Is WarmSculpting a Better Alternative for Stubborn Belly Fat, Love Handles and other Body Fat?

Belly fat, love handles, body fat, spare tire

If you’ve tried hard to get rid of stubborn belly fat, love handles and other kinds of body fat, you’ve undoubtedly paid attention to the many television ads for CoolSculpting.  In Inland Empire, California where I practice, they’re on TV all the time.  These ads highlight this noninvasive treatment’s ability to get rid of fat that remains after diet and exercise have helped you lose weight.  After many years of treating patients and performing thousands of cosmetic procedures, I’ve come to the conclusion that a different noninvasive treatment is a better alternative for many patients.  That treatment is SculpSure, now known as WarmSculpting.

Removing body fat, belly fat and love handles that diet and exercise leave behind

belly-fat-warmsculpting-coolsculpting-Inland-Empire If you’ve succeeded in losing weight with diet and exercise, you’re to be congratulated.  In this fast food, sleep-deprived world, that’s not easy.  But if you’re like most people, you have some fat that never seem to go away.  How can you remove it?

There are essentially 2 ways to do it.  You can physically remove the stubborn fat cells or destroy them.  The most popular way to remove fat cells is liposuction.  After making an incision, your doctor may inject a solution made of saline, lidocaine and epinephrine, making your fat cells easier to remove.  Or they may liquefy fat with ultrasound, radio frequency (RF) waves or a laser.  In any event, once the fat is easier to remove, your doctor will suction it out with a hollow tube called a cannula.

There are limits on how much fat your doctor can safely remove.  If your liposuction procedure sucks out too much fat, it can cause lumpiness or even dents in your skin.  Liposuction also carries risks like numbness, scarring and infection.  According to experts, as the amount of fat removed increases, risks also increase.

Noninvasive alternatives to liposuction:  CoolSculpting and WarmSculpting

If you have belly fat, love handles or other body fat you want to remove, but you’d prefer a non-invasive alternative to liposuction, there are two effective, FDA-approved treatments you’ll want to consider:  CoolSculpting and WarmSculpting (also known as SculpSure).

Both methods kill the fat cells you want to get rid of.  CoolSculpting uses a process called cryolipolysis.  The device sucks tissue between two plates.  The plates make the tissues between them very cold.  Fat cells are more susceptible to cold than other cells.  So, while other cells will get quite chilled, the fat cells will freeze and die. Once that happens, your body will naturally remove the dead cells over time.

coolsculpting, non-surgical fat reduction, belly fat, body fat, love handles, spare tire
Freezing away fat cells

In contrast, with WarmSculpting there is no suction or pulling of tissue. The device lays flat on top of the area you want to shrink.   Laser energy penetrates into the tissue and causes thermal injury to fat cells.  They undergo programmed cell death, and your immune system will remove them.

SculpSure,alternative,CoolSculpting, Dr. Brian Machida, Inland Empire,CA, California
Belly fat, love handles reduction with WarmSculpting (SculpSure)

Both methods provide effective results that are less dramatic than liposuction, but will improve over time.  I prefer WarmSculpting.  Here’s why:

WarmSculpting offers greater comfort  CONTACT Dr. Machida Inland Empire, CA  

CoolSculpting’s popularity has soared because of effective television advertising.  WarmSculpting also provides outstanding results, but patients experience less discomfort.  CoolSculpting’s website admits:

During the procedure you may experience sensations of pulling, tugging, mild pinching, intense cold, tingling, stinging, aching, and cramping at the treatment site. These sensations subside as the area becomes numb.

Following the procedure, typical side effects include temporary redness, swelling, blanching, bruising, firmness, tingling, stinging, tenderness, cramping, aching, itching, or skin sensitivity, and sensation of fullness in the back of the throat after submental or submandibular area treatment.

There are reports of discomfort and even pain returning 3 days after the procedure.  So, while CoolSculpting achieves good results, with this procedure there is, as the saying goes, “no gain without pain.”

SculpSure Before and After offered by Dr. Mitchell Blum facial plastic surgeon, San Francisco Bay Area, California, Dr. Brian Machida, facial plastic surgeon, Inland Empire, CA
Before and 12 weeks After SculpSure (WarmSculpting) – compliments of Dr. Doherty

In contrast, patients find WarmSculpting more comfortable.   While it beams laser-generated heat through your fat cells, cooling heads on your skin greatly reduce any discomfort.  Most feel a deep warmth and/or tingling sensation intermittently throughout the treatment.  Most tolerate it well.

WarmSculpting is more convenient 

As noted above, both WarmSculpting and CoolSculpting destroy fat cells that your body will then remove.  However, convenience is a big advantage for those who choose WarmSculpting.

A CoolSculpting procedure that freezes a section of fat cells can leave an area that resembles a stick of butter below the surface.  If your doctor doesn’t carefully massage and smooth these hardened areas you can be left with irregularities under the skin.    The American Medical Association magazine, JAMA Dermatology reported on the case of a man in his 40s who developed a large mass under his skin after a single fat-freezing treatment.  Plastic surgeon and researcher Dr. Bruce Katz, M.D. said in a Cosmetic Surgery Times article:

Last week, we saw two patients who had this major side effect from CoolSculpting, where instead of taking the fat away, you get an increasing amount of fat. People, then, have to have liposuction to get rid of it.

