Body Contouring After Weight Loss: Addressing Problem Areas and Skin Laxity

You did the hard part. Whether the weight came off through a GLP-1, diet, exercise, or a combination, the scale finally moved. But when you look in the mirror, a few things may not have kept pace: stubborn love handles, a lower abdomen that won’t budge, or skin that feels looser than you expected. 

Dana Baker, BSN, RN, a master CoolSculptor at Apex Skin with over 10 years of CoolSculpting experience, explains what’s happening and how to decide what treatment comes next.

“CoolSculpting is by far one of my favorite cosmetic treatments that I offer here at Apex,” Baker says. But her first message to patients isn’t about aesthetics at all.

“I think it’s extremely important to make sure that patients are aware that the weight loss is extremely beneficial to their health,” Baker says. Only after that does the conversation turn to how things look, by supporting them in building back muscle, collagen and elastin.

What Weight Loss Leaves Behind

Whether the weight came off with a GLP-1 or through diet and exercise, Baker sees the same two issues over and over. “The most common concerns are always lack of muscle and laxity of skin,” she says. Even with regular workouts, some muscle loss is part of losing weight and skin that has been stretched loses its ability to fully snap back. 

But each patient needs different attention because the right treatment depends on what’s actually going on under the skin.

Solution for Fat Reduction: Coolsculpting 

Coolsculpting is the #1 non-surgical fat loss treatment that uses cryolipolysis (controlled cooling) to freeze and eliminate stubborn fat cells. FDA-cleared to treat 9 different areas including abdomen, flanks, thighs, arms, and under the chin. No surgery, no needles, no downtime. You can return to your daily activities immediately.

Solution for Muscle Toning: EmSculpt NEO

EmSculpt NEO innovative treatment combines radiofrequency (to reduce fat) and high-intensity focused electromagnetic energy (to build muscle) in one 30-minute session. It contracts muscles more times than you could achieve in months at the gym while simultaneously eliminating fat cells.

Solution for Natural Face Lifting: EmFace

EmFace uses the same radiofrequency and electromagnetic technology as EmSculpt NEO, but designed specifically for facial contouring. Contracting facial muscles creates a natural lift, reduces wrinkles, and boosts collagen production all without surgery, needles, or toxins. Quick 20-minute treatments with no downtime.

Body Contouring Day Offers

If you’ve been considering CoolSculpting, EmSculpt NEO or EmFace, Body Contouring Day on November 12 is the best time to start:
CoolSculpting: Buy one area, get the second 50% off
EmSculpt/Emface: Purchase a one-area package, get the second 50% off
$150 treatment credit with any Body Contouring Day package purchase

Determining the Best Body Contouring Treatment

To determine the best treatment plan, your provider will perform a hands-on assessment or a “pinch test” to find out whether there’s enough fat to treat. 

Sometimes a patient may come in for CoolSculpting and the “pinch test” reveals they are dealing with more skin laxity than body fat, which Baker is quick to point out is a good thing. In that case, the conversation shifts to building muscle and collagen using EmSculpt NEO instead.

It’s also important to understand the difference between visceral and subcutaneous fat to set realistic expectations and understand what type of treatment will work best.

• Visceral fat sits beneath the muscle, around the organs, and there aren’t many aesthetic treatments that can reach it. That one comes down to diet and exercise.
• Subcutaneous fat sits on the outside of the muscle, and it’s the kind you can pinch. “When we reach down and pull and tug and it’s squishy and soft, that’s the subcutaneous fat, and CoolSculpting is ideal for treating that fat,” Baker explains.

How GLP-1s and CoolSculpting Work Differently

The two treatments solve different problems. “A GLP-1 affects your weight,” Baker says. “Whereas when you come in for a CoolSculpting treatment, we’re not focused on weight, we’re focused on pockets of fat.”

Humans finish developing fat cells during adolescence, and after that, fat cells expand and contract as we gain and lose weight. CoolSculpting reduces the number of fat cells in a specific area, which is why it works on trouble spots that weight loss alone doesn’t resolve.

For women, those trouble spots tend to be in the lower abdomen while for men it’s typically love handles.

Do You Need to Wait Until You Reach Your Goal Weight?

Waiting to reach your goal weight before starting body contouring isn’t required. Baker is actually a fan of combining the two. 

“Pairing GLP-1s and body contouring together is going to give you your best results overall,” she says, since CoolSculpting handles the trouble spots while the GLP-1 continues the weight loss.

Because body contouring results are measured with before and after photos rather than the scale, a changing weight doesn’t get in the way of progress. 

Treatment is also done over multiple sessions, and each one can be different. A first abdomen session might use eight applicator placements, and a third might use only four. Applicators are chosen based on the area and the patient’s frame, so there’s room to adjust as your body changes.

Rebuilding Muscle After Weightloss With EmSculpt Neo

For the muscle and laxity side of the equation, Baker turns to EmSculpt Neo. It helps rebuild the muscle mass that gets lost during weight loss and supports collagen and elastin production to tighten things up. As she puts it, an abdominal EmSculpt treatment is “way more of a workout than you could possibly ever do in the gym.”

When a patient wants both fat reduction and muscle building, CoolSculpting usually comes first. Once the bulk is reduced, there’s less padding between the muscle and the machine, which allows for an even greater increase in muscle in that area. And if someone comes in asking whether EmSculpt Neo can reduce abdominal fat, Baker is straightforward. It can reduce some, but “CoolSculpting is number one” for excess fat.

Addressing Facial Volume Loss After Weightloss with Emface

Weight loss often takes volume from the face as well. Emface uses High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic (HIFEM) technology, which causes the facial muscles to contract. 

“Think of it as a really strong workout for your face,” Baker says. The muscles get stronger, the fibers shorten, and everything lifts, while collagen and elastin production add plumping and snap. 

“Emface is going to really be the only thing that’s working at the muscular level of the face,” she adds, with filler being the only other option that gives a similar visual response.

Keeping Your Results

CoolSculpting permanently reduces the number of fat cells in a treated area. 

“Once those cells are gone, your adult body does not know how to produce new ones,” Baker explains. So even if weight returns, whether from stopping a medication or any other reason, treated areas simply can’t hold as much as they used to.

It’s not a guarantee against all change. The fat cells that remain can still expand, and untreated areas can still gain, which can shift your overall shape. The best way to protect your results is to maintain a stable weight.

Your First Consultation

It’s helpful to come to a consultation knowing what bothers you most. “If you’re coming in saying, ‘I have lost this weight, but no matter what I do, I cannot get these love handles to go away,’ then we know we’re going to discuss CoolSculpting,” Baker says. If your abdomen feels lax, that points toward EmSculpt Neo. Any body contouring appointment works as a starting point, since consultations tend to move between topics anyway.

Body Contouring is the Icing on the Cake

For Baker, the most rewarding part of her job is seeing patients get healthier first. 

“Everything that we do beyond that, CoolSculpting, EmSculpt Neo, Emface, it’s icing on the cake,” she says. 

And the results speak for themselves: “I would say 95% of all of my patients are thrilled with their results. CoolSculpting is one of those treatments that just works.”

If you’ve reached your weight loss goal, or you’re close, the team at Apex Skin can help you decide what’s next.