If you’re considering body contouring, you may have heard a lot of hype about liposuction versus the non-surgical lipo alternative CoolSculpting®. While both procedures can be useful in targeting pockets of fat that don’t respond to diet and exercise, which one is right for you may depend on a few other variables. Here are three questions to ask yourself before you decide.
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Where Are Your Problem Spots?
Men and women commonly use CoolSculpting® to treat small bulges of fat around the abdomen or thighs, but stubborn pockets of subcutaneous fat can lodge themselves throughout the body. Liposuction is more effective at treating larger areas and can be used virtually anywhere on the body, including some smaller target spots that may surprise you.
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What Does Your Schedule Look Like?
If you’re on a tight schedule, CoolSculpting® may be the procedure for you. CoolSculpting® does not require anesthesia or incisions, so there’s virtually no recovery period. You can even fit a CoolSculpting® session into your lunch break. Recovery from liposuction, on the other hand, generally takes seven to 10 days, with post-operative care like wearing a compression bandage extending to several weeks after.
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When Do You Want to See Results?
Because CoolSculpting® involves a breakdown of fat cells that allows the body to gradually eliminate them, results typically take from two to four months to fully develop. However, liposuction involves the direct removal of fat cells, allowing for more immediate results. While swelling will obscure your liposuction results right after surgery, once the swelling subsides, a change in your body contours should be rapidly noticeable.
