I went in for coolsculpting - about 30 minutes through the treatment the applicator came off. 5 minutes later, the assistant came in and took the applicator off, then the doctor came in and said they needed to get the area back to normal body temperature to resume, she said that would take 15 minutes. 45 minutes later, after having tried ultrasound to warm up the area, it was still not warm enough. Doc said I could stay and wait, or I could come back in two days, but I'm concerned.
Is It Ok to Do Coolsculpting in Two 30 Minute Increments, Two Days Apart? Adverse Effects? Effectiveness?
Doctor Answers 6
Repeated CoolSculpting 4 to six weeks later
I am aware that some doctors have reapplied the applicator immediately after a full cycle to do an immediate second treatment on the same area but this is an off-label procedure of which I have had no personal experience to-date. Many doctors will perform a second treatment at four weeks to six weeks after the first and even a third treatment four to six weeks after the second treatment.
Usually if there is a "pop-off" of the applicator and the staff is alerted, it can be reapplied readily in the early treatment (the first ten minutes of the cycle) but half way through when the skin is hardened, the applicator may not fit well so that is why your doctor wanted it to thaw before reapplication and this is what is uncertain.
CoolSculpting for Fat Loss
In order for CoolSculpting to be effective a treatment must last at least 50 minutes. Consecutive 30 minute treatments will not provide results.
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Two 30 Minute Cycles Are Not The Same As one 60 Minute Cycle
For a Coolsculpting cycle to be effective you need a continuous 60 minute cycle. 2 30 minute cycles are not equivalent to a 60 minute cycle. Results are achieved by freezing the fat cells and keeping them at that temperature for a fixed period of time. If that time period is insufficient the fat cells won't die and the treatment will not be effective. You may retreat an area with another 60 minute cycle if you desire additional improvement but we don't recommend doing so for at least 8 weeks. If you are going to return to have the original cycle repeated it should be for 60 minutes, regardless of how long your initial treatment was.
Dr. Grant Stevens
Coolsculpting is a new and exciting non surgical method to eliminate fat. I have now be using coolsculpting for 1 1/2 years and are still in the learning phases of this new technology. My experience has been when there is a machine malfunction or your session has been cut short, you can repeat the session, but you need to wait ONE month!
In fact we have discovered that coolsculpting works best if everyone has 2 sessions separated by one month. Instead of removing 20% of the fat, we are getting 40-50% fat reduction! The results are much better and the 2nd session is offered at a discount.
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.