Is There Any Downtime After a CoolSculpting Treatment?

During your CoolSculpting treatment, your technician will apply a gel pad with an applicator to your treatment area. You may feel some intense cold when the applicator is first applied. This feeling usually subsides within 5-10 minutes, after which you can relax for the rest of your treatment. Patients may experience pulling, tugging and/or mild pinching, as the applicator uses a vacuum to target the treatment area.

During your initial CoolSculpting consultation, it’s very common to ask if there is any downtime involved in this procedure. One of the many benefits of CoolSculpting is that no downtime is required after the treatment! Patients can return to their normal activities including work. There is typically some swelling, tenderness and redness in the area, and, occasionally, some mild numbness, stiffness, or sensitivity. These symptoms generally resolve themselves within a matter of days to weeks. Over the next several weeks, there will be a gradual reduction in the thickness of your treatment area. Most patients see full results in two to four months.