The coolest thing: My experience with CoolSculpting!

I’ve worked really hard for the body I have.

I was overweight throughout my childhood and teen years.  In fact, I didn’t really start caring about getting fit until I reached university.  Over the years, I have lost a ton of weight and am finally happy with my body (most days), but we all have the areas of our bodies that we wish we could change.

Ever since I started taking Instagram more seriously, it’s been a bit of a struggle taking photos since all I would ever notice would be my double chin. Okay, so technically it wasn’t a real double chin, but I had no definition. My chin connected straight down to my neck, it didn’t go in and down to display a defined jawline.  Although I work out pretty much every day and eat relatively healthy, there were no changes happening to that area of my body and it was really starting to bother me.

CoolSculpting double chin at Dr. Minuk's clinic in Winnipeg

Every time I would see myself on camera all I would notice was that pesky jawline. I knew there were options out there, such as Belkyra, a filler that dissolves fat, but I heard it was a relatively painful procedure and you needed multiple treatments (at over $1,000 a pop) to see results. Then I found out that CoolSculpting offered an option for this.

I’ve always been intrigued by CoolSculpting and how effective it actually worked.  CoolSculpting is this machine that attaches to the problem area you want to treat and essentially freezes the fat away. It’s an FDA-cleared non-surgical fat-reduction treatment that uses controlled cooling to eliminate stubborn fat.  It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you have fat that just won’t go away regardless of how much diet and exercise you do, then it may be an option for you.

So how the science actually works is an attachment is put on the CoolSculpting machine which is then applied to your body. It’s actually like a giant vacuum cleaner that sucks the fat into it, freezes it, and then you sit there for 45 minutes as it kills the fat cells. Those fat cells are then flushed from your body over the next 90 days (to be blunt, you pee them out).  The results are permanent since those fat cells are killed and once you hit puberty your body actually stops producing fat cells.  Once they are gone, they’re gone, and unless you gain a ton of weight, the area won’t expand again (the remaining fat cells you do have expand as you gain weight).

CoolSculpting machine and getting the procedure done at Dr. Minuk's clinic in Winnipeg CoolSculpting head being attached to double chin; Dr. Minuk Winnipeg

Sounds too good to be true, right? This magical machine that freezes the fat from your body.  Well friends, as skeptical as I was, it totally worked for me.

I got my CoolSculpting treatment done at Dr. Earl Minuk’s Cosmetic Skin Clinic and Laser Centre here in Winnipeg.  He did mention Belkyra to me, but thought that CoolSculpting would do the trick.  Since my jawline is quite small and it wasn’t that big of an area to treat, he thought that just the one treatment of CoolSculpting would cut it.  If I had a very noticeable double chin then it usually takes multiple treatments to fix, but thankfully the one gave me pretty noticeable results.

I went in first for a consult and after saying that I would be a good candidate for this, we booked the appointment.  I came in wearing comfy clothes (since I would be sitting there for 45 minutes) and did some before shots before they prepped me for the procedure.  Like I said, there are a variety of different attachments for the machine depending on the area you want done (the most common is the lower belly area), but for the chin they use the CoolMini head.  The nurse applied a bunch of stuff to the attachment prior to the procedure (there’s all these filmy things they put on) and also put a gel on the area I was getting treated so I didn’t get frostbite.  Initially they were going to just put the machine on directly under my chin, but it kept popping off, so they ended up doing one side then the other, meaning that I had to sit there for 45 minutes each.

Getting double chin CoolSculpted at Dr. Minuk's clinic in Winnipeg CoolSculpting for double chin at Dr. Minuk's clinic in Winnipeg

Since my chin area is quite small, the machine did pop off a number of times. Eventually they told that if it keeps happening then we would have to explore other options. I was determined to give this a try so I eventually just held the machine there and didn’t move (and limited my swallowing), and that seemed to do the trick. Although it does suction on, I would recommend holding it if you are treating your chin area.

After 45 minutes she removed the machine and then came the worst part of the whole thing. They have to massage the area to break up the crystals. Apparently doing this will make the chances of it working even greater.  Since the area was numb, it was painful, ticklish, and awkward all the same time. And she had to do this twice since I got a double treatment.  Afterwards, I left the clinic and since it’s non-invasive, there was no downtime at all after.  I will note though that my chin area did feel a little sore, numb, and swollen for a few days after and then numb for up to a month afterwards (which is completely normal!). As for the actual procedure itself, it didn’t hurt at all since your face numbs up quickly. You feel the area getting cold but after about five minutes that disappears.

Massage after CoolSculpting on double chin; Dr. Minuk Winnipeg Removal of CoolSculpting machine and redness on double chin

Since I was very curious to see how well it actually worked, I did take photos every month up until the 90-day period (I was told it would take the full 90 days for me to see any effect).  I did feel like the area was getting tighter and I was so happy to see that even after one month I could see results, which is quite incredible.  I would say that month two and month three were quite similar, but looking at the before photo and the after pictures, there is a noticeable difference.

I am so happy with how this turned out and I’m definitely a believer in this technology (I mean, the pictures speak for themselves!).  CoolSculpting is quite a pricey procedure to get done (you can check out Dr. Minuk’s pricing list here for an idea) and also keep in mind that you may have to get multiple treatments to see the results you want.  Although it’s not a perfectly defined jawline, I am so happy with my results and the feeling is incredible when I see a photo of myself and I have some chin definition; it doesn’t just go from chin down straight to my neck.

I did chronicle the whole journey on my Instagram saved stories (check out the CoolSculpting tab), so if you wanted to watch videos of me getting it done and then more in-depth info about every month’s update shots, please take a look here.

Before and after three month results for CoolSculpting double chin Before and after CoolSculpting on double chin; Dr. Minuk Winnipeg

So is CoolSculpting for you? Tough to say, but it’s definitely not for everyone. If you are overweight and are looking for a quick fix, then CoolSculpting probably won’t help you.  Like I said, it’s designed for fat that won’t go away no matter how much exercise and dieting you do.   Also, keep in mind that everyone’s bodies are different and it’s not guaranteed to work; just because I got great results doesn’t mean that yours will be as good as mine (heck, they could even be better or they could be worse). The great part about it is that it’s non-invasive so there is no downtime or scarring; you can simply go about your day afterwards.

I really couldn’t have asked for a better experience doing this and I’m so thankful to Dr. Minuk’s clinic for letting me try this out.  If you are interested in getting it done, I highly recommend doing your research and booking a consult.  It may be expensive, but keep in mind that once those fat cells are dead, they aren’t coming back.

Now excuse me while I go take some profile photos.. since you know, I totally can now 😉

Please note, I partnered with Dr. Minuk on this post. All opinions are my own.

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