Archive for June, 2012

Is Your Body Image Realistic?

Wednesday, June 6th, 2012
body contouring beverly hills

Before performing a body contouring procedure such as CoolSculpting® in Los Angeles, I always make sure my patients have realistic expectations. Although CoolSculpting, liposuction and other procedures can help achieve many people’s cosmetic goals, I want to make sure my patients are both physically and emotionally good candidates for the treatments.

As part of my consultation with new patients, I talk with them about their perceptions of their appearance and what they want to change. The reason: I want to make sure they do not suffer from body dysmorphic disorder. This chronic mental condition causes its sufferers to worry excessively about what they see as a flaw in their appearance. In some cases, they become so focused on that flaw that they devote hours to obsessing over how they look. They may be eager to have cosmetic surgery, but in my opinion, plastic surgery should not be performed on these individuals.

If you have a realistic body image, CoolSculpting or liposuction can be an excellent choice if you:

  • Are at or near your target weight. Neither procedure is designed for weight loss.
  • Follow a healthy diet and fitness program.
  • Want to reduce specific, small regions of fat, such as the love handles, in which case CoolSculpting may be the best solution.
  • Want to lose fat from other areas, such as the upper arms, thighs, midsection or neck, in which case you may be a good candidate for liposuction.