What Can I Do to Improve My CoolSculpting Results?

It’s a question we hear a lot. A lot of people want to know how to get the optimal results out of CoolSculpting, which is great! CoolSculpting is an investment in your body, and like any investment, you want to take care of it. That said, there’s no “rocket booster” supplement or one cool trick for getting better CoolSculpting results. Let’s walk over the common misconceptions about improving your CoolSculpting results first, and then we’ll talk about what really works. 

To Massage or Not to Massage

Many websites out there will recommend at-home massage, or even professional massage to improve your CoolSculpting results. There have actually been studies done on CoolSculpting and massage, and they’ve shown that post-treatment massage is essential to improving CoolSculpting results! However – and this is key – we are only talking about post-treatment massage (the massage done by your CoolSculpting clinician immediately after your treatment, while the fat is still cold). So far there have been no studies done that measure the effectiveness of at-home or professional massage on improving CoolSculpting results. 

Now, that doesn’t mean that at-home massage can’t improve your results. It’s probably not a bad idea to agitate the dead fat cells in the area, and there’s nothing wrong with going to a licensed massage therapist to get those kinks worked out. There are a whole host of benefits to massage, including improved blood circulation. Just know that so far there’s no evidence that any kind of massage – Swedish, Thai, Shiatsu, or lymphatic – is going to improve your CoolSculpting results. So if someone claims that their secret massage technique is going to somehow increase the number of fat cells destroyed through CoolSculpting, that claim is dubious at best. 

So, to massage or not? It won’t hurt anything, so if you want to do it, then go for it. Sometimes just feeling like you’re doing something can help put the mind at ease – that’s absolutely a benefit! Just don’t expect it to have a huge impact on your results. 

Compression Garments: Mostly Ineffective 

If you’ve looked into liposuction then you’re probably aware that compression garments are worn after surgery, which has lead a lot of people to assume they would help with CoolSculpting. Compression garments reduce swelling and bruising, and help any excess skin retract after the procedure. Because of this, a lot of websites will recommend them for CoolSculpting as well. However, there hasn’t been any evidence so far that compression garments help improve CoolSculpting results. 

The reason for this is fairly simple: the things that compression garments help with – swelling, bruising, skin retraction – are all pretty specific to lipo and generally aren’t needed in CooSculpting. Compression garments won’t freeze any more fat cells, or eliminate dead fat cells any faster. And while there is some swelling with CoolSculpting, swelling is a short-term issue that won’t affect your final results. 

So, can you wear a compression garment? Sure. It’s not going to hurt anything. But expect the results to be about the same as wearing shapewear – the results won’t be lasting. 

What Really Works: Practice Patience

So if compression garments and massage haven’t shown results, what actually works?

The hardest part about CoolSculpting is that your results aren’t immediate. While many of our clients begin to see results within a few weeks, others are “late bloomers.” Some clients have suddenly seen results just weeks before their follow-up appointment. Wait until the full 120 days (until your follow-up appointment) before deciding to treat an area again. There is such a thing as too much CoolSculpting, and if you treat again while your body is still eliminating fat cells, you can end up with a more extreme reduction than you may have intended. 

Rest assured, if you’ve followed the treatment plan and take those follow-up photos at 120 days and the difference isn’t there, we’ve got you covered.

Maintain a Healthy Diet

The best way to see results from CoolSculpting is when you’re eating right. Gaining weight after CoolSculpting is a surefire way to make sure those results aren’t noticeable, and that mostly comes down to diet. Even if you haven’t put on pounds, if you’re eating poorly, those CoolSculpting results are going to be less noticeable. If you’re retaining water, feeling bloated, sleeping poorly or gaining weight, you’re going to see less of a difference. Try a low carb diet – many people find it especially helpful for relieving bloating. Reducing your sodium intake can also reduce water retention, and reducing or eliminating alcohol and caffeine will improve your skin, reduce baggy or puffy eyes, and improve the quality of your sleep (which in turn helps with pretty much everything). 

None of these things are going to make CoolSculpting more effective, but they will prevent your CoolSculpting results from being hidden by a poor diet – and improve your overall shape as well. 

Exercise Frequently

CoolSculpting eliminates fat in targeted areas, but the only way to get ripped abs, shapely thighs, or a perky butt is through exercise. Again, exercise isn’t going to make CoolSculpting work better. What it will do is compliment your CoolSculpting results, improving your overall physique. A good way of looking at this is that while CoolSculpting removes curves you don’t want, exercise enhances the curves you do want. Generally, when we’re talking about curves or six-pack abs, we’re talking about weight training. Bodyweight workouts and aerobic exercise are great for maintaining fitness, but they have their limits when it comes to body sculpting. Don’t be afraid of gaining a little muscle – it’s the foundation of any shapely figure.

Exercise is also a great stress reliever. Stress raises your cortisol levels and can promote fat gain in the abdomen area – so to prevent your stomach CoolSculpting from getting filled in by stress, make sure to make exercise part of your weekly routine.