Many people, particularly women, wish to have a slim and more contoured body. For that reason, they change their lifestyles for the better by exercising, eating clean, healthy foods, and drinking plenty of water daily.
Yet, adjusting lifestyles is often not enough. Body fats in several areas like thighs, arms, and belly are remarkably troublesome to combat – resulting in self-consciousness, especially for those who prioritise their physical appearances.
Fortunately, body fat removal treatments are getting more prevalent nowadays. Coolsculpting and liposuction are examples of treatments patients can choose to achieve their ideal bodies.
This article will explain the comparison between Coolsculpting vs Liposuction. If you’re thinking about undergoing one of them, you should keep reading to understand better what these treatments entail!
What is Coolsculpting?
Coolsculpting is a brand name for a fat-freezing method used to combat stubborn fat. The fat-freezing procedure, known as cryolipolysis, was FDA-approved in 2010, ensuring its safety for use on patients.
It works by cooling down the fat cells until it reaches frostbite level. The professional performing the technique, on the other hand, will consider the temperature to the skin’s compatible degrees. As a result, the method will destroy body fat without harming the skin.
What is Liposuction?
Liposuction is a surgical treatment used to remove excess body fat on several areas such as thighs, arms, belly, and many more. The professionals who perform it use a suction technique, resulting in more contoured body shapes.
Unlike Coolsculpting, liposuction causes more friction to the skin. The treatment requires the medical professionals to make several cuts and shove in a cannula beneath the skin to extract the excess body fats.
Coolsculpting and Liposuction’s Treatment Areas
Although these two methods are popular as body fat removal treatments, there are some critical differences between Coolsculpting and liposuction regarding the treatment areas.
Subsequently, understanding the possible treatment areas will help you identify whether your concerns will improve from the non-invasive or invasive technique.
Coolsculpting
Coolsculpting removes the excess fat in a non-invasive means. It may be more suitable for patients who wish to remove smaller amounts of fat. Typically, a medical aesthetics doctor would recommend it to patients with stable weight who unfortunately struggle with stubborn fat cells in certain areas.
According to Healthline, it’s common for excess body fat in these areas to treat with Coolsculpting:
- Upper and lower abdomen
- Inner and outer thighs
- Arms
- Flanks
- Back
- Chin
- Buttocks
Liposuction
Since liposuction is a surgical body fat removal procedure, it can extract more fatty deposits. People who are insusceptible to Coolsculpting may want to consider it to improve their body shapes.
According to National University Hospital, fat bulges in the following areas are ideal for reducing using liposuction:
- Arms
- Calves
- Buttocks
- Thighs
- Abdomen
- Waist
- Hips
While liposuction can suction more fat from the body than Coolsculpting, it has limitations regarding how much fat it can safely extract from the body. As a result, liposuction is not a cure for obesity, and professionals will most likely recommend combining the procedure with a healthy diet and frequent exercise.
Coolsculpting VS Liposuction; Procedure
As previously mentioned, Coolsculpting and liposuction are two distinct body fat removal procedures. Coolsculpting entails using a non-surgical method, whereas liposuction involves a surgeon making small incisions and inserting a cannula to suction the fat.
However, the said description of the difference between Coolsculpting vs liposuction would be too general. In this part, we’ll elaborate on the procedures of Coolsculpting and liposuction.
Coolsculpting
When a patient arrives for their Coolsculpting appointments, a medical aesthetics doctor will cleanse the patient’s skin and place a gel pad to protect it. They will proceed with performing the procedure by using a handheld applicator that delivers vacuum pressure afterwards.
Using a controlled cooling system, by pulling the fat rolls and freezing the fat cells, the handheld device will help reduce excess fat. Despite the presence of nerves, muscles, and skin tissues, Coolsculpting will gradually break down fat cells without causing harm to these parts.
Moreover, after the medical aesthetics doctor treats one part, they will move the handheld device to other targeted areas. While they do so, many patients tend to feel a pinching sensation due to the fat-freezing process. However, patients should not worry as the feeling is primarily mild and tolerable.
Finally, once the procedure is complete within 60 minutes, the medical aesthetics doctor will immediately massage the treated areas to break up any frozen deep tissue. In this manner, your body will eventually absorb the destroyed fat cells better.
Liposuction
Since liposuction is a surgical body fat removal procedure, it will require a medical professional to administer anaesthesia to the patient before the practice. The anaesthesia will typically last for one to four hours and minimise any painful sensation patients may experience.
The surgeon will then make small incisions on the treatment areas. They do this to make it easier to insert a cannula and proceed with sucking the excess fat from the body. The surgeon will then use the cannula in multiple areas and place the fat inside the suction tubes depending on the treatment goals.
