For some, losing weight around those problem areas is a harder task than it is for others. Exercise isn’t working fast enough, and the specialized diets seem to be more of an effort without the wanted results. Alternatives to the traditional means of weight loss can seem like a gift from heaven for those having trouble. One such alternative is CoolSculpting. While CoolSculpting is relatively safe, as with any procedure, there are risks that can affect your body and your health in unwanted ways. Below are the negative effects attributed to CoolSculpting.
Who Should Avoid CoolSculpting
For most people, CoolSculpting is safe and effective, but there are some people who should not receive this treatment by any means. Those that have conditions such as cryoglobulinemia, cold agglutinin disease, or paroxysmal cold hemoglobulinuria should at all costs avoid CoolSculpting. It could cause serious complications for those suffering from these disorders. As with any procedure, you should seek out your doctor with any preexisting conditions to fully understand if it is safe for you or not.
The Mild Side Effects
In general, when patients undergo CoolSculpting, also known as cryolipolysis, they experience mild side effects, including redness, swelling, bruising, and temporary tingling or numbing around the treatment area. Because there are two cooling panels that are placed on the body, the tugging or pulling sensation is felt, and lasts as long as the procedure. Normally, mild side effects begin soon after the treatment starts, and can last up to two weeks. Although these side effects are relatively mild, they can be bothersome and inconvenient.
The Worse of the Worse
One rare, but possible, negative effect is known as paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, or PAH. Occurring most in men, but seen in women as well, this side effect is quite serious. CoolSculpting is designed to chill tissue to the point that fat cells crystallize, disintegrate, and then leave the body in a natural way. But in some cases, rather than the fat cells growing smaller, they expand and harden into an unnaturally shaped lump, often resembling a stick of butter.
It might not sound dangerous, nor is it life threatening, but what is truly terrible about getting PAH, is that it won’t go away on its own. There is no exercise or diet that will make it disappear. It is fully treatable, with liposuction. And this can be a problem for many. Whereas you sought out CoolSculpting for its noninvasive procedure, you now have to go under the knife, be bed ridden for a number of days, and your time, effort, and money goes to waste. It is both emotionally and physically taxing, especially considering you underwent CoolSculpting to fix a problem and all it did was make it worse.
Although this is rare, it is estimated that 1 out of every 4,000 treatment cycles is effected by PAH. Yes, the odds might be in your favor, but who wants to risk that when there are other alternatives that are safer, just as effective, more affordable, and can be done in the comfort of your own home?
