How you can use CoolSculpting - Meritus Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery

We have had several years of experience with CoolSculpting and have found it to be a safe and reliable approach to getting rid of stubborn fat bulges without surgery or downtime.  Like any FDA approved or prescription doctor directed procedure or technique, there will be some risks.  Some of those risks are not apparent until the product has been on the market long enough.  The rare condition of paradoxical adipose hyperplasia was identified some years ago, but was thought to be very rare.  PAH for short is nothing more than a rare condition that occurs when fat cells are injured, but not completely destroyed.  Fat in some rare cases hardens, expands or becomes unnaturally shaped or lumpy in response to extreme cold.  What used to be thought of as 1 out of 4000 treatments may very well occur in 1 out of 200 treatments.  That being said, the occurrence is still well below 1%.  This risk is something that most patients are willing to take and is considered by most to be an acceptable risk factor for any fat removal technique.

I have put together this summary so that you can make an informed consent.  The good news is BAH can be treated and it is not life threatening.  It may have some emotional and physical concerns and it may be bothersome, but using conventional liposuction, this condition can be significantly addressed.  Unfortunately, if this condition occurs, you wind up having to pay for 2 procedures and have to address a period of time where the firmness or bulge area may need to mature enough to allow for safe and reliable liposuction.  Small areas of liposuction have been customarily performed under local anesthesia.  Larger areas may require anesthesia and some patients wish to have sedation even with small areas just for their own comfort.

I believe that CoolSculpting is a wonderful option for many patients, but like all procedures, there are no guarantees and there is always a small risk involved.  If there were no risks involved, this procedure would not be required to be administered by trained medical staff.  It is important to me that my patients are well informed and that they understand the pros and cons of any procedure they choose.

I hope this is helpful and certainly, a more detailed discussion or consultation about risks and benefits will be reviewed with you before any procedure that you decide to have with us.

Salvatore DiMercurio, M.D.