Coolsculpting and Sculpsure: 7 Critical Distinctions You Need to Know
Date: November 7, 2018
Why you’ve heard about Coolsculpting and you’ve not heard about newer, more advanced treatments for fat reduction. And why this is bad news for you.
Coolsculpting: Massive Advertising Dollars Pay Off
Since 2010, Coolsculpting has spent billions on marketing and promoting the Coolsculpting treatment. And it’s paid off. How? Everyone knows the name. Patients search for Coolsculpting by name because they equate the treatment with non-invasive body contouring. They’re simply not familiar with any other treatment.
Coolsculpting continues to pump money into marketing. It seems that every few months, they pay yet another celebrity to endorse the product – millions of dollars. You can’t watch prime time television without seeing a Coolsculpting commercial – millions of dollars. And Coolsculpting paid ads dominate fat reduction searches – millions of dollars.
Major Advancements in Medical Fat Reduction Technology since Coolsculpting
But this is not good news for the patient. Why? Coolsculpting is older technology. Sure, it was the gold standard in 2010, but in the rapidly advancing field of fat reduction, 2010 was a lifetime ago. There have been major medical advances since 2010 and patients have superior medical fat reducing technology available. Importantly, this new technology has resolved the problems associated with Coolsculpting. This new technology
1. delivers a more comfortable treatment (i.e. does not cause pain);
2. has the ability to treat larger areas;
3. results in a very even reduction;
4. avoids neurological risks;
5. has not caused ‘fat growth’ as opposed to fat reduction; and
6. requires just one treatment.
We’ll elaborate. Let’s examine one technological advancement and see what it offers as compared to Coolsculpting.
New, Improved Technology: Sculpsure
In 2015, Sculpsure was introduced to the market as the first light-based treatment to permanently eliminate fat and it does so in just one treatment. Physicians in-the-know and other medical experts appreciate the superiority of the Sculpsure fat reduction treatment. Instead of offering Coolsculpting, they recommend Sculpsure. But since you’ve not seen a commercial ‘brought to you by Sculpsure’ or a national Sculpsure celebrity endorsement campaign, you may not know about Sculpsure. And that’s not good news.
The 2 Most Serious Risks of a Coolsculpting Treatment
Let’s first consider the most serious issues with Coolsculpting. Newer technology does not have these risks.
1. Coolsculpting can cause NEUROLOGICAL (NERVE) DAMAGE.
2. Coolsculpting can actually cause your body to GROW MORE FAT.
Coolsculpting can lead to Neurological (Nerve) Damage
- Neuropathy, Nerve Hypersensitivity, Severe Pain. Coolsculpting works by freezing the body’s tissue to just above the freezing point of water (to prevent frostbite to the skin). The freezing temperature destroys some fat cells. This freezing from the Coolsculpting can lead to a type of nerve damage, or nerve hypersensitivity (neuropathy), which can be prolonged lasting from several weeks to several months. These patients report a ‘pins and needles type burning, sharp pain’ after the Coolsculpting procedure. The patient must deal with it as the pain must resolve on its own. There is no known cure. It is treated with prescription pain medication and/or nerve medication. This pain can be so severe so as to prevent some patients from returning to normal activities until it resolves.
- Does it cause permanent damage? It is unknown if it causes permanent damage or if the pain could return in the future. Take a look at what one beauty blogger in In the Name of Perfection had to say about her Coolsculpting post treatment nerve pain.
Sculpsure does NOT lead to Neurological Damage
- Its reported that a whopping 20% of Coolsculpting patients experience severe pain caused by neurological damage. It’s so common that Coolsculpting has a page devoted to dealing with post treatment pain. There have been NO reports of neurological damage from Sculpsure treatments or of severe pain following treatment. Technology has indeed advanced since Coolsculpting was released in 2010.
- The advanced technology of the Sculpsure laser does not pose any threats to the tissue or nerves.
Coolsculpting can cause FAT CELLS to GROW
- Older technology like Coolsculpting carries risks that newer technology like Sculpsure does not. Coolsculpting treatments can create a reactionary process in the fatty tissue that causes the fat cells to expand and grow rather than break down and go away. In other words, Coolsculpting can make you fatter. This is a process called Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia (PAH) and it has only been associated with Coolsculpting. The exact incidence of PAH is unknown, however, since there is no requirement for Coolsculpting providers or the Coolsculpting company to reporting PAH.
ScienceDaily reports that PAH may be more common than we once thought.
- Patients who suffer from PAH can usually tell exactly where their Coolsculpting applicator was placed because there is typically a defined border to the newly enlarged, fatter area.
- The only known treatment for PAH is liposuction.
