CoolSculpting with Honolulu MedSpa

Disclosure:  The CoolSculpting treatment was complimentary for review purposes. 

The first time I heard about CoolSculpting was after I had my second child and I was trying to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.  I was really intrigued about this process where your fat cells would be frozen and then would be flushed out naturally through your system.  No cutting.  No surgery.  It sounded pretty amazing since just the thought of liposuction scared me and other non-invasive treatments were only temporary.  CoolSculpting was the only non-surgical treatment that sounded like it was backed up by some science.  But, I was still hesitant.

Fast forward 5 years later and I am still trying to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.  I was actually doing pretty good until I went on a little splurge triggered by the holidays (2 years ago) and gained about ten pounds in 3 months.  This time around, I'm guessing due to my age, I found it very difficult to drop the excess weight with just diet and exercise.

I asked my friends if they thought CoolSculpting would be cheating.  The words of one friend changed my perspective.  Her thought was positive.  Wasn't getting rid of fat a good thing?  My outlook changed from there and I wasn't embarrassed to use a treatment to help me with my personal goals.  I was excited!

One of the best things about getting a treatment at the Honolulu MedSpa is that the staff can speak from experience.  Whether it's CoolSculpting or an AFT Facial, they know what they are talking about and it comes from a firsthand experience.  Honolulu MedSpa was Hawaii's first and is the longest certified CoolSculpting practice.  They are the first and only practice to treat the hips and outer thigh areas.

When I had my consultation with Nicole Bradford, Honolulu MedSpa's Lead Medical Aesthetician, we talked about the stubborn fat areas I was concerned with on my body and she shared with me her experiences with CoolSculpting.  We decided that having the CoolSculpting treatment on my inner thighs would be the most beneficial for me.

A good candidate for CoolSculpting is within 20-30 pounds of their ideal body weight and is maintaining or in the process of losing weight.  The CoolSculpting procedure is FDA-cleared to target stubborn fat bulges in specific areas: abdomen, flank/side ("muffin top" or "love handle"), inner thigh, outer thigh, and double chin.  The CoolSculpting fat-freezing procedure reduces the number of fat cells in treated areas by about 20% to 25%.

When I came back for my treatment, I was seated comfortably while a gel pad and applicator were applied to my left thigh.  I felt a strong suction and intense cold, but nothing an average person couldn't handle.  Believe me, I would tell you if it hurt.  As promised the feeling subsided within 5 to 10 minutes and I was already immersed in the movie Nicole put on.  

The first hour flew by.  When the applicator came off, my skin was very cold to touch and numb.  Nicole immediately went into massaging the area.  Then we repeated the process on my right thigh.  After the treatments, I went back to work for the rest of the day.  I was worried that I would feel pain, but I didn't.  I just noticed the area was numb which was normal.  

I even went running in the evening and I felt fine.  There really was no downtime.  However, in retrospect, I think the thigh area may be a less sensitive area than say the stomach area. 

It's been two weeks since the treatment and I feel great.  Typically, I won't see any changes until at least three weeks and the biggest change will happen after 2 months, which is when I have my follow up.  With CoolSculpting, the body will continue to flush out fat cells for up to 4 to 6 months after treatment.  

It's important to note that CoolSculpting won't help you lose weight and will only affect the treated areas.  I understand that I have to keep up with a better diet and exercise for the rest of my body.  Stay tuned!  I am very excited to share more about my experience with you!   

Thank you to Honolulu MedSpa for the complimentary CoolSculpting treatment. All opinions are entirely my own.