procedure for them. If that is CoolSculpting®, they can further work to choose the ideal applicator.