With the New Year come goals to exercise and lose body fat, whether this is a new goal or a past one to which a person rededicates himself/herself.  For patients striving to reduce their body fat, this usually involves a regular exercise regimen and diet of healthier food; while this usually provides the patient with results there are some areas of the body where one cannot seem to get rid of stubborn deposits of fat such as the flanks (i.e., love handles) or abdomen.  Before the FDA clearance of CoolSculpting, the patient could live with the fat deposits, enact a stringent diet (that usually didn’t last long), or elect to have liposuction.  Now there is an alternative method to naturally rid the body of this kind of fat without having to have elective surgery and without having to stay on an unrealistic diet.  CoolSculpting is a simple procedure that can be completed in your physician’s office in as little as one hour in most cases, and there is no downtime from one’s usual activities or work out schedule.  CoolSculpting essentially targets a section of body fat by cooling those cells to a specific temperature that impacts the fat cells while leaving all other cells and tissue unharmed.  Thereafter a significant amount of fat cells go through their natural cell death process and clear the body by normal metabolic processes.  This means that one’s results occur gradually over a period of 6-8 weeks.  CoolSculpting is not for everyone, and at West Houston Dermatology Laser & Skincare Center we encourage patients interested in CoolSculpting to schedule a consultation to learn more about the process and the requirements for success.  For example, CoolSculpting will not make much of an impact on someone who is 10-15 pounds above his/her ideal body weight or on someone who is not committed to exercise and healthy eating.  In fact, even liposuction will not permanently affect a patient who does not commit to healthy diet and exercise.  At West Houston Dermatology Laser & Skincare Center we want to help our patients meet their goals, so please contact us to learn more about CoolSculpting, medical dermatology and/or cosmetic dermatology.