People come in all shapes and sizes, with histories of all types. But most of our patients (about 2 out of 3 of them, to be exact) are women. Of those women, 75% of them have kids. And for moms, there’s 1 big question that comes up for at just about every consultation or medical evaluation visit.
The biggest concern for most moms considering CoolSculpting is safety. You may be wondering if CoolSculpting is safe for women after babies… and if so here’s what you need to know:
- CoolSculpting is a prescription and you need to consult with a medical professional to know if it’s safe for you.
- Our protocol is to wait 6 months after giving birth before CoolSculpting.
- If you’re still breast feeding, our protocol is to wait 3-6 months from breast feeding before CoolSculpting.
The best way to find out specifics based on your body is to schedule a virtual consultation with our team and ask.
Can you do CoolSculpting to the lower abdomen on women postpartum?
This is the same thing as asking if you’re a candidate for CoolSculpting. Depending on the State, there are certain regulations you need to follow to determine whether you’re a candidate. In Texas, that means meeting with a mid to high level medical professional to discuss your medical history and receive a physical exam. Then, they can safely tell you if you’re a candidate.
Generally speaking – if you have pinchable fat in the lower abdomen, you’re likely a candidate for CoolSculpting. CoolSculpting can work on pinchable fat between chin and knees, but the most popular postpartum CoolSculpting treatment area for moms is the lower abdomen and the love handles.
Your body can change quite dramatically after having a baby – from stretch marks to loose skin, additional unwanted fat, or even a change in the texture of hair! (This happened to a woman we know– she always had straight hair and after her 2nd child, she had curly hair thereafter!)
CoolSculpting may be the best fit for lower abdomen fat that won’t budge, but it depends on a physical exam. It’s got to be the right kind of fat for CoolSculpting to work. Some women develop diastasis recti during pregnancy, or a separation of the muscle wall. CoolSculpting doesn’t address diastasis recti, and in fact – our advice may be that you would be better served by something else if that’ the primary concern.
Diastasis recti isn’t an exclusion or a “hard stop” for postpartum CoolSculpting, but you’ll want to develop a treatment plan that respects the anatomical structure you’re living with today and set proper expectations on what you’re hoping to achieve, especially if you have diastasis recti.
Pending a medical evaluation and clearance, you can absolutely treat the lower abdomen in postpartum women with CoolSculpting.
CoolSculpting is uniquely able to help enhance your shape, sculpt slimmer lines, or reduce volume to the lower abdomen so you feel more confident or comfortable, especially postpartum.
At Element Body Lab, we specialize in CoolSculpting for Dallas clients – and we’ve treated hundreds of moms safely and effectively. We believe in this technology – because of the 8 million treatments performed worldwide, because of the FDA clearances it holds, and because of the 100+ peer reviewed research papers available today. Most importantly, because of our own experiences and our portfolio of before and after photos.
How long should you wait after having a baby to consider postpartum CoolSculpting?
You should wait at least 3-6 months after you’ve stopped breastfeeding to consider CoolSculpting after a baby, especially in the lower abdomen area. It takes time for your body to fully recover and heal after childbirth.
While you’re breastfeeding, your hormones are still shifting and settling into a new “normal”, so you’ll want to get to a baseline before you get a consultation/assessment with a medical professional.
Additionally, CoolSculpting has never studied the impact of CoolSculpting on breast milk – from how it would impact supply or whether the natural flush of fat cells could be detected in breastmilk itself. Since no studies have been performed, we can’t speak to the safety of the treatment on breastfeeding clients. That in mind, we don’t treat pregnant or breastfeeding clients with CoolSculpting at Element Body Lab.
Why can’t I be treated immediately after childbirth with CoolSculpting?
If you don’t wait the proper time, your body can change as your hormones settle. You may be overly aggressive with a treatment and end up not loving your results. After all, CoolSculpting results are long term. Once the fat is gone, it’s gone for good. So our advice?
Don’t be in too big of a hurry here, you’ve got a whole life ahead of you, and the biggest priority those first few months is protecting the new tiny human in your life.
What if you have a C-Section? Can you get CoolSculpting? Is it safe?
CoolSculpting treatments are totally customized and tailored to your body, which includes accommodating for scars. Often women postpartum have scars to the lower belly, it’s the most common consideration we see at Element Body Lab.
Sometimes, there’s just that C-Section pooch… you know, the one that never existed before you had kids.
How to get rid of C-Section pooch with CoolSculpting
Yes, you can get CoolSculpting if you have a C-section scar, or any scar for that matter. That’s not a hard stop (aka contraindication), but we do want to make note of it. If you have a scar on the lower abdomen or have had any abdominal surgeries, make sure you let us know during your consultation because the treatment plan (and pricing) will need to take that into account.
CoolSculpting is an art and a science – and that’s the biggest difference in what you’ll experience at Element Body Lab vs. other places (wait, there are other places that offer CoolSculpting?!). We not only understand the science, but we’re artists at our core, sculpting away fat and leaving happy, more confident clients.
For patients who have scars, we’ll need to get more creative with the application of the device. How and where we place handpieces may look a little different to accommodate for a full-coverage plan that achieves natural looking results after a C-Section.
Should you do CoolSculpting before or after having a baby?
Yes? Can you answer this question with a single yes? We don’t like the word “should” because it indicates there’s a right or a wrong answer. Get CoolSculpting whenever you’re ready. Get CoolSculpting whenever it’s a priority. Get CoolSculpting. It’s the best.
Get CoolSculpting before you have kids (if you’re not actively trying to get pregnant) and enjoy your results for the years you’ve got between now and then. If you are actively trying to get pregnant, maybe consider protecting your pocket book and wait until after you’ve had that kiddo. Otherwise, you might ending up wanting a “touch up” after the baby when your body settles into it’s new shape.
Get CoolSculpting after you have kids to address the stubborn fat pockets that aren’t responding to your healthy lifestyle choices after baby. Notice I didn’t say BACK to your pre-baby body? We’re not about that life. You’re a superhero – you BUILT AND BIRTHED a new human. That means changes happen. Embrace the new body, strong and fierce. Love yourself and make subtle changes so you feel sexier and more confident than ever. Enhance you curves, slim your lower abdomen, thin out your arms or your thighs, or whatever you’re bothered by…
