Types of Body Fat & How CoolSculpting Helps
You already know that there are different types of fat in the foods we eat, but did you also know that there are several types of fat in the body?
There are six main types of body fat, including:
- Essential Fat – This is not a very visible fat throughout the body, but it is very good for us as it regulates body temperature, vitamin absorption, and fertility hormone production.
- Brown Fat – Another fat that is good for you, brown fat mostly focuses on maintaining the body’s core temperature.
- White Fat – This is the largest energy storage system in the body. White fat manages insulin and hunger. In the right amounts, white fat is good, but at higher levels, it can cause insulin resistance and increase the risk of weight gain.
- Beige Fat – Coming from parent white fat cells, beige fat acts like energy storage until exposed to cold temperatures. When the body’s temperature drops, beige cells act like brown cells to create heat and dissipate energy.
- Subcutaneous Fat – Accounting for about 90% of overall body fat, subcutaneous fat is essential as backup fat in case of caloric deprivation. It is associated with hormonal belly fat as it is responsible for estrogen production—excess subcutaneous fat risks health complications.
- Visceral Fat – While other types of body fat can serve good purposes, visceral fat does not. It lies between the organs in the abdominal area, and higher levels lead to insulin resistance, cancer, and disease.
Generally, it’s best to have a healthy balance between most of these fats, as some are good and others are bad for your overall health. Understanding the different fat deposits and working with knowledgeable specialists can help you find the right balance so you look and feel better.
How Do I Know if My Belly Fat is Visceral or Subcutaneous?
If you poke your stomach, the softer fat you’re feeling is subcutaneous, just underneath the skin. Visceral fat lies below subcutaneous, so you won’t be able to feel it. Some subcutaneous fat is good, as it is a cushion between the muscle and skin tissue for comfort and protection.
Subcutaneous fat commonly accumulates as stubborn excess in the thighs and abdomen. It’s fairly common to see more women with unwanted thigh fat and more men with abdomen accumulation, but anyone can find themselves with fat pockets somewhere on the body.
Too much subcutaneous fat becomes a concern, particularly in the abdomen area, as you risk increased health complications with excess hormonal belly fat.
Is it Better to Lose Visceral Fat or Subcutaneous Fat?
Losing both visceral and subcutaneous fat is possible, although they serve different purposes. Since visceral fat is associated with diseases and complications, losing it can improve health. Subcutaneous fat is less of a detriment and more of a frustration, so while losing some does help your health, it also lets you fit into clothes more comfortably.
You can help manage visceral fat with some lifestyle improvements. Targeting the abdomen with strength-training exercises will burn calories and help you get rid of diet-resistant fat. Even though the fat is resistant to diet and exercise, maintaining proper nutrition still helps and will only serve you well. Visceral fat is easier to lose than subcutaneous fat because it metabolizes quicker for your body to eliminate.
For more stubborn subcutaneous fat that you can see and feel, med spa treatments like CoolSculpting contour the body and reshape target areas. CoolSculpting’s technology allows quicker, more visible results than you can achieve alone.
CoolSculpting Fat Resistant to Diet and Exercise
If you’re one of the many people struggling with balancing the different types of body fat and maintaining your ideal shape, it’s time to consider CoolSculpting. Using cryolipolysis technology, CoolSculpting targets unwanted subcutaneous fat, freezing fat cells to the point of death, eventually draining them from the body.
CoolSculpting Elite is the advanced version of the original CoolSculpting machine. The results are more dramatic, as CoolSculpting Elite treats twice as much excess fat in one session. Either option gives patients a non-invasive, safe, and highly effective fat removal solution.
Weight Loss with Semaglutide
CoolSculpting does not target visceral fat, as it is too far below the skin to reach. That’s why good nutrition and exercising regularly are some of the best solutions for targeting visceral fat. Another option that patients have is a medication like Semaglutide.
While medications are not a miracle solution or a replacement for a healthy lifestyle, they can work wonders in streamlining your progress. Semaglutide enhances weight loss efforts by reducing the appetite, increasing the metabolism, and offering better glycemic control.
Does CoolSculpting Work if You Don’t Diet?
CoolSculpting is one of the top treatments for removing fat resistant to diet and exercise, but it is not a weight loss solution. That does not mean you need to be on a strict diet or be eating anything designed explicitly for a CoolSculpting session, but you should already be at or near your ideal weight. Patients who are CoolSculpting candidates already live an active lifestyle and focus on balanced nutrition.
Fat freezing technology like CoolSculpting works best on those with enough of a fat bulge to pinch it – around three inches of unwanted fat that you can grasp. It should be a slight abundance, as too much fat in one area can make you a better candidate for liposuction.
CoolSculpting Stomach Process: What You Can Expect
Although CoolSculpting can treat many areas of the body, the abdominal area is one of the most popular and transformational, particularly when treating hormonal belly fat. The CoolSculpting process involves:
- A Consultation – Before anything begins, your weight and measurements are taken, along with before photos, so that you can see your progress. The correct applicator(s) will be chosen to help you reach your body contouring goals.
- Gel Sheet Placement – A gel sheet will go between you and the applicator to protect your skin from the cooling technology as the treatment works.
- Treatment Time – As you relax, the CoolSculpting applicator will use gentle suction as it works to isolate the fat. Some patients read, watch TV, or listen to music, while others will pair their CoolSculpting with dermal fillers, Botox, or another treatment.
- Treatment Area Massage: After the suction and cooling portion of treatment is complete, your provider will massage the area to help promote drainage.
Once your CoolSculpting session is complete, you will be able to drive yourself home and resume regular activities. That’s one of the perks of non-invasive fat reduction – there is no downtime to heal and no stitches or scars involved. You also don’t need anesthesia as the procedure is relatively painless and well-tolerated by most.
CoolSculpting Results*
Within a few weeks, you may start to notice results as the body processes treated, frozen fat cells out. Many patients opt for multiple CoolSculpting sessions to maximize their results, as each session builds on the last. Your most transformational results will show two to three months after your final treatment. Eventually, you’ll go back to your med spa for a check-in, take after pictures, and see the progress you’ve made.
These CoolSculpting stomach before and after images showcase what real patients experience with fat-freezing technology.
*As with any cosmetic treatment, results may vary. Your results depend on many factors, including finding a good provider, which CoolSculpting version you choose, the treatment area, treatment intensity, and number of sessions you receive. Make an appointment with a med spa for more precise details about your situation.
Understand Your Body Fat & Feel Like Your Best Self with CoolSculpting in SLC
At Haus of Aesthetics, our knowledgeable professionals deeply understand the different types of body fat and how to customize treatment accordingly. We are here to answer your questions, address your concerns, and come up with a plan together. Diet-resistant fat cells are challenging to deal with, but you don’t need to go on this journey alone.
Give us a call at (801) 997-8199 to schedule a free consultation for CoolSculpting in Salt Lake City.
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