“i-Lipo vs. Coolsculpting: Which One’s For You?” by Virginia Cunningham
by Expert Health Writer Virginia Cunningham
Surgical liposuction has been used as an effective way to remove fat from the body for years, but if you’re like many people, the pain associated with the procedure, the potential complications, and the cost have kept you from going under the knife.
In recent years, new non-invasive techniques have been invented to help individuals shed unwanted fat. Two of the most popular include i-Lipo and Coolsculpting.
While they are different procedures, they both aim to get rid of fat that’s difficult for many people to banish on their own. However, to decide which one is right for you, you’ll need to know a bit about both of these new fat-busting techniques.
i-Lipo
i-Lipo might sound like something you buy and use on your own, but it’s actually a pretty sophisticated technique that involves the use of lasers to break down triglycerides, free fatty acids, and glycerol inside of fat cells in your body. While these fats don’t leave your body right away like they would in a typical liposuction procedure, they are broken down, and your body can and will expel them through vigorous exercise over a relatively short period of time.
How Does i-Lipo Work?
i-Lipo doesn’t use a laser wand or anything you’ve probably seen before to target fat. Instead, the individual administering the i-Lipo procedure places laser pads on the body where the fat is being targeted.
The whole procedure is done over eight visits and there are no reports of pain or discomfort with i-Lipo – the laser pads don’t leave any marks, burns, or scars like traditional liposuction. That’s one of the main reasons it’s become so popular in the last few years.
Benefits and Drawbacks of i-Lipo
The most obvious benefit of i-Lipo is that it’s completely non-invasive and totally pain free. It’s also done in eight relatively short sessions. Some people get i-Lipo in the morning and end up at work by the afternoon.
One potential problem for many people with i-Lipo is that it can really only help to remove fat from relatively small areas of the body because of the treatment pads. While long-term treatments can be done, the process is slow, and it may take months before results are noticeable if you have a lot of fat to lose.
That means that i-Lipo is often used by people who want to lose a few pounds after dieting or are simply looking tone up.
While patient reports of the procedure have generally all been positive, there have been hyperpigmentation issues among people with dark skin.
Coolsculpting
Coolsculpting, like i-Lipo, is a non-invasive procedure that targets and helps remove excess fat on the body. However, Coolsculpting freezes the fat cells in the body so they can be expelled through vigorous exercise.
How Does Coolsculpting Work?
Coolsculpting is a completely unique procedure which uses suction to draw areas of fat from the body between two cooling panels. The cooling panels then freeze the fat cells in the body.
During Coolsculpting, the patient won’t feel much of anything and all reports are that it is a completely pain free process. Patients are fully awake during the process and some offices provide something for patients to do, like watch a movie or read a magazine.
Coolsculpting doesn’t leave any marks on the body or damage the skin.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Coolsculpting
Coolsculpting is a completely painless and non-invasive process, and it generally only requires two sessions to see noticeable results. While the individual sessions may be longer than i-Lipo, many people find two longer sessions more convenient than a series of shorter ones.
Unlike i-Lipo, Coolsculpting is ideal for targeting large amounts of body fat. In fact, the procedure is somewhat difficult to administer when only a small amount of fat is trying to be removed, because of the suction and freezing process.
That generally means that people undergoing Coolsculpting have a considerable amount of excess fat to lose, often in a variety of areas over the body. It is not particularly beneficial and not commonly recommended for people just looking to tone up or get rid of that last five pounds.
There haven’t been many negative reports involving Coolsculpting, though the process can be complicated and somewhat expensive when multiple areas of the body need to be treated.
Whether you’re trying to get rid of a few excess pounds or more than 20 pounds, invasive liposuction may be a thing of the past – at least for some people. However, before you decide on i-Lipo or Coolsculpting, you’ll need to talk to your doctor and a qualified individual who can administer the procedures to see exactly which one is best for you.
It is also wise to consult your doctor on whether or not your current health will allow for the procedure to be done.
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