(December 2012) Dr. Susan M. Stuart, a board-certified dermatologist serving San Diego area women and men at La Jolla Dermatology, has expanded her cosmetic enhancement services to include the truly innovative fat-reduction treatment known as CoolSculpting.
A specialist in cosmetic skin treatments and dermatology near San Diego, Dr. Stuart uses CoolSculpting in La Jolla to help healthy women and men decrease stubborn fat pockets around the midsection, including "love handles," "muffin tops" and bulges on the lower abdomen.
"I often hear that diet and exercise aren't enough," says Dr. Stuart. "Now we have a solution for those frustrating bulges that don't go away.
"In the past, your options were to keep trying to burn off those trouble areas through diet and exercise, to just live with them, or to consider surgical procedures such as liposuction. With CoolSculpting, there is a new option: We can freeze that resistant fat away."
Using a process called Cryolipolysis, the FDA-cleared CoolSculpting procedure works from the outside to freeze fat cells on the inside. This non-invasive treatment requires no anesthetic injections.
The CoolSculpting hand-piece uses suction to draw the skin and tissue up between two cooling panels. Once activated, the panels infuse the area with a carefully monitored cold temperature that damages fat cells without harming the surrounding area. The fat cells in the treated area undergo an early death and are absorbed and eliminated through the body's natural metabolic processes.
"As a physician, it's my goal to offer effective treatments that cause as little pain and require as little recuperation time as possible," Dr. Stuart says. "CoolSculpting allows me to do that. I don't have to administer a single injection, and no surgery is involved. It's so incredibly simple. A single treatment can be completed in about 1 hour, and the results speak for themselves."
CoolSculpting has been shown to reduce fat in the treated area by up to 25%. For some people, a visible reduction in fat may occur as soon as 3 weeks. Final results will be visible after 3 to 4 months.
While some patients may experience minor post-treatment redness, bruising, swelling or numbness, these symptoms are temporary. No recuperation time is required, so CoolSculpting patients can return to their normal activities, including exercise, immediately following treatment.
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Dr. Susan M. Stuart (http://www.lajollaskin.com) is a board-certified dermatologist offering laser skin care, skin cancer therapies, laser hair removal and other skin rejuvenating procedures alongside her husband and practice partner, triple-board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Richard Chaffoo. After receiving her M.D. from Tulane University School of Medicine, Dr. Stuart completed a competitive internship at Mercy Hospital Center in San Diego, followed by a residency and fellowship in dermatology. Dr. Stuart is highly respected as a faculty member at UCSD Medical Center, has held numerous prestigious professional appointments, and has been selected as one of America's Top Physicians in dermatology.
