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Ron Shelton M.D.

#317 East 34th Street,
11th Floor, New York, NY 10016. 

How it works: Cool Sculpting for NYC patients

Patients struggling with areas of excess fat on their body may get discouraged when their hours at the gym and calorie counting at mealtime are not providing the results they expect. Many patients deal with “muffin top” or a “spare tire” regardless of how much they work out and eat right. When areas of unwanted fat continue to remain, patients can seek improvement with Cool Sculpting. It is a wonderful way for patients to target areas of fat and sculpt their bodies to be slimmer and shapelier without plastic surgery.

Cool Sculpting: How it Works

Cool Sculpting, by Zeltiq, is done with the use of a special device that is applied to the treatment area. This device pulls in the skin tissue and uses cooling panels to freeze the fat cells with minimal discomfort. This was a scientific development that was conceived after bright scientists read medical journals describing “popsicle fat necrosis”. It had been reported a toddler that fell asleep with a popsicle in their mouth had PERMANENT fat death and loss of facial volume from this incident.

Many patients can rest and relax during their treatment while reading a book or listening to music. One applicator per site takes one hour but many patients derive the best result from the overlapping use of several applicators on the whole area. This has created results recently that far exceed the results from initial treatment years ago when only one applicator was used in one area. As an example, it used to be common for the doctor to use one applicator on the lower belly and one on the upper abdomen and that was it. What has been found is that the sides around the belly button need treatment too and the flanks come around and push on the abdomen so most of these areas need treatment. Some patients need four or five applicators for the abdomen and some need two for each flank. This adds to the number of hours of the treatment and the cost. At The New York Aesthetic Consultants, a doctor examines the patient in consultation and marks the areas which are then photographed for the exact location that the applicators are applied when the patient returns for treatment, and most do come back as it is a great treatment! One treatment is necessary for some patients but the average return in four to six weeks for a second and some need a third treatment but the doctor tells the patient in consultation what they imagine the number of treatments to be.

If patients maintain a healthier diet and exercise regimen they can keep their bulkiness from returning. Being overweight means that someone has continually consumed more calories than their body needs for their basal metabolic rate (the normal functions of the body that occur without our body movement such as: breathing, heart beating, growth, etc.) and for the energy expended during walking or exercising. The excess calories get stored as fat. If someone continues to eat and drink more calories than their body needs for its level of exercise and basal metabolic rate, then they will gain weight after CoolSculpting. Just as is the case with liposuction, CoolSculpting is not a replacement for diet and exercise.

The ideal candidate for CoolSculpting is a physically fit patient who has one bulge or a pair of bulges that don’t respond to diet and exercise. However, over two decades of consulting with patients for liposuction and turning many away who were not the best candidates, he was frustrated that those patients did not see the nutritionist and did not schedule a trainer at the gym that he recommended, but rather, went down the street to find another doctor that would happily do their liposuction. There are some risks with liposuction and it should not be taken lightly. Meanwhile, there are many patients who are overweight and need to slim down to increase their life’s longevity. They may have tried many diets and say they exercise, but that may be walking the golf course rather than driving in the cart, or walking 10 blocks rather than taking a bus. This is not a regimen that will decrease weight easily in an overweight individual. These patients are very frustrated from their prior attempts to diet and they don’t work. Now, CoolSculpting can be done safely on these patients as an adjunct in their total body makeover. Exercise and diet is needed but the CoolSculpting can help show them that for the first time in many years they are able to slim down! That will give them the incentive they need to exercise, join a gym, use a trainer, see the nutritionist, etc. Dr. Shelton never felt that he could ethically recommend liposuction for this incentive as there are more risks in overweight patients who have liposuction.

Cool Sculpting does not require any downtime. Most patients can return to their normal activities after their treatment and do not need to stop their regular routine. Many patients undergo treatments on an extended lunch break during the workday and go back to work immediately after.

What to Expect

Patients who receive Cool Sculpting treatments in NYC may experience some soreness and discomfort several days after treatments as the fat cells start to respond to the treatment. However, the results develop and may begin to appear as early as four weeks after the treatment. Patients notice that their clothes begin to seem loose and their body begins to take on a new silhouette. This continues to improve, and the full benefits of treatment are seen several months after the initial session, with many patients experiencing approximately 20 percent loss of fat volume (measured by ultrasound in the FDA studies) in the targeted area. Patients are encouraged to continue to maintain their active lifestyles and eat right to make the results last! He encourages many of his patients to see excellent nutritionists such as those at B-nutritious.

What's next?

Call our office at (212) 593 1818 to learn how CoolSculpting™ by Zeltiq™ can help improve the shape of your body.