Certainly, many patients who have a CoolSculpting procedure will not end up with hardened fat cells resembling a stick of butter under their skin.  But some will.  If you’re one of them, having to go for a liposuction procedure to remedy the situation is a real inconvenience.

WarmSculpting, in contrast, does not produce solid areas of fat below your skin.  And it has another built-in advantage to add to your convenience.  Dr. Katz further told Cosmetic Surgery Times:

With SculpSure (WarmSculpting), you can treat up to four areas at one time and it only takes about 25 minutes per treatment. With CoolSculpting it takes an hour per area. So, if you’re going to treat people’s flanks, you can do both flanks at the same time with SculpSure (WarmSculpting), and it takes 25 minutes. With CoolSculpting it takes an hour on each side, so it takes two hours. SculpSure (WarmSculpting) is a big time saver for patients and also for staff.

If you’re a busy person (these days, who isn’t?) treating two areas in 25 minutes with WarmSculpting is a big time saver over spending an hour per section with CoolSculpting.  And since there’s no downtime with WarmSculpting, you can receive a treatment and go right back to your busy life.

WarmSculpting, SculpSure, CoolSculpting, Dr. Brian Machida, Inland Empire, California
WarmSculpting treatment offers many conveniences

Conclusion                                             CONTACT Dr. Machida Inland Empire, CA 

Both WarmSculpting and CoolSculpting can do a good job getting rid of stubborn pockets of fat that diet and exercise leave behind.  So if you have belly fat, love handles or other body fat that just won’t go away and you don’t want liposuction or surgery, either method can really work.

I believe that the advantages of comfort and convenience make WarmSculpting a better alternative.  If you’d like to say goodbye to your love handles, belly fat or other body fat and you’re in Inland Empire, California, you can see me at STC Plastic Surgery in Ontario.

Please share this article using the links below:

About Dr. Brian Machida, MD, FACS

Dr. Brian K. Machida, MD, FACS is a double board certified facial plastic surgeon. He has an exceptional level of experience, having performed ( read more )

Articles by Dr. Brian Machida, MD, FACS

Mistakes to Avoid When You Choose a Plastic Surgeon

It can be a challenging task to choose a plastic surgeon. Are there quick ways to select one? Or can taking common decision shortcuts cause you to make a mistake? Expert facial plastic surgeon Dr. Brian Machida helps you see the best way to choose the right plastic surgeon. [Read More]

Turkey Neck? Double Chin? What Can Improve Neck Lift Results?

A good neck lift can dramatically improve a double chin, turkey neck, or neck banding. How can you improve neck lift results? A highly experienced, board-certified facial plastic surgeon reveals some of his best techniques. [Read More]

Nasolabial Folds – Facelift or Filler? What’s the Most Cost-Effective Solution?

What’s your best and most cost-effective option for improving your nasolabial folds – filler injections or a facelift? Expert facial plastic surgeon Dr. Brian Machida discusses the pros and cons of each method, including how much each will cost you. [Read More]

Facelift Inflation – Does a Higher Price Guarantee a Better Result?

Inflation – now it has hit the facial plastic surgery market. Is facelift inflation necessary? Can you get an outstanding facelift for less in the United States? [Read More]

Bags Under Your Eyes – What’s the Better Solution – Blepharoplasty or Filler Injections?

If bags under your eyes are making you look older than you feel, what’s the best way to treat them? Is blepharoplasty – eyelid surgery – the best way to go? Or, are fillers a good option? An expert facial plastic surgeon reveals the facts. [Read More]

How Can You Afford a Great Facelift?

Can you afford a facelift in this time of inflation? How can you get an outstanding new look that fits your budget? For a great, affordable facelift Inland Empire highly experienced facial plastic surgeon Dr. Brian Machida tells what should be on your checklist. [Read More]

Marionette Lines – How Can You Get Rid of Them?

Marionette lines can make you look old and sad when you don’t feel that way. How can you get rid of marionette lines? Is a facelift the only way? Are there marionette lines fillers? Does Botox work? Inland Empire, California expert facial plastic surgeon Dr. Brian Machida tells you the answers. [Read More]

Sagging Cheeks – What’s the Most Cost-Effective Way to Rejuvenate Them?

If you want to firm up your sagging cheeks, what’s the most cost-effective way to do it? A highly experienced, board-certified facial plastic surgeon tell you how. [Read More]

Thick Neck? Tech Neck? Why Neck Liposuction Often Fails in Younger People

Do you have a thick neck? Or, have you developed a Tech Neck? Many younger people with these issues turn to neck liposuction. But this may not solve the problem? Why not? Could there be a better solution? An expert facial plastic surgeon gives you the facts. [Read More]

Is the Ponytail Facelift a Better Facelift?

Should you get the Ponytail Facelift? Is the “new facelift” better? Highly experienced, board-certified facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Brian Machida of Inland Empire, CA discusses what the “new facelift” can and cannot do and presents what might be a better alternative for you. [Read More]