Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Articles

Let CoolSculpting help you get the body you are after. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s hot outside. Like, get-me-to-the-nearest-body-of-water hot.

Understandably, this can be a difficult time of year if you’re even the slightest bit insecure about exposing your midsection. There are a number of ways to address that concern through modern cosmetic surgery, liposuction and a tummy tuck being two of the most popular.

But the summer’s here now, and while each may yield dramatic results, it could take a month or two for the swelling to fully subside in either case. And it may take even longer before you’re basking in the full effect of your treatment.

Is there something, then, that can have you looking better in a bikini or swim trunks with some summer left to spare? Yes: CoolSculpting.

[See CoolSculpting Before & After Photos]

A smaller midsection in a couple of weeks
How, exactly, is CoolSculpting different from lipo and a tummy tuck? For starters, it’s a noninvasive treatment, meaning there’s no scarring whatsoever to be concerned with. It can treat unwanted fat just about anywhere on the body, but it’s FDA-approved for the midsection, thighs, upper arms, bra fat, back fat, the “banana roll” underneath your butt, and double chin.

Here’s how it works: An applicator that looks like a big vacuum hose applies suction to the area you want to target. (Key to the process is having enough fat for the applicator to adhere to. If you can pinch your bulge, you’re a candidate.) It then applies carefully regulated cooling plates to bring fat cells down to a temperature at which they’re irreversibly damaged.

The frozen fat cells then die and are gradually eliminated by the body. It could take three months for the final effects to become apparent, but you should start noticing a difference in as little as a couple of weeks.

Virtually no discomfort or downtime
A CoolSculpting treatment generally takes between a half-hour and an hour. And it’s relatively gentle. You may feel some initial discomfort as the cooling begins, but it dissipates pretty quickly. Which leaves you free to check email, scroll through Instagram, or even sit back, close your eyes, and appreciate the solitude.

If that sounds too good to be true, I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet: There’s no downtime with CoolSculpting, so you can head into the office when your treatment’s done, run some errands, or hit the gym.

There’s really no downside here—especially when you consider that CoolSculpting may finally help you achieve that beach body that diet and exercise alone couldn’t deliver. And before the end of the summer, no less.

Over the weeks following your treatment, you can expect up to a 25 percent reduction of fat in the treated area. And those results are permanent. Once fat cells are frozen and eliminated, they’re gone for good.

Hello, bikini. So long, unflattering one-piece. And guys, you can leave those oversize T-shirts in your closet. They were never fooling anyone anyway.

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As our knowledge of the aging process and sun damage has increased, so, too, has our awareness of cosmetic surgery’s ability to head off those issues before they become larger concerns. It’s why more and more people are considering cosmetic surgery in their thirties and even twenties. Why wait for a fine line to deepen or a wrinkle to become more pronounced when you can erase it altogether?

So the age-old question, “At what age should I start thinking about cosmetic surgery?” is kind of a moot point now. Instead, I’d ask you, “How proactive do you want to be about maintaining, and even improving, your appearance?” Rather than a one-time, cure-all, preventative cosmetic surgery should really be viewed as a fluid process that begins early in your adulthood and evolves to meet your needs as you mature.

For a more explicit illustration of what I mean, here’s a brief look at some of the most popular ways people are using preventative cosmetic surgery and how cosmetic surgery is different at each age.

In your 20’s

People who seek out a plastic surgeon in their twenties tend to do so to help them feel more confident in their own skin. Often, that means breast augmentation. But, nose jobs and ear reshaping are also popular. Gone are the days of carrying the indelible marks of puberty with us through the rest of our lives.

In your 30’s

Many of the same procedures are performed on patients in their thirties—breast augmentation, breast lifts, and liposuction—only in much greater numbers. Tummy tucks, as a means to remedy the lingering effects of pregnancy, are also prevalent. The earliest signs of aging also begin to become apparent in our thirties. Jeuveau, also known as Newtox, is particularly effective at treating frown lines and those pesky wrinkles between your eyebrows at their onset.

In your 40’s

As our skin starts losing some of its elasticity in our forties, attention shifts to ways to pick up where nature left off, like dermal fillers, which can reduce wrinkles and fine lines, add volume to facial skin, and enhance facial contours. Fractional laser resurfacing and Ultherapy, both noninvasive procedures, are also popular facial rejuvenation treatments. Of course, our faces are rarely our only trouble spot in our forties. With our metabolisms slowing to a crawl, unwanted fat can undermine everything we do. But recent advances, like CoolSculpting, are not only effective, they’re easy. Book an appointment before heading into the office and barely break stride.

In your 50’s and beyond

Sagging skin is unavoidable once we enter our fifties. But that doesn’t mean we should grin and bear it. Yes, there will come a point when Botox and dermal fillers become less effective. It’s then that most turn to a second line of defense: a facelift, usually performed in conjunction with a neck lift and/or a brow lift. Facelifts come in a variety of types these days, but they all smooth and tighten the skin to different extents for a natural-looking, younger face.

Here’s another reason to develop a long-term relationship with a board-certified plastic surgeon: Where your attention may be focused on a specific trouble spot, your physician is always considering the impact to your entire body, both in the moment and years down the line. Seeking preventative treatment with a single surgeon allows for a continuity of care that only enhances the natural-looking results of each treatment.