If you have been following my blog, you would have noticed I’ve been more “liberal” picture sharing of myself lately.
My new hairstyle did gave me a boost of confidence, and a strict diet + workout regime gave me the toned body I wanted.
Yet, like I had admitted before, my thighs remained a sore point for me.
The initial Coolsculpting procedure went better than I expected (read about it –> HERE) and I’ve successfully lost significant centimetres on the widest circumferences of my thighs.
So now I’m back for another session, this time using their new CoolSmooth applicator.
This new applicator is specifically for outer thighs and it fits the contour of the outer thighs better.
But there are some of you who asked if Coolsculpting is suitable for larger sized women, since I’m already slim and all I needed was some additional shaping on the thighs.
Well the answer is “YES!”.
Here’s Karen, my colleague who recently joined me for a Coolsculpting session. Her problem areas were the “flanks”; fat at the side of the waist.
READ ON for her story! 😀
Karen:
I was never thin but being 5’2” weighing around 55 – 60 kg during my teenage years, I did think it was an ok weight. My regular exercise were weekly swimming and ballet till I graduated high school.
After the birth of my 1st boy through C-section, I was advice to take contraceptive injections instate of pills due to having less side effect like weight gain.
It sounded good since it was given every 3 months, not difficult to keep track, right?
So thinking why not, no harm in giving a try for a year but it changed my life completely.
My last weight before the injections were 62 kg. For those who know me, I prefer to be in loose T-shirts and jeans as much as I can.
After a year I have gained an additional 20 kg. My appetite didn’t increase but I was slowly putting on weight where I didn’t pay much attention to my dressing as I was always in very loose comfortable clothes.
Kind of my fault thinking that being a full time mother, no need to really dress up. Until one fine day I had to attend a formal function when I realised I could not fit into any of my old clothes!!
My weight has been a yo-yo since then, which is around 20 years now and with age catching up, my osteoarthritis has gotten worse. I am currently eating healthier and small amounts due to my gastric.
Naturally exercise is needed, like swimming & sit ups. Also taking some supplements to assist me with my weight loss but somehow I know that there are some areas that no matter how much I lose doesn’t seem to go away and that always demotivate me. To be honest, I had thought about liposuction but after two C-section, I feared about going under the knife.
Then I got to know about CoolSculpting from Rebecca.
Learning about her experience and seen the results, I decided to give it a try.
It gives me motivation to lose weight and be healthy too.
I am not looking at miracles or shortcuts, but I just want to be able to feel lighter and have more confidence to wear better fitting clothes and not always baggy ones to hide my spare tyres.
I’m aware that I would need to put effort into exercising and making sure to eat healthily to be able to see better overall results 🙂
22nd July 2014 – My 1st visit.
I was pretty nervous walking into Clique Clinic for a medical assessment and consultation on the tummy areas which I am concerned about. But I am glad I did.
We decided on the most concerned part of mine, which is getting more noticeable and harder to hide under the blouse. So my final decision was “my love handles” – Flanks. Being this huge I seem to have more parts to target.
Just my flanks is already considered 4 parts. 🙁
They decided on using the large applicator called CoolMax.
Something wonderful about CoolMax is a 2 in 1 applicator. That means I can have two parts done in just an hour because the CoolMax is able to grip on larger areas compared to the other applicators.
So to have my flanks done it will take a total of 2 hours covering 4 treated parts. Wonderful! 🙂
Honestly I was worried about having to reveal my extra tyres to strangers as I myself have been embarrassed to see my own body in a mirror.
But the doctors and staffs at Clique Clinic were very professional. They managed to make me feel very comfortable which in turn boost my confidence in taking action about my weight.
23rd July – Procedure time.
To begin, I had my overall measurements taken for record and final assessment. Then it’s game time. 🙂
1. Marking the targeted areas where the applicator will be placed.
2. I had to stand while they put on the gel pad.
Why do we need the gel pad?
It is a very thin membrane which is to protect our skin from froze bite cos the freezing temperature goes all the way down to subzero (4 – 7 Celsius).
According to Harvard medical researchers, fat cells are very vulnerable at this subzero temperature.
Once the gel pad is placed, the applicator is ready for action. They applied it on the target part where this applicator sucks the fat very tightly in before the freezing starts. The feeling was like being in labor all over again but one sided!
I was given time to sit in my best position as once the treatment starts, I would have to limit my body movement to avoid the applicator from detaching.
Surprisingly the discomfort went off after 5 mins of procedure. I was told the area is already numb due to the freezing. That’s pretty fast!
So during that 1 hour I was pampered.
They have a nice huge TV for me to watch my favourite movies they had lined up, had my lunch (a healthy diet meal), coffee to calm my nerves and got my work done on my laptop too.
Basically I am still productive even though I am restricted in my movements.
The chair was so comfortable, you could practically take a nap while waiting for the treatment to end 😉
Opps, forgot to take pictures!
An hour passes very quickly and then it was time to check on my progress. They proceed to detach the applicator from my body as gently as possible.
OMG! It looked exactly like taking a piece of frozen meat out, freezing cold when touched. I was a little concern about the removal of the applicator, but to my surprise I didn’t feel anything.
Guess everything froze up!
They quickly massage the area aggressively for a minute.
Why do we need the massage?
Well after an hour, some fat cells are semi-crystalized so that would be the best time to try break the fat cells down further. It also helps to maximize the results.
During the massage, the sensation I felt was very ticklish. It does differ for each individual.
Thank god there were no feeling of pain, or maybe cos it was just too numb.
After resting for a while, I started to see bruises, which I was told it will be for a few days. Naturally I do bruise easily, so I have expected that.
Bruising after 6 hours.
Funny that my left side seem to bruise faster than my right, hehe!
After 1 day 🙂
The numbing sensation will take longer up to a few weeks. Good thing is I can straight go back to my normal routine.
Note: There are soreness and discomfort around the treated area specially when I move. Well, no pain no gain right? 😉
UPDATE:
On 5th August 2014 (2 weeks after treatment): Follow the numbers on the picture to see the days’ progress.
Bruising:
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Rebecca: That’s it from Karen! Now let’s see what happens after 2 -3 months ok?
First session for measurement is in September! 🙂
Meanwhile stay tuned as I’ll be posting about my CoolSmooth experience on my outer thighs next!
Clique Clinic
4, Jalan 19/36
46300 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Phone 03-7960 1211
Email [email protected]
FB: https://www.facebook.com/cliqueclinic
www.cliqueclinic.com
Mon – Sun: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
