Beauty tweakments three testers try brow boosting, hair thickening and tummy flattening
Have you been tempted by a treatment that promises miraculous results, only to be put off by its sky-high price? Here are three that really deliver
As a beauty editor I’m always sceptical of “miracle” treatments, and coolsculpting, which promises non-invasive fat reduction, was no different. It was only when a few trusted beauty editor friends started raving about their results that I decided it was worth investigating. ever since having children I have had, what my friend v laughingly calls “Wolfgang overhang”. an annoying doughnut of fat that sat just below my middle. In clingy dresses my tummy looked pouchy, in jeans I had a muffin top. okay it wasn’t terrible, but it was annoying and somewhat depressing. I’m not overweight, I exercise fairly regularly, but I could see that unless I lived on steamed broccoli, and did an exercise regime akin to victoria Beckham’s, my doughnut wasn’t going to budge. So I decided to try coolsculpting. What’s the theory? Well two Harvard doctors discovered when fat cells are subjected to precisely controlled cooling for a sustained period of time they can undergo cell death. the body then excretes the fat cells naturally through our waste system. this leads to gradual reduction in the fat layer called apoptosis. coolsculpting say a patient can expect to see a 20-24% reduction in fat.
I booked in at the cosmetic
Skin clinic. I saw magda, a fun, knowledgeable aesthetician who’s done thousands of coolsculpting cycles. She declared me a perfect candidate. She says the treatment works best on those around, or just above, a healthy weight that have areas of fat that won’t shift. We decided she would concentrate on my stomach, side and back flanks. and so I found myself on the treatment bed. my stomach was the first to be done. a suction cup (the size of a family-size tub of margarine) was put on the area and the skin sucked in. you feel a tugging sensation that is only mildly unpleasant; at the cosmetic Skin clinic you have an in-room tv to watch to take your mind off it. Back to the bed. after 30-ish minutes of watching Netflix, magda comes in to tell me time’s up (she has been checking on me regularly). Until this point it’s only been as uncomfortable as say, going to the hygienist, or the extraction stage of a facial, but when magda removes the cups oh boy, the discomfort is intense. I have to deep breathe and hold magda’s hand like I am in labour. for five, maybe 10 minutes I feel nauseous. It’s hard to describe but as the skin returns to temperature it just feels wrong. magda advises me not to look down as the frozen skin will look like a block of butter. She kneads the area. She feeds me chocolate because I feel faint (the irony here is not lost on me). I am now very apprehensive about having the other
“After a few weeks I notice my tummy is tighter and firmer. And over time it only gets more so”
areas done, but magda coaches me they will not be as bad. and she’s right. my session has taken about three hours in total and I leave feeling a bit shaky. my skin is patchy red in places. this calms down after a few days, but I do get a bit of bruising that lasts a week or so.
after a few weeks I notice my tummy is tighter and firmer. and over time it only gets more so. the little pouch disappears and it (almost) regains its prekids flatness. I am delighted/astounded in equal measure. my side and back fat take longer to go, a few months, but now they are visibly reduced. magda says another treatment round will make even more difference. Will I do it, even with the pain and cost? Hell, yeah.
✢ Coolsculpting at The Cosmetic Skin Clinic costs from £800 for a single area with package fees for multiple areas. Rosie’s treatment cost
£3,600 for sides, flanks and tummy. Visit cosmeticskinclinic.com and coolsculpting.com
MUMMY TUMMY FAT FIGHTING WITH COOLSCULPTING