Given recent advances in the fat-freezing technology, the question many of our patients have been asking is: What is the difference between CoolSculpting® and CoolSculpting® Elite? Here’s what Albuquerque, NM, patients should know about these treatments if they’re trying to determine which one is best for them. 

CoolSculpting® is a non-surgical body contouring technique that solves the problem of localized fat bulges by killing fat cells in isolated areas of the body—without affecting surrounding tissues. A newer version of the treatment is called CoolSculpting® Elite.

The two procedures work the same way: by cooling fat cells beneath the skin to a temperature that causes them to freeze. Once the cells have been killed, they are flushed out of the body by natural metabolic processes. 

This is an effective treatment strategy because even after losing weight and reducing that number on the scale through healthy lifestyle changes, it can still be difficult to get the body shape you’ve always wanted. Spot reduction—which is the theory that you can target fat loss on specific body parts by doing exercises, such as crunches to get flat abs—has been disproven. Doing exercises on specific areas can indeed enhance the shape and build muscles on those areas, but when we lose fat by creating a calorie deficit, energy is drawn from the body as a whole rather than only the areas you’re working on. That means you’re not guaranteed to lose fat from those areas.

Both types of CoolSculpting® do help to reduce this type of fat. There are some differences between the treatments, however.

CoolSculpting® Elite offers enhanced fat reduction results when compared to traditional CoolSculpting®. This is because of the more compact and efficient design of the machine. The newer design features C-shaped cup applicators as opposed to the U-shaped applicators of traditional CoolSculpting® devices. The C shape provides better tissue contact, increased suction, more even cooling, and faster treatment times. In fact, the C-shaped applicators can treat up to 18 percent more surface area at one time. Additionally, due to the dual applicator capacity of CoolSculpting® Elite, two areas can be treated simultaneously during a single treatment to double the results in half the time. 

Want to know more about the difference between CoolSculpting® and CoolSculpting® Elite? The team at the Spa @ Western Dermatology Consultants can explain more about how these treatments work. Call us at 505-855-9267 or submit a contact form to schedule a consultation.