Coolsculpting vs TruSculpt: Which Is Better?
Struggling to get rid of isolated fat pockets no matter how hard you exercise? Sometimes exercise and a well-balanced diet are not enough to get rid of problem areas like love handles or the dreaded belly pouch. Fortunately, there are many body contouring treatments, both surgical and non-surgical, that can safely and effectively remove stubborn body fat.
Non-surgical procedures have received increased notoriety for their ability to yield dramatic results without requiring the pain and recovery time required for liposuction surgery. In this post we’ll compare CoolSculpting with TruSculpt, two popular non-invasive body contouring treatments. While the shared “sculpt” moniker makes these treatments sound the same, they are actually very different.
Here’s a basic comparison between the two:
CoolSculpting
CoolSculpting is the most popular and researched non-invasive body contouring option on the market. To get rid of fat, CoolSculpting uses the process of cryolipolysis, which destroys fat cells through freezing. As targeted fat cells are exposed to a precise temperature, a process of cellular removal is initiated. Fat cells in the treated area become corrupted and are eliminated from the body through its natural metabolic processes while skin, muscle, and other tissue in the treatment area remain unaffected.
During a CoolSculpting procedure, a specialized non-invasive applicator is applied to the surface of the skin. There are various specialized CoolSculpting applicators that are designed to treat specific areas and contours of the body. Most of the applicators use suction to draw the fat pocket between cooling panels. The problem area is held in the device while extreme cold is delivered to destroy underlying fat cells. At the end of the treatment the applicator is removed and treatment area is massaged. Treatments take between 35 minutes and an hour from start to finish.
TruSculpt
TruSculpt (both TruSculpt 3D and TruSculpt iD) has an opposite approach to fat removal, it uses a specialized radio frequency energy to heat up fat cells. This non-invasive RF (radio frequency) technology works by transferring heat into the entire fat layer from skin to muscle. As the fat cells become heated they begin to shrink smaller and smaller. Eventually fat cells become corrupted and are excreted from the body through the natural metabolic process.
During a TruSculpt procedure a specialized handheld device is pressed over the treatment area to deliver targeted pulses of calibrated radio frequency energy. TruSculpt does not require the problem area to be collected for treatment. Instead the devise is pressed over the treatment area in a gliding motion. Each individual pulse lasts around 4 minutes. Once one area is treated the handpiece is moved to an adjacent treatment area and a new pulse is started. Depending on the size of the treatment area the procedure can take between 15 minutes and an hour to complete.
The Winner Is CoolSculpting
Here at Westlake Dermatology, we choose to offer CoolSculpting over TruSculpt as our primary non-surgical body contouring option due to two main factors:
Results: CoolSculpting seems to provide a more dramatic result in less time. CoolSculpting patients typically start seeing significant fat removal one month after treatment, whereas TruSculpt seems to take 2-3 months.
Patient Discomfort: While both treatments are minimally invasive and far less painful then liposuction, we received feedback that the heating effect of TruSculpt is more uncomfortable compared to the cooling effect of CoolSculpting.
A united group of skin care specialists from Westlake Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery, Austin's leader in Dermatology and Plastic Surgery. Articles posted under WD staff are authored through combined contributions from our entire team, including Plastic Surgeons, Dermatologists, Aestheticians, Physician Assistants, Aesthetic Nurses, and Patient Coordinators.
I would like to know an estimate of the cost of two cool sculpting session for abdomen and love handles.
Hi Laura,
Thanks for reading our post and submitting your comment. I forwarded your email to our consultants and they will reach out to you with a preliminary quote.
Thanks again!
–WD Staff
Though the time length is true between the trusculpt and coolsculpt, one session of the trusculpt yields more results than 2-3 coolsculpting sessions. Very misleasding statements here
Hi Diana,
Thanks for reading our post and submitting your great comment! We can only speak from experience and in our office CoolSculpting was the superior treatment. In fact, CoolSculpting provided the best results of all non-surgical methods we’ve tried over the years.
So I should point out to readers that the information in this post is based on our opinions.
Thanks,
WD Staff
Hello,
You spelled than wrong in your description!!
Thanks for pointing that out, we will fix now!
Thanks,
WD Staff
Great post. treatment can vary depending on the size of the area that is being treated. We too have gotten better results with CoolSculpting rather than TruSculpt, so we agree with this assessment
I’ve had both and agree that CoolSculpting is superior. Highly recommend.