SculpSure is a non-invasive laser body contouring treatment that heats fat cells in a treated area so the body clears them over the following weeks. Coastal Dermatology + Aesthetics uses it at its San Luis Obispo office on the abdomen, flanks, back, thighs and under the chin. A session takes about 25 minutes.
The one pocket that never moved
Almost everyone who books this has already put in the work. The diet changed, the exercise is real, and for a lot of people now a GLP-1 has done its part too. And there is still a pocket that will not move: the lower belly, the sides, the back of the bra line, under the chin. Where your body stores fat is mostly down to your genes, and effort does not reliably change that. That last stubborn pocket is exactly what this is built for.
Flat paddles are held against the area for about twenty five minutes. The laser passes through your skin and warms the fat underneath until those cells cannot survive, while the surface stays cool the entire time. Your body then clears them out over the following weeks, using the same drainage system it uses for anything else it no longer needs.
The fat cells treated in that area are gone for good. What you do afterward keeps the shape you paid for, the same way it keeps any result.
What SculpSure is good at
- The lower belly pocket that survived every change you made
- Love handles along the waist, which is the single most requested area
- The roll at the back of the bra line, which almost nothing else reaches
- Inner and outer thighs, where saddlebag fullness sits
- Under the chin, where the applicator also affects the look of lax tissue
- Fitting into a lunch break, because there is nothing to recover from
One session, and one of the shortest appointments we do. No numbing, no needles, nothing to recover from. People read or answer email through it. [1]
How treatment works
Flat paddles, no cutting
Flat paddles are placed against the area and held there by a belt. Nothing goes in, nothing is suctioned out, and there is no numbing because there is nothing to numb.
The fat layer warms up
Laser light passes through your skin and warms the fat underneath it past the point where those cells survive. Your skin is cooled the whole time, which is why the surface is fine while the layer below is not. The paddles warm and cool in cycles, and we turn it down if it gets too warm for you.
Your body clears it over the following weeks
Your body breaks the treated fat cells down and carries them away, on its own schedule. That is why nothing looks different the same day, why the change starts showing around six weeks, and why the fullest version of it arrives about twelve weeks after your last session.
Of the fat cells in the treated area, destroyed in a single 25 minute session, according to the manufacturer’s own figure. Gone for good. [1]
How to see everything you paid for
This changes the shape of one area, and shape is something a tape measure and a camera can see clearly. Five minutes of setup before your first session and you will have proof of every bit of it. People who do this are the happiest patients we have.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Before your first session | Photograph the area from the front and the side, standing relaxed, in the same light and the same clothes. Put a tape measure around the widest point and write the number down. Weigh yourself once and then leave the scale alone. |
| Weeks 1 to 5 | Nothing to do. Your body is still clearing the treated cells, so leave the tape measure in the drawer and let it work. |
| Week 6 | First real check. Same photo, same light, same clothes, same tape measure, same spot. This is usually where people first notice their waistband. |
| Week 12 after your last session | The real answer. Compare the photos side by side rather than trusting your memory of what you looked like. |
| Any time | A pair of pants you already own is the honest instrument. The outcome is pants that feel a little looser and a belly that looks a little flatter, and most people notice it there first. [2] |
Do all of that and you will see the whole result rather than half of it. It takes five minutes and it is the single best thing you can do to enjoy what you bought.
Areas we treat
Abdomen
The lower belly pocket that stays after the weight comes off. The most common area we treat.
Flanks
Love handles along the waist, usually treated as a pair in one appointment.
Back
The roll at the bra line, which is nearly impossible to target any other way.
Inner thighs
The fullness where the thighs meet, where friction rather than appearance is often the complaint.
Outer thighs
Saddlebag fullness along the outside of the hip.
Under the chin
Submental fullness, using a smaller applicator, which also affects the look of lax tissue there. [3]
Real results
Before & after
These are our own patients, photographed at our San Luis Obispo office and published with their consent. Individual results vary. There are more in the practice’s private gallery, and we are happy to show you cases similar to yours at your consultation.
Individual results vary. Photos shown are unretouched patients of Coastal Dermatology + Aesthetics, published with consent.
When the change turns up, and when it is finished. Around six weeks for the first real difference, about twelve weeks after your last session for the full one. [1]
Dr. Kilcline and her staff are amazing to work with…everyone is always so friendly!
The Coastal difference
Most of what you are paying for is the people we turn away
The people who love this treatment have one thing in common: one specific pocket, on a body already close to where they want it. Working out whether that is you takes about five minutes at a consultation, and it is the most useful five minutes in the whole process, because it is what makes the difference between a good result and a fine one.
The device’s own FDA clearance is specific about who it is built for: non-invasive fat reduction on the body in people with a body mass index of 30 or less, and up to 49 for under the chin. [3] Almost nobody in this market publishes that, and knowing it up front is why our patients get the result the device was designed to give.
Is it right for you?