After the surgeon finishes the procedure, they will stitch the open skin and place a support bandage on the treated areas. They will also generally prescribe antibiotics right after the surgery to prevent bacterial infections. They may also give patients pain killers to help with the painful sensations and inflammation that commonly occur after the procedure.
Coolsculpting vs Liposuction; Side Effect
Before undergoing any body fat removal procedures, you must know the potential side effects. Below we’ll explain the common side effects that many patients will likely experience during and a few days following the treatments.
Coolsculpting
According to Healthline, as Coolsculpting is a non-invasive procedure, the side effects that patients experience will mostly be harmless. The following are the typical side effects of the treatment:
- Intense cold sensation
- Aching
- Tingling
- Stinging
- Pulling
- Cramping
On the other hand, the post-treatment side effects will typically occur after the numbing cream wears off. As a result, patients will commonly experience the following side effects for a few days following the procedure:
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Redness
- Tenderness
- Aching
- Cramping
- Increased skin sensitivity
Liposuction
Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery procedure with a higher risk of causing more adverse side effects. As a result, patients should consult with a reputable surgeon before undergoing this surgery.
According to Medical News Today, there are several common side effects of liposuction that should go away after a few days:
- Bruising: significant bruising may occur in the treated area
- Numbness: numbness sensation is common to appear in the fat removal area and should improve within 6 to 8 weeks
- Swelling: swelling or inflammation is a common side effect that shouldn’t cause harm as it will settle within four weeks
According to Healthline, due to the side effects of the liposuction procedure, surgeons will advise their patients to wear compression garments 4 to 6 weeks after the procedure. Doing so will quicken recovery and assist patients in dealing with side effects. Most importantly, compression garments would aid the skin in adapting to the new contour formed by the procedure.
Coolsculpting vs Liposuction; Cost
Coolsculpting and liposuction use distinct methods, thus, they cost differently. Since the preceding employs minimally invasive techniques, it’s likely to be less expensive than the latter.
We’ll further down the pricing estimates for Coolsculpting and liposuction in Singapore.
Coolsculpting
The cost of Coolsculpting varies depending on where you get the treatment. Apart from that, the treatment areas will impact the pricing.
Coolsculpting starts at 300 SGD per clamp at our clinic. Your skin concern and the size of the treatment areas, on the other hand, will then determine the cost. The larger they are, the higher the price may be. So, you should consult our medical aesthetics doctor to get a pricing breakdown for the treatment.
Liposuction
Liposuction cost in Singapore varies depending on the clinic and surgeon. According to Beauty Insider Singapore, the average price of liposuction ranges from 15,000 SGD to 25,000 SGD.
Coolsculpting vs Liposuction; Which one is more effective?
If you want to compare the effectiveness between Coolsculpting and liposuction, you must first understand your skin condition and treatment goals. Many patients have concerns about stubborn fat that fits the fat-freezing method; thus, they can choose the Coolsculpting procedure.
On the other hand, choosing the fat-freezing method can also be a cost-saving option as it produces rather similar results to liposuction. Additionally, some people might have medical conditions that make Coolsculpting an ideal option for them.
Coolsculpting vs Liposuction; Which one is suitable for me?
Just as you would choose one treatment based on its effectiveness, deciding between Coolsculpting and liposuction depending on suitability will require you to consider your skin condition and treatment goals.
For instance, if you want to achieve a more contoured body shape but are wary of the risks associated with surgical procedures such as liposuction, you might want to consider Coolsculpting instead.
If you have several medical conditions, such as diabetes, a weakened immune system, or coronary artery disease, you may want to reconsider having liposuction. Eventually, you can undergo Coolsculpting as an alternative.
How long does the result last?
The result of body fat removal procedures, either Coolsculpting or liposuction, will last depending on the body reaction and the lifestyle that patients maintain after receiving the treatment. However, there is still a benchmark on how long the results last.
For example, according to Healthline, fat cells destroyed by Coolsculpting will vanish indefinitely after 3 – 4 sessions. However, if you gain weight after the procedure, you may regain body fat in the treated or other areas.
Conclusion
Even after exercising, eating healthy, and organising your lifestyle, it may be difficult to lose stubborn body fat. You may become frustrated and self-conscious as a result of your condition.
Fortunately, now that you’ve finished this article, you’ve discovered that there is still a way to improve your body contour and boost your confidence. Most importantly, you can undergo it with little to no injuries.
If you’re sure to undergo a body fat removal treatment with minimal injury, you might want to contact us for more information regarding the procedure. Our medical aesthetics doctor will be glad to help you regain your dream body shape!
