Losing weight is a struggle for millions of people, with findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showing almost half of American adults try to shed pounds annually, with most exercising and eating less to lose weight.
Even those who succeed may still find that after all the hard work, some stubborn fat won’t come off.
If this describes your struggle, you might be happy to learn about CoolSculpting®, a noninvasive treatment that takes off the pounds but doesn’t take all day. It’s one of the services Dr. Javier Zelaya and the team here at Skinworks Dermatology offer to help you look and feel your best.
If you need a little help reaching your target weight, CoolSculpting might be the answer.
The point where your weight loss journey stalls is commonly referred to as the weight loss plateau. You might reach this point regardless of how closely you stick to your regimen.
Several factors lead to this plateau. One is that the initial loss of water weight is temporary. Another is that as you burn calories, you lose muscle along with fat. That causes your metabolism to slow, so you burn fewer calories even if you’re consuming the same amount.
CoolSculpting, or cryolipolysis, uses cold temperatures to trigger a cellular response that breaks down fatty tissue in your body in targeted areas. Fat cells are more prone to damage from colder temperatures than the surrounding skin cells.
This process essentially freezes fat cells and causes them to die. They leave your body as waste through the lymphatic system. A single treatment can give you up to an 80% fat reduction in targeted areas.
The FDA has cleared CoolSculpting to eliminate stubborn fat in nine areas of the body, including the flanks (love handles), abdomen, back, and thighs.
Once you’ve identified your target areas, we apply gel to the skin in those areas and use a hand-held device to administer the cold temperatures.
The CoolSculpting device creates suction at the treatment site — it may feel like tugging against the skin — and you may also experience tingling, stinging, aching, and cramping. These sensations decrease as the treatment numbs the area.
Massaging after the procedure helps break down the fat cells.
A session can take as little as 35 minutes or up to a few hours, depending on the areas being treated. You can read or listen to music during a CoolSculpting session and then get on with your day!
If you're struggling as you reach the end of your weight loss journey, don’t despair. Make an appointment by phone or online today at one of our New York City offices in Maspeth, Chelsea, or Park Slope to see what CoolSculpting can do for you.