Sculpsure does NOT cause fat cells to grow
- Instead of freezing fat cells, Sculpsure utilizes laser energy to heat up and destroy fat cells. Sculpsure’s cooling system allows your skin to remain cool, comfortable and unharmed during treatment. Since 2015, there have been NO reports of PAH with Sculpsure.
Modern medical developments offer improvements over Coolsculpting
Since 2010, advances in modern medicine have resolved many of Coolsculpting’s other shortcomings.
- The treatment limitations of the Coolsculpting applicators;
- The uneven appearance in fat reduction resulting from Coolsculpting;
- The severe pain during the Coolsculpting treatment; and
- The recommended Coolsculpting 2-treatment protocol.
The Coolsculpting Applicator design creates limitations to treatment:
Most providers do not have all necessary Coolsculpting handpieces
Since 2010, the Coolsculpting technology has not advanced; however, the number of treatment applicators (handpieces) has grown to a whopping 30. In an attempt to address serious limitations and problems to the handpiece design, instead of redesigning, Coolsculpting kept the flawed design but released a multitude of handpieces. Now maybe you’re thinking that’s good. But it’s not. Providers offering Coolsculpting have to purchase each of these handpieces. It’s simply not affordable for providers to buy them all – or even half of them! So the quality of your treatment depends who you call and what handpieces they have to offer you. You may have to compromise in size of the treatment area and you may experience a less than optimum treatment.
All Sculpsure providers use 4 uniform customizable applicators
Medical scientists learned from older technology and designed newer technology differently. Sculpsure treatments utilize the same four uniform sized and completely customizable applicators that come equipped with the device. This ensures both predictable and optimal fat reduction.
The Coolsculpting handpiece design leads to uneven ‘shelf-like’ reduction
The Coolsculpting handpiece or applicator is hollow. Your tissue must be sucked up inside the hollow applicator to be affected by the freezing. Any tissue outside of the applicator is completely unaffected. The indented fat reduction, therefore, is commonly seen in the shape of the handpiece, and is often referred to as a ‘shark bite’ or a ‘shelf.’ The only way to correct this imperfection is to undergo a treatment from a newer technology like Sculpsure.
Sculpsure results in smooth reduction in an area larger
than the handpieces
Newer technology makes a difference. The Sculpsure applicator (handpiece) lays flat on the body. Since the energy is light, not only is the area under the applicator affected but because the laser rays emit and radiate outward, the areas surrounding the applicator are also affected. This is referred to as ‘feathering.’ It’s not uncommon to see visible reduction in the entire midsection (front, back and flanks) when only the abdomen was treated. All reduction is smooth, natural looking and without ridges.
Patients describe Coolsculpting as very painful
- Before and during treatment: Patients describe the sharp pain of the Coolsculpting applicator sucking on their body’s tissue as indescribable in the worst way. Then the freezing follows. Patients describe the freezing as a feeling of a horrible pinch that doesn’t go away until it’s gone numb from the extreme cold about 10 – 20 minutes later.
- Immediately after treatment: Patients describe the treated area as looking like a red to blue, hard ‘frozen stick of butter.’ It’s still in the shape of the applicator. Your technician should massage this area to get it back in place with the surrounding tissue. Patients describe the 2-minute massage as the most painful 120 seconds of their life.
- Post treatment: Pain is an expected side effect of Coolsculpting. Following treatment, it’s not uncommon for patients to report difficulty sleeping, needing pain medication and missing work due to the pain.
Click here to read one patient’s experience with his Coolsculpting treatment.
Patients describe Sculpsure as a tolerable procedure
As a newer technology, Sculpsure uses an advanced laser energy to destroy fat. Patients feel periods of heat followed by cooling throughout the short 25 minutes. Most patients find this experience as quite tolerable; some even describe it as ‘easy.’
2 rounds of Coolsculpting treatments recommended
Treatment recommendations vary depending on your body and your goals. The current trend is for Coolsculpting providers to require their patients to undergo a minimum of two rounds of treatment. The number of treatments obviously impacts both your pocketbook and your time. Many newer technologies do not require you to repeat treatments to reach your goals.
Sculpsure is a one-treatment 25-minute procedure
With newer technology like Sculpsure, you can permanently eliminate up to 24% of the fat in just one 25-minute procedure.
Conclusion
Most people are familiar with Coolsculpting, at least with the name. Coolsculpting likely has the biggest marketing budget and the best marketing program, but that doesn’t mean they offer the best treatment. Do your research when considering a body contouring treatment. It’s true, in 2010, there was nothing better than Coolsculpting. Not so true now. Many medical advances have been made in the area of non-invasive fat reduction.
For more information about fat reduction and body contouring, contact the body shaping experts at Sculpt Away in San Antonio at 210-227-3051 or visit www.SculptAway.com.