SculpSure is probably a good fit if:
- You are near a stable weight and have one defined pocket that has not responded to anything
- Your body mass index is 30 or less, which is what the clearance covers for body areas [3]
- You want to change a shape rather than a number
- You cannot take time off, or do not want to
- You are prepared to judge it at twelve weeks rather than twelve days
We will steer you somewhere else if:
- Weight loss is still the main goal, in which case there is a better order to do things in
- What is bothering you is loose skin rather than fat. Loose skin is treated first, because fat reduction gives a better result afterward [2]
- There is broken skin, an active skin problem or a recent surgery site in the area
- You are pregnant or nursing
Not sure which of these you are? That is exactly what the consultation is for, and five minutes there tells you more than an hour of reading will.
What to expect afterward
Most people feel a bit tender, firm or full in the treated area for a few days, and occasionally for a couple of weeks. Some people feel nothing at all. There is no recovery to plan, no compression to wear and no activity to avoid. You can go back to the gym that afternoon if you want to.
Afterward, do
- Carry on with your normal routine, workouts included
- Drink water and keep moving, because your body is clearing the treated cells
- Massage the area gently if it feels firm, which some people find helps
- Give it the full twelve weeks before you decide what you think
Afterward, don’t
- Weigh yourself looking for an answer, because the scale does not measure shape
- Panic if the area feels lumpy or firm for a while, which is normal and settles
- Book a second session on the same area before six weeks, because you cannot yet see what the first one did
- Change your diet drastically at the same time, because then you will never know what worked
Call us about anything severe, worsening or surprising: real pain, a burn, a firm lump that is not settling, or any reaction that does not match what we described. We would far rather hear from you early.
Concerns treated
One pocket at a time, on somebody already close to the shape they want. Pick a concern to see how we approach it.
What treatment costs
SculpSure is priced by the area and by how many sessions that area needs, and most people need more than one to get where they want to be. Flanks are usually treated as a pair, so they are quoted as a pair. You get the cost of the whole plan at your consultation rather than a per-session number that quietly multiplies.
If a different treatment would get you closer to what you actually want, that is the one you will be offered. We would rather send you to the right thing than sell you the nearest thing.
Treatment time
About 25 minutes per area
Downtime
None. Back to your day from the parking lot
Results appear
From around 6 weeks, fullest about 12 weeks after your last session
Results last
The treated fat cells are gone for good
SculpSure frequently asked questions
Where most people notice it first. Pants that feel a little looser and a belly that looks a little flatter. [2] The measuring guide above shows you how to capture the rest of it. [2]
Offered at
Ready to start? Request your consultation
Fill out the form below, book online in Santa Maria (opens online scheduler), or give us a call. Cosmetic and aesthetic appointments need no referral. For medical dermatology, we are accepting new patients by referral from your primary care physician; send the referral across and then use the same form.
Cosmetic consultations are $125, paid at booking and credited toward the cost of treatment.
Sources and medical review
1. Cynosure Lutronic. “SculpSure body contouring.” Manufacturer’s US product page. States 25 minutes per treatment, that “studies have shown up to 24% of fat cells can be destroyed in the treated area,” that most patients require a series of treatments, results as early as six weeks and optimal results usually seen 12 weeks after the final treatment, and describes SculpSure as “the world’s first FDA-cleared **laser** device for non-invasive lipolysis of the abdomen, flanks, back, inner thighs, outer thighs and submental area.” https://www.cynosure.com/product/sculpsure/ · Manufacturer
2. American Academy of Dermatology Association. “Non-invasive fat removal: What can you expect?” States that good candidates “have a small bulge of fat that remains despite diet and exercise and their weight falls within the normal range for their height,” that results are subtle, that “your pants will feel a little looser or your belly a little flatter,” that most people see the full effect between 3 and 6 months after the last treatment, and that where there is also loose skin “your dermatologist may recommend treating this first.” https://www.aad.org/public/cosmetic/fat-removal/non-invasive-what-to-expect · Medical Organization
3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 510(k) Premarket Notification K182741, SculpSure, Cynosure, Inc., cleared 3 January 2019. “Intended for non-invasive lipolysis of the abdomen, flanks, back, and thighs in individuals with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or less. In addition, the device is intended for non-invasive lipolysis of the submental area in individuals with a BMI of 49 or less… When using the petite mask for non-invasive lipolysis of the submental area, the device can also affect the appearance of lax tissue in the submental area.” https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf18/K182741.pdf · Regulatory
Content on this page is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. SculpSure® is a registered trademark of Cynosure Lutronic, Inc. Tenderness, firmness, mild swelling or a full feeling in the treated area are common and can last from a few days up to a couple of weeks. Firm lumps under the skin and burns are uncommon but possible. This treatment is not suitable during pregnancy, or where there is an active skin problem, broken skin or a recent surgery site in the area. Individual results may vary. Cosmetic consultations are $125, paid at booking and credited toward the cost of treatment.