Liposuction or CoolSculpting?
Widely recognized as the top plastic surgeon in Baltimore, Dr. Michele Shermak frequently meets with new patients who have questions about liposuction versus CoolSculpting, a heavily-promoted fat loss treatment many have read about as a viable alternative to liposuction. But what is the difference between liposuction and CoolSculpting? What is CoolSculpting? How does it work? And how do you decide what option is best for you?
Liposuction vs. CoolSculpting
Liposuction is a minor surgery, performed as an outpatient procedure, to remove excess fat from specific parts of the body through discreet incisions. CoolSculpting is a non-invasive procedure that uses a process called cryolipolysis, in which fat cells are frozen and then shed by the body over several months.
Body sculpting techniques – what works best?
Both liposuction and CoolSculpting procedures are fat-loss, as opposed to weight-loss, procedures that target isolated areas of excess fat that cannot be reduced through diet or exercise, and both procedures are recommended for adult men and women who live healthy lifestyles and want to rid their bodies of stubborn extra fat.
Liposuction results
With liposuction, the fatty deposits are accessed directly and removed, with no need to have “enough” fat in a targeted area to be pulled into a device. The area with excess fat, whether on buttocks, love handles, thighs, back, neck, or upper arms can be precisely targeted and removed, forever. So, what’s best for you? It is vital that you have a treatment you can trust to achieve the results you envision, and Dr. Shermak advises liposuction as being a far superior method for custom body sculpting.
CoolSculpting results
Dr. Shermak does not offer CoolSculpting as the results aren’t as effective as Liposuction. The primary difference between the two procedures is that a custom liposuction treatment is a minor surgical procedure that removes fat in targeted areas, while CoolSculpting works by sucking a fatty area up into a treatment device, which then freezes the area. For the device to perform, it must pull the fat deep into the treatment device.
CoolSculpting poses a risk of achieving uneven results, one of the most common complaints. An unfortunate side effect of CoolSculpting can be a hardened lump of fat in the shape of the device, called paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, appearing in one out of 138 patients. The unsightly lump may then need to be removed with liposuction.
Differences in safety and results
The questions Dr. Shermak has received in her Baltimore plastic surgery practice are mainly concerned with the efficacy and safety of newer technology like CoolSculpting when compared to the more thoroughly-researched and documented results of liposuction. We’ve broken it down for you:
Liposuction pros and cons
People who wish to re-sculpt a part of their body plagued by excess fat often seek out liposuction as the best, and safest, option to rebuild their confidence and enjoy a more sculpted figure. It is for this reason that liposuction is one of the most routinely-performed plastic surgeries in the United States.
A single procedure
In a single outpatient procedure, liposuction gives patients the option to remove excess fat through small incisions on a targeted location of the body, extracting excess fat to create a more sculpted physique. Liposuction procedures may be combined with additional skin-tightening or other rejuvenating procedures for a fully-customized body transformation.
Dr. Shermak uses advanced techniques in all of the procedures she performs, ensuring that each patient she welcomes into her Baltimore plastic surgery practice will have an effective procedure, a safe and smooth recovery time, limited side-effects, and results that are as expected, and exceptionally attractive.
Liposuction Costs
Liposuction is a cosmetic procedure and not covered by insurance, although Dr. Shermak is always happy to work out payment plan options with her Baltimore plastic surgery clients. Dr. Shermak recommends liposuction over CoolSculpting as a safer and more effective body contouring procedure as well as time-saving as it only requires one treatment as opposed to several treatments like CoolSculpting.
CoolSculpting Pros & Cons
People who want to reduce areas of excess fat and are eager to avoid even minimally-invasive surgeries like liposuction are often drawn to procedures like CoolSculpting, which offers the promise of body-transformation without surgery.
CoolSculpting literature suggests that when patients treat excess fat with cryolipolysis (freezing fat cells), their bodies respond by destroying and then naturally shedding the frozen fat cells from the body, to create a slimmer physique. A treatment lasts 35-60 minutes and promises little-to-no recovery time.
CoolSculpting costs
CoolSculpting is not covered by insurance. Unlike liposuction, which is typically a single procedure, CoolSculpting patients are typically encouraged to have more than one procedure to see results, which can significantly increase the cost of treatment as well as the time commitment in reaching the desired results.
How many inches will you lose with CoolSculpting?
CoolSculpting does not provide guarantees as to how many inches you will lose and offers no promises as to how long results will last (or how cryolipolysis may affect your body long-term). Although FDA-approved since 2017, CoolSculpting is still a relatively new technology that has a limited amount of research and market data widely available to the public. This means some associated risks may be not yet be discovered.
Liposuction or CoolSculpting – what’s the best treatment?
If you are a healthy individual interested in reducing unsightly fatty areas on your body, you have options. You will have to decide if the time and expense of the results you can count on from liposuction is right for you, or if you want to take the risk on a procedure like CoolSculpting to attempt to get similar results. Ultimately, you will decide what is best for you and your body.
Rated a RealSelf “Top Doctor,” Dr. Michele Shermak offers some of the best liposuction results Baltimore Maryland has to offer. As mentioned earlier, Dr. Shermak does not offer CoolSculpting at her plastic surgery facility as she highly recommends liposuction over CoolSculpting as a safe and more effective body contouring procedure.
Dr. Shermak is deeply devoted to working with you to answer any questions or concerns you may have with liposuction. To schedule an appointment to address questions and concerns you may have, please don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Shermak.
