Tummy Tuck or CoolSculpting®: Which Is Right for Me?

There’s no area of the body that triggers more frustration than the belly. Even with a healthy diet and exercise, it’s difficult to tone your tummy and shed stubborn fat that seems to stick no matter what you do. 

The good news is that advances in aesthetic medicine now give you a choice when it comes to taming your tummy. Tummy tucks, or abdominoplasty, are a type of cosmetic surgery that helps reshape your belly, while noninvasive CoolSculpting® freezes fat cells to give you the shape you desire.     

Leslie Forrester, APRN, and the aesthetic team at Wrinkle Fairy are dedicated to helping patients in Chicago, Oakbrook, Arlington Heights, and Naperville, Illinois, look and feel their best. Our practice uses CoolSculpting to eliminate stubborn belly fat — no incisions, scalpels, or needles required!

We also know that every patient has different needs. Here’s a look at the difference between tummy tucks and CoolSculpting and which might be right for you.  

Understanding tummy tucks

Tummy tucks are surgery and require general anesthesia and a lengthier recovery period than nonsurgical alternatives. During a tummy tuck, a cosmetic surgeon makes incisions in your lower abdomen. They then remove excess skin, excess fat, and tighten your abdominal muscles to help smooth your belly.  

This procedure is more invasive than nonsurgical body contouring, but it comes with more risks and requires significant downtime to fully recover. You should expect to take several weeks off from your normal activities and plan for soreness, pain, and post-surgery swelling. 

When to consider a tummy tuck

Some conditions make a tummy tuck a better solution than nonsurgical alternatives. It may be time to consider a tummy tuck if:

• You have significant amounts of excess abdominal skin
• You have too much abdominal fat for noninvasive procedures to effectively treat
• Your abdominal muscles have separated causing a condition called diastasis recti 
• You have substantial C-section or open hysterectomy scarring
• You’re ready for a lengthy recovery

Keep in mind that you must also meet other factors to be a candidate for a tummy tuck, including being in overall good health, be a nonsmoker, have a stable, healthy body weight, and come in with realistic expectations. 

Understanding CoolSculpting

Noninvasive, nonsurgical FDA-approved CoolSculpting is a type of body contouring that works by safely and effectively freezing stubborn deposits of fat. These cold temperatures break down fat cells, causing them to die. Your body then naturally removes the dead fat cells along with other cellular waste over several weeks.

Some patients report a light tugging or pulling sensation, but the treatment is pain-free and typically takes less than 30 minutes. Plus, there’s no downtime required! You can schedule your session on your lunch break and get back to normal activities right away.

What’s more? CoolSculpting is incredibly effective, with an average 20% reduction in fat in each treatment area. And if your tummy isn’t your only trouble zone, you can zap fat in other places, including your:

• Chest, including bra fat
• Flanks (muffin top or love handles)
• Back and buttocks
• Armpits and inner arms
• Knees and inner and outer thighs
• Chin and jaw

You may need more than one session to achieve your goal results. Your Wrinkle Fairy provider reviews your history, weight, and expectations to create a personalized CoolSculpting plan for you.    

When to consider CoolSculpting

The best way to determine if CoolSculpting is right for you is by meeting with your specialist at Wrinkle Fairy. Generally, however, CoolSculpting may be better for you if:

• You want to avoid surgery, the associated risks, and a lengthy recovery time
• You don’t want to experience pain
• You have smaller pockets of fat to remove
• You prefer to let your body remove fat naturally
• You don’t want scarring

Keep in mind that results with CoolSculpting may take longer to appear compared to tummy tucks since it takes several weeks for your lymphatic system to remove the dead cells. Optimal results typically appear three to six months after your final session.  

Learn more about shedding stubborn belly fat by scheduling an appointment at the Wrinkle Fairy location nearest you.