The Importance of Massage After CoolSculpting® Elite (Updated 2024)

It’s safe to say that few people think about their lymphatic systems. For CoolSculpting Elite patients at our Des Moines practice, though, it’s an essential part of the answer to the commonly asked question: What happens to the fat after CoolSculpting?

Spoiler alert: The body naturally removes dead fat cells through the lymphatic system. In this blog post, we’ll explain how that occurs and what patients can do to help speed up that process.

How Does CoolSculpting Elite Work?

Before explaining the lymphatic system’s role in reducing fat, it’s important to understand the CoolSculpting Elite process and how it kills fat cells. CoolSculpting Elite pioneered the nonsurgical fat reduction trend that led to a number of other procedures. CoolSculpting Elite remains the only treatment to use cryolipolysis—or “fat freezing”—to break down fat cells. The process is effective because fat cells are particularly vulnerable to low temperatures, unlike other types of cells. CoolSculpting Elite freezes fat cells without damaging the skin’s surface or other tissue.

Those cooled fat cells die and are gradually eliminated from the body, so it can take several months after a CoolSculpting Elite procedure to see the results.

Why Is Lymphatic Drainage Important?

Patients with a healthy, efficient lymphatic system may see their CoolSculpting Elite results weeks earlier than other patients. Two of the lymphatic system’s primary functions are to reduce swelling and remove waste from the body.

Immediately after CoolSculpting Elite, the body begins breaking down the destroyed fat cells. It filters them through the lymphatic system, which sends them to the liver and kidneys to ultimately eliminate them as waste.

Here’s where lymphatic massage becomes important. This type of massage involves light pressure (more aggressive massage techniques can damage tissue), which increases blood circulation and lymphatic drainage. You can do these massages at home without lying on a table.

CoolSculpting Elite Before and After Photos

Our West Des Moines practice is CoolSculpting-certified, and our providers’ expertise ensures you’ll get the best possible results from the treatment. Our patients’ before-and-after photos demonstrate these results.

What Happens if You Don’t Massage After CoolSculpting?

If you skip the massage after a CoolSculpting Elite treatment, you may not achieve your best results. Specifically, you may see:

• Less fat reduction: Studies have shown that massaging the treated area immediately after CoolSculpting can enhance fat loss by up to 68%. Without massage, you may see less dramatic results.
• Slower results: Massage helps break down the frozen fat cells more quickly, accelerating their elimination from the body. Without it, the process may take longer.

Additionally, you may have more severe and longer-lasting swelling and bruising.

Tips for Enhancing Lymphatic Drainage

• Hydration: If you want to remove waste from the body, drink a lot of water. It’s the best thing you can do after a body contouring treatment to get the lymphatic drainage system moving. It’s all about cause and effect: More water leads to more frequent trips to the bathroom—which is how those fat cells get flushed out. 
• Get your blood flowing: The chances are good that CoolSculpting patients are consistent exercisers, but it’s especially important to break a sweat after the procedure. It’s not that sweat carries dead fat cells from the body (only the liver and kidneys are responsible for that job), but increasing your circulation through exercise boosts the process.
• Consume citrus and berries: A healthy diet that includes whole foods, low-fat proteins such as chicken and fish, fruits and vegetables, and grains is essential to maintaining an attractively contoured body. To enhance the lymphatic system, eat citrus fruits and berries. Vitamin C-rich citrus is vital for efficient liver function, and the antioxidants contained in berries help clear the body of toxins.

How Is CoolSculpting Elite Different Than CoolSculpting?

CoolSculpting Elite enhances fat reduction and improves comfort with redesigned applicators that fit the body’s natural curves better. The new design covers nearly 20% more skin surface area than the original applicators. CoolSculpting Elite also shortens treatment times by targeting 2 areas at the same time.

If you want to target stubborn fat pockets with CoolSculpting, you can use the online form to request a consultation or call us at (515) 277-5555 to schedule an appointment.

Updated October 2024