Ultrasonic Cavitation vs Coolsculpting

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No matter the environment, we all want to look our best. That often means targeting specific areas in the body where stubborn fat lies. This can help achieve that contoured look. There are various ways to do that — surgical contouring and minimally invasive procedures have already been proven and used by lots of people. 

However, if you’re not a fan of going under the knife, there are several technologies that you can use. Two of the most popular ways to remove fat through non-invasive means are ultrasonic cavitation and coolsculpting.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at both of these options. We’ll get to know their similarities and differences so you can pick out the best non-invasive treatment for your body.

Let the ultrasonic cavitation vs coolsculpting battle begin!


Contents

Ultrasonic Cavitation Vs Coolsculpting: Which Is Better for Fat Removal?Muscular Woman

Ultrasonic cavitation and coolsculpting are both fat reduction procedures that can help remove unwanted fat in targeted areas. They can both be used to destroy fat cells that won’t just go away even if you’ve already done your fair share of diet and exercise.

Let’s start with how they are similar.

Help With Body Sculpting

Both methods can help improve the overall shape and contour of the body. With either coolsculpting or ultrasonic fat burning, you get to decide which areas to focus the treatment on.

You can focus on the tummy area if you want to achieve that slimmer waist figure, higher abdomen, shapelier thighs, or thinner upper arms, you can focus on getting your curves just right. 

Noninvasive Procedures

Both procedures are noninvasive and pretty low risk. This means there is no downtime and you can get right back to work or your daily activities after the procedure with few to no side effects.

There are no incisions made, nor any openings created. This reduces the risk of infection due to the treatment procedure. 

Often Ultrasonic Cavitation is done at a salon or medispa, but there are several home ultrasonic cavitation machines and (cheaper) fat burners that are worth checking out.

Similarly, Coolsculpting machines are often used at home. One of the most popular coolsculpting systems is Isavera’s Fat Freezing System. We reviewed Isavera’s system here.

Anesthesia Is Not Required

Neither coolsculpting nor lipo cavitation requires the use of anesthesia. Some may feel a little bit of discomfort, but not enough to merit the use of anesthesia in the areas to be treated.

In-Clinic And At Home Procedures

Isavera Coolsculpting Leg

Procedures can be done in doctor’s clinics where they use powerful, larger machines for treatment sessions.

However, there are several portable units that can be purchased and used at home. The Isavera Leg Sculptor shown above uses the FDA approved coolsculpting technology to eliminate fat, while the No products found. shown below includes lipo cavitation technology.

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Short Treatment Sessions

Even if you have a busy day, you can fit either procedure into your schedule easily. It just takes 30 minutes to an hour for each treatment session. Depending on how many areas you’d want to focus on, you can have the procedure during your lunch break or even before you go to sleep if you opt for the at-home devices. 

Won’t Stop You From Storing Fat

Although both procedures can help you get rid of fat, neither can prevent you from storing fat or gaining weight. That still depends on how much you eat and how much you move.

If you don’t control how much you eat or if you don’t exercise to maintain your weight, you’d still have more fat to store in your body. 

See our article on Ultrasonic Cavitation Aftercare for more information.


What’s the Difference Between Lipo Cavitation and Coolsculpting?

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Now that we’ve seen their similarities, let’s now focus on the main differences between coolsculpting and ultrasonic liposuction. The main difference lies in the procedure and what they use to trigger a reaction to the fat cells. 

Temperature and Frequency

With coolsculpting, cold temperatures are used to initiate a reaction with the fat cells. The cold temperatures will freeze the fat cells and damage them. Once they are damaged, the other cells will work on them to remove them from the body. In this procedure, the fat cells are removed. 

The body has a certain number of fat cells and does not build more. The cells just expand in size when more fat is stored in them. With the absence of fat cells in specific areas that were treated, the fattening of that area is reduced.

However, if there is more fat to be stored, the body will choose other areas where there are still fat cells and expand them as it fills them up with fat. 

