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We want to love the skin we’re in, and regular exercise is one way to improve our body image. But sometimes even when we’re counting calories and have a great exercise routine, the scale doesn’t seem to budge—and we might not be able to figure out why. This is what’s known as a weight-loss plateau and it’s very common among people who are trying to reach their goal weight. Diet pills and fad diets almost never work (and can even be dangerous), so it’s better to have an FDA-approved fat reduction procedure that’s performed by a licensed provider if you want to make changes to your body. People often consider having cosmetic fat reduction techniques as a way of speeding up their weight loss results if they’re not having much success on their own. One of the most frequently asked questions patients have for us when they’re thinking about having CoolSculpting® Elite at our Bryn Mawr, PA-based Cirillo Cosmetic Dermatology Spa is whether they will actually end up losing weight or inches after the treatment.
When it comes to weight, the short answer is no—or at least not much. To understand how CoolSculpting® works, you first need to understand how our bodies and fat cells work. We have a certain number of fat cells by the time we reach adulthood, and that number is basically fixed. When the number goes down on the scale because we’re being careful about what we eat and working out, it doesn’t mean we’re losing fat cells. What it means is that the fat cells (adipocytes) have decreased in size, but they remain in place. Basically, we’re stuck with the same number. If you were to gain weight again, these cells would become bigger. It’s entirely possible that your basic body shape won’t change through adjusting your diet and exercise routine, because we can’t control which areas we will lose weight from.
CoolSculpting®, on the other hand, is not a weight loss procedure, and it doesn’t shrink fat cells. Instead, it kills fat cells, reducing the volume of fat in the target area by up to 25 percent. Those fat cells do not come back. As a result, you may notice that clothing fits you better and your body contours are improved despite a similar scale number.
For more advice on targeting diet-resistant fat, talk to our team at Cirillo Cosmetic Dermatology Spa. Call us today at 610-525-5029 or submit a contact form.