Four Reasons Why You Should See a Plastic Surgeon for Your CoolSculpting

Do you find yourself spending more time in front of a mirror now that tank top and shorts season is upon us? Forget freshman fifteen, a lot of us are packing on the “COVID nineteen” while snacking. Ahem…working from home. We worry about how we will appear in summer dresses, shorts, tank tops and bathing suits. Those bulges of armpit fat over the bra and hanging over low-rise jeans or shorts are frustrating when we try on different outfits.

If you are thinking about getting rid of extra fat, you probably Googled noninvasive treatments like CoolSculpting and CoolTone. These procedures might jump out at you with a major selling point of minimal downtime. Who doesn’t love that? When done on the right person, CoolSculpting and CoolTone are effective at trimming the fat and improving muscle tone.

How do you know if those non-invasive medical procedures are best for your problem areas? Where should you go to get them done? Before rushing to your local med spa (with no medical doctor on site), hold on a second. Here are four reasons why you should seek the expert medical opinion of a board-certified plastic surgeon for your CoolSculpting treatment. To hear my inspiration for writing this blog post, check out my video below.

Liposuction vs CoolSculpting - Tannan Plastic Surgery

Liposuction vs Tummy Tuck - Tannan Plastic Surgery

1. A board-certified plastic surgeon accurately identifies the problem.

A board-certified plastic surgeon has very direct knowledge and extensive experience with human anatomy. Why? Because we studied this for literally 10 years before we became practicing surgeons! Medical diagnosis and decision-making is not something learned in a weekend course. During a one-on-one consultation with me, your female board-certified plastic surgeon, I conduct a thorough examination. We determine if the problematic bulge is coming from extra fat, loose skin, separated muscles, or a combination of those.

How do I know this? I’ve seen it before! I personally sew separated, stretched out muscles together in surgery regularly. With a thorough history and proper physical exam, I can tell you where the problem lies – either deep in the muscle layer or in front of it, or both.

Do not sign on the dotted line at a place, agreeing to a medical procedure without even being touched by a doctor. Please make sure you are properly informed about ALL the options so you can choose the right procedure for you. CoolSculpting can be incredible, but it can only do what it was designed to do. It takes real-world experience to know when CoolSculpting is right versus CoolTone or some other approach. It is imperative to seek an experienced and trustworthy guide before you spend your valuable time and money.

2. A plastic surgeon may suggest an option you hadn’t thought of yet.

During your consultation, I examine you and we discuss your goals and priorities. Based on the information you tell me, I may recommend a procedure you never considered. For example, if you have a flat abdomen but would like to strengthen your core and tighten it some more, then I may recommend CoolTone, a new procedure that amplifies your workout while toning your six-pack. I have met women thinking they need a Tummy Tuck. Instead, the right answer for them was CoolTone to strengthen their core.

We can also combine procedures to give you the best results possible. Let me explain. This applies to surgery AND noninvasive procedures. You may be exercising and loving your newer and tighter core. But you may have love-handles that you can’t work off at the gym. We can discuss pros and cons of Liposuction under local anesthesia and CoolSculpting to that area.

On the flip side, you may have been so successful at weight loss that you have sagging skin. CoolSculpting can’t take that away, but a Tummy Tuck can. Plus, we can do liposuction to the love handles at the same time that we fix your muscles and remove the extra skin. You need someone well versed in all the options. It’s not on you to do all the research and figure out what’s best for you. That’s why you should find a plastic surgeon you can trust.

3. A plastic surgeon can help you weigh the pros and cons of different options.

There have been times when a patient came to see me thinking a Tummy Tuck was the solution, and I recommended CoolSculpting or CoolTone. We have also had patients come in asking about CoolSculpting but wanting much more dramatic results. I believe in giving my honest, expert opinion, so I just level with them. To get the type of results they had in mind, they would need surgery, like Liposuction or a Tummy Tuck.

It really depends on each patient. To be able to compare the difference between a Tummy Tuck, Liposuction, CoolSculpting, and CoolTone, you need to see someone who does all four. Multiple CoolSculpting treatments for certain patients might be less effective and more costly than a single Liposuction procedure. For others, surgery would be overly excessive for more subtle fat bulges best treated with minimal downtime and one or two sessions of CoolSculpting.

The consultation allows us to dig deeper. What are your goals, and in what priority order? Is it more important to lose the fat without scars, or do you want to get rid of the C-Section shelf altogethe r? What sort of downtime do you have? What is your budget? This information will help us time your recovery. Do you have a big event coming up, like a wedding, vacation or a reunion? We can discuss the differences between minimal downtime procedures, ones done under local anesthesia and procedures under general anesthesia. Each one achieves different things. It’s important to know what procedure achieves YOUR goals while keeping YOUR priorities in mind.

4. A plastic surgeon is focused on your safety and well-being.

There are many med spas that do not even have a single doctor on site. Or, they have a doctor who is peripherally managing the spa and that doctor is not trained in cosmetics, aesthetic medicine or plastic surgery. Now, don’t get me wrong, these places can be great spas for relaxation, a massage or a facial. When it comes to medical and surgical procedures though, they are simply not qualified.

Sometimes even the most well-meaning but untrained professionals will keep trying CoolSculpting to get rid of a bulge or flab. They never admit to you, the patient, or themselves that it was never suited for that problem in the first place. They literally have no idea that CoolSculpting was a waste of that patient’s time and money. They will lure patients in with “no consultation fees;” however, that initial savings may end up costing more in the end.

Most plastic surgery offices have consultation fees because you are receiving the medical opinion of a highly trained professional. As your doctor, we treat you as patients, not simply customers. There’s a big difference between 10+ years of training and a weekend course. Med spas often run like a factory, trying to get through as many patients as possible.

As a doctor, I made a different promise, the Hippocratic Oath. When I graduated from medical school, I vowed to “First do no harm.” That gets to my core ethic as a surgeon. Safety First!!! I always have your safety in mind. I design a safe, personalized plan to suit your unique situation. In fact, sometimes the best approach is NOT to have a procedure.

Ultimately, it’s up to you, the patient, to do the research on whom to trust. Get to know your doctor online and look at her reviews. Make sure the doctor you trust with your body, your appearance, and your health, deserves that trust. They should be actual medical professionals who truly want to help you make the best decision for you.