With ultrasonic cavitation, low-frequency ultrasonic waves are used on the fat cells. Unlike coolsculpting which damages the fat cells themselves, the ultrasonic waves only liquefy the fat inside the cells.

When that happens, the liquified fat is released into the bloodstream and disposed of by the lymphatic system. 

With this procedure, the fat cells are still intact and can still grow in size if there is more fat that needs to be stored. This means that the silhouette you get out of the procedure could still return back, especially if you eat a lot and don’t try to maintain your weight. 

FDA Approval

Coolsculpting uses FDA approved technology. Ultrasonic Caviation is often done at medispas, but at-home devices are now becoming popular. These may or may not be FDA approved or reviewed, you’ll have to check on a case-by-case basis.


Lipo Cavitation vs Coolsculpting: Which One Is Better?

Yoga Backbend girl

In order to judge which is better, we’ve considered the following factors:

Length Of Time For Results To Appear

With coolsculpting, it can take from a month to up to 3 months to finally see the results. The fat cells may be damaged by the cold but they won’t be immediately removed by the body. It takes time for the body to remove the frozen fat cells. However, coolsculpting offers a more permanent result because the damaged fat cells are completely removed in this process. 

Ultrasonic cavitation offers speedier results. The fat inside of the cells is immediately liquified. All that is needed is for the lymphatic system to get rid of them. Removing liquefied fat from the body is much quicker than removing dead fat cells. That is why you can expect results from ultrasonic cavitation within days after the procedure. 

However, if you do not try to maintain your weight by watching what you eat and working out, you can also fill the fat cells back up easily! Areas treated still have fat cells and can still store more fat in them as needed. The results aren’t as permanent as those you get out of coolsculpting.

Comfort Level

Although both procedures are considered non-invasive, there is still a question about pain and discomfort. With the coolsculpting procedure, there can be a little discomfort because of the cold temperature. Some may feel different sensations such as cramping, stinging, itching, bruising, or tenderness. However, these are temporary and will easily go away. 

On the other hand, ultrasonic cavitation is more comfortable. They are not painful at all. Some patients may feel a little bit of heat but most consider this warmth comfortable. It is also possible to have reddening in the area but these are also temporary and aren’t painful at all.

But as we mentioned before, the technology is a bit more unusual than coolsculpting, and is often done at a medispa under a doctor’s supervision. You may be taking some risks using cavi-lipo, particularly if you purchase a no-name brand of machine.


Final Thoughts

Both ultrasonic cavitation and coolsculpting are great non-invasive procedures that can help you get rid of stubborn fat. They have various similarities and differences as well. Deciding on the winner between the ultrasonic cavitation vs coolsculpting battle will highly depend on your preference, the waiting time for results to appear, and the final result you want to achieve. 

Either way, the results you get out of the procedures could only last long if you also work to maintain your weight. Don’t think that these procedures are a substitute to weight loss plans. They could help get rid of fat but keeping the fat off of your body will still depend on what you eat, how much you eat, and how much you move. 


Frequently Asked Questions

Does ultrasonic fat cavitation make you poop?

Ultrasonic fat cavitation liquefies the fat so it can be released into the bloodstream. Fats that aren’t used will usually be removed from the body through the urine and stool. That could lead you to see some changes in the color and consistency of your waste. However, it won’t make you poop more than you would. 

How much fat can coolsculpting remove?

Coolsculpting is an efficient procedure that can help remove fat. It is possible for you to lose up to 25% of the fat cells in the area treated. 

Does ultrasonic cavitation destroy the fat cells?

No, ultrasonic cavitation only liquefies the fats inside the fat cells. The fat cells are still intact and can still be used to store fat. 

Written by Kayla Young

Kayla is the founder of LuxeLuminous. She has worked professionally in the tanning industry for years. She has been interested in esthetics since childhood, and has tried every hair, skin, and makeup product ever produced (more or less).