Would you be willing to pay thousands of dollars to non-invasively slim your waist?
For a bit of backstory: I’m the practice admin for a small private surgical practice that specializes in varicose and spider vein treatment. Reimbursements have gone down, costs have gone up and the proliferation of high-deductible plans makes elective procedures, like the ones we perform, out of reach for many patients. Our reputation and the number of new patients each year keeps growing, but our revenue has been declining over the years.
We’re seriously considering broadening our horizons and purchasing a cool sculpting machine. These machines are very expensive (over 6 figures) and have significant ongoing costs as well. Apparently the average patient spends around $3–4 thousand dollars. I know people spend lots of money on weight loss and there is generally a large market for appearing slimmer (even if you don’t actually loose weight).
I’m curious to see what you guys think. Is $3,000—$4,000 a reasonable amount to pay for modest (but realistic) reduction in fat? Apparently it’s about a 20%-25% reduction and only works on “pinchable” fat that’s just under the skin. It’s not a miracle cure, but it does kill fat cells. The technology doesn’t involve surgery or anesthesia and has very few risks. It involves sitting on an exam table and watching tv while the device applies suction and cooling to different areas you want treated.
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
14 Answers
I would pay that if it were non-invasive and permanent.
$4,000 for a trim waist…
Sounds about right.
That’s approximately what I’ve paid for my road bicycle in it’s current setup.
I’m already skinny so for me personally no, but this sounds like cool technology and that it would be worth it for a lot of people. Does non-invasive == very low risk?
@janbb It’s permanent in the sense that about 20%-25% of the fat cells in the treated area are killed and will never grow back. It is however possible to gain weight again in the cells that remain. In other words, you can’t have this done and then take up a daily ