CoolSculpting has been a part of my practice for over two years now. At this point, I know it works. It works consistently and we can see a result of some sort 99.9% of the time. The tricky part for a minority of patients is not whether they will see a result…the tricky part is meeting their expectations. Because even though we can document a result on before and after photos, the patient may be expecting more.
As with any cosmetic procedure, it’s important to manage expectations. We don’t promise everyone they’ll have the same result as the before and after photos on our website. Individual results may vary but there will be results. However, we can’t always predict what the patient’s expectations are in their head.
Realistic Expectations vs Relative Expectations
So not only do we strive to insure patients have realistic expectations but also relative expectations. What I mean by this is they need to know the results they can expect from a non-surgical fat reduction procedure like CoolSculpting relative to a surgical fat reduction procedure like liposuction. If the patient really wants to be sure they’ll achieve the results they have in their mind’s eye, then they need to understand a non-surgical treatment may not be enough. Relative to CoolSculpting, we can guarantee they will achieve their reasonable expectations with liposuction if significant fat reduction is their goal.
Similarly, if a patient is looking for skin tightening or skin reduction, a nonsurgical treatment may not do it. However, relative to liposuction, we can guarantee skin reduction with a tummy tuck. I understand not everyone wants surgery, but patients must understand that non-surgical techniques can’t replicate a surgical technique. Certainly technology has improved enough that non-surgical techniques do work, but relatively, surgical techniques are more definitive.
At the end of the day, think about what you want: clear convincing results vs avoiding surgery. Once you understand your relative expectations, you’ll know you have realistic expectations in regards to CoolSculpting or any technique you’re considering.
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