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Losing weight can dramatically change your body—but reaching your goal weight doesn't always mean every stubborn area disappears with it.
You may lose inches from your waist, see a smaller number on the scale and feel better in your clothes, yet still notice pockets of fat around your abdomen, flanks, thighs, arms or underneath your chin.
This can happen whether you've lost weight through diet and exercise or as part of a medically supervised weight-loss program.
So what can you do about the areas that remain?
For the right candidate, CoolSculpting Elite can provide a non-surgical way to target localized pockets of stubborn fat after weight loss.
At YOU Just Better MedSpa in Orlando, we offer CoolSculpting Elite as part of personalized body-contouring plans designed around your individual goals.
Here's what you should know.
Weight loss and body contouring aren't the same thing.
When you lose weight, fat cells throughout your body generally become smaller. However, your genetics, hormones and natural fat distribution can influence where your body holds onto fat.
That's why two people at the same weight can have completely different body shapes.
Common trouble areas can include:
You can be active, eat well and be close to your goal weight while still having localized areas that don't match the rest of your progress.
That's where body contouring may come into the conversation.
CoolSculpting Elite is an FDA-cleared, non-surgical body-contouring treatment that uses controlled cooling to target fat cells in specific treatment areas.
The process is known as cryolipolysis, or fat freezing.
Fat cells are more sensitive to cold temperatures than the surrounding tissue. CoolSculpting uses carefully controlled cooling to affect targeted fat cells without surgery.
Over time, your body naturally processes the affected cells, gradually reducing the thickness of the treated fat layer.
The important distinction is that CoolSculpting is a body-contouring treatment—not a weight-loss treatment.
For appropriate candidates, yes.
In fact, someone who is already near a comfortable and stable weight but has specific pockets of pinchable fat may be the type of patient who considers CoolSculpting.
Think of weight loss as changing your overall size.
Body contouring is about refining particular areas.
If you've already made progress but have one or two areas that aren't responding the way you'd like, a body-contouring consultation can help determine whether CoolSculpting makes sense.
GLP-1 medications have changed the way many people approach medically supervised weight management.
As patients lose weight, however, they may begin paying more attention to their body's proportions and to localized areas of fat that remain.
That's where it's important to distinguish between remaining fat and loose skin.
CoolSculpting is designed to target localized fat.
It is not a treatment for significant loose or hanging skin.
If what you're seeing is primarily pinchable fat, CoolSculpting may be worth evaluating. If your primary concern is skin laxity, a different treatment approach may be more appropriate.
A consultation allows us to determine what you're actually seeing before recommending a treatment.
CoolSculpting is primarily a fat-reduction and body-contouring treatment, not a loose-skin treatment.
This distinction becomes especially important after significant weight loss.
Sometimes what a patient assumes is stubborn fat is actually loose skin. Other times, there is a combination of remaining fat and skin laxity.
These concerns require different approaches.
At YOU Just Better MedSpa, we also offer Ultherapy, a non-invasive treatment designed to stimulate collagen and address certain areas of skin laxity.
Your consultation helps us determine whether your concern is primarily fat, skin laxity or a combination of the two.
Both procedures can reduce unwanted fat, but they're very different treatments.
Liposuction is a surgical procedure that physically removes fat through small incisions.
CoolSculpting is non-surgical and uses controlled cooling to target fat cells.
CoolSculpting requires:
However, surgery can produce changes that a non-invasive treatment cannot.
CoolSculpting isn't intended to replace liposuction or surgical body-contouring procedures in patients who need more substantial correction.
The right choice depends on your anatomy, the amount of fat present and the result you're hoping to achieve.
CoolSculpting can be used on several common areas where stubborn fat tends to remain.
Depending on your anatomy and candidacy, treatment areas may include the:
The stomach is one of the most common areas where patients notice stubborn fat even after losing weight.
Fat around the sides of the waist can affect your overall silhouette even when you've reached a comfortable weight.
Localized thigh fat can be particularly resistant to changes in diet and exercise.
Some patients maintain pockets of fat in the upper-arm area despite changes elsewhere on their body.
CoolSculpting may also be used to target appropriate pockets of submental fat underneath the chin.
Your treatment areas should always be determined during an in-person assessment.
CoolSculpting isn't designed to produce dramatic weight loss.
Instead, the objective is to create a noticeable improvement in the contour of a targeted area.
Your results will depend on factors including:
During your consultation, we can discuss realistic expectations based on your body rather than showing you a one-size-fits-all treatment plan.
CoolSculpting results develop gradually.
Your body needs time to process the affected fat cells, so you shouldn't expect to walk out of your appointment looking dramatically different.
Changes may begin becoming noticeable over the following weeks, with results continuing to develop over the next several months.
If you're considering CoolSculpting before a vacation, wedding, holiday or other major event, starting early matters.
One of the major reasons patients choose CoolSculpting is that it doesn't require surgical downtime.
Patients can generally return to their normal routine following treatment.
Temporary side effects such as redness, swelling, tenderness, numbness or sensitivity can occur in the treatment area.
Your provider will discuss what to expect before your treatment.
CoolSculpting may be worth considering if you:
CoolSculpting may not be the appropriate solution if your primary concern is significant loose skin or if you're looking for a treatment to produce substantial overall weight loss.
That's why an assessment is important.
These treatments have very different purposes, but they can be considered at different stages of an overall aesthetic plan.
Medical weight management focuses on reducing overall body weight when clinically appropriate.
CoolSculpting focuses on specific pockets of unwanted fat.
Ultherapy focuses on certain areas of skin laxity.
Rather than trying to make one treatment accomplish everything, the better approach is identifying what you're actually trying to improve and selecting an appropriate treatment for that concern.
At YOU Just Better MedSpa, we use CoolSculpting Elite.
The Elite platform features dual applicators, which can allow two appropriate areas to be treated simultaneously.
This can make treatment more efficient when treating paired areas such as both sides of the abdomen or flanks.
Your treatment plan is customized based on your anatomy rather than simply choosing a predetermined number of cycles.
Body contouring isn't simply about putting an applicator on an area and turning on a machine.
Assessment and treatment planning matter.
At YOU Just Better MedSpa, our team evaluates your goals and anatomy before recommending a personalized treatment plan.
We offer several complementary medical-aesthetic services under one roof, including:
We're conveniently located in the Dr. Phillips area of Orlando, near Turkey Lake Road, Sand Lake Road, International Drive and Windermere.
If you've lost weight but still have stubborn areas that don't seem to change, you don't necessarily have to jump straight to surgery.
The first step is determining whether the area you're concerned about is remaining fat, loose skin or a combination of both.
At YOU Just Better MedSpa, we'll evaluate your concerns and help determine whether CoolSculpting Elite or another treatment approach is appropriate for your goals.
YOU Just Better MedSpa8956 Turkey Lake Road, Suite B100Orlando, FL 32819407-248-2440
Schedule your complimentary body-contouring consultation today.
Sunday & Monday: Closed
Tues Weds Thurs: 9:00AM - 6:30PM
Friday: 9:00AM - 4:30PM
Saturday: 9:00AM - 3:00PM
