As a model, image is everything and as I get older, keeping that image nice is sort of a priority. Mind you, I’m not old at 26–but I prefer to keep up with routine maintenance instead of trying to fix things after they’ve gotten past the point of what I would consider a “simple” repair. So, after struggling with stubborn fat in certain areas of my body that just don’t seem to go away, I knew an external intervention was the only option I had left and I really didn’t want to have surgery. That’s when I discovered CoolSculpting, a non-invasive procedure that literally freezes approximately 20% of the fat cells in a specific area using cryolipolysis.

First, let me just say I paid entirely way too much for the procedure. Four “sessions” (which means the applicator is put on you in four different spots OR four different times if you use it in the same spot over multiple appointments), and those four–which I used in one 2-hour session–cost me nearly $4,000 at the local medspa I went to.

But alas, as I said, I had been struggling with stubborn fat in specific areas for years that I can’t fix on my own no matter how much weight I lose or how much I exercise. Seriously, I was underweight with abs and a personal trainer at one point and still had a stomach pooch; there’s just no way I can have a flat stomach naturally.

But, I digress.

Anyways, Christmas was coming up fast and I thought it would be a nice gift to myself so I scheduled my appointment and eagerly awaited. Now, even though this procedure was non-invasive and mostly safe, I carefully considered the risk it carries for literally disfiguring results, but I decided to chance it.

The day finally came and to be completely honest I didn’t know what exactly to expect.

The technicians walked me through how the procedure would go down, they dressed me in an unattractive paper thong and bra, took my “before” set of photos and painted my problem areas, my bra line and lower stomach, with a round circle so they knew where to put the applicator. They said it would take about 30-minutes per section, so my 11a.m. arrival would mean I wouldn’t be leaving until around 1:30p.m. after all was said and done, or I could come back and do it in two different sessions. I was already there and really didn’t want to have to come back, so I chose to do it all at once. I mean, I sat through a 6-hour tattoo before, this couldn’t be worse, right?

Well, kind of right, kind of wrong. I like to believe I have a relatively high pain tolerance, so I would say the procedure–as uncomfortable and very boring as it was–wasn’t as bad as the post-procedure effects.

Don’t get me wrong, the procedure was painful specifically for the first 5 minutes or so while the cold air was freezing the fat and the area wasn’t yet numb, but I believe worst of all, it hurt like F*^# the next day to the point I could hardly bend over or move without extreme tenderness in the area. The numbness was very apparent and the nerve pains were disconcerting and also uncomfortable, though the latter resided after a few days–after the first couple of sleepless nights unable to get comfortable. I do have to note that my lower stomach was considerably more tender than my bra line, even though I had a massive bruise on the one side of the bra line and I still have trouble wearing elastic pants that squeeze on the stomach area at all.

Currently, it’s coming up on three weeks since my procedure and I still have some slight numbness and tenderness in the area, and it still looks swollen (which means I haven’t seen any improvement) yet. They say it can take up to 60-90 days post-procedure to see the “full effects,” unfortunately that also means bad effects if you’re one of the unlucky ones.

So right now it’s just a waiting game and hoping for the outcome desired.

All things considered, and unless I see massive improvements to my stubborn areas, I don’t think I would get CoolSculpting done again. I think the recovery time plus the cost, mixed in with the possibility of a bad outcome, made me realize I just paid for a very expensive lesson to learn to love my body just the way it is.

And for those wanting to know the final results, I will be sure to write an update after 90 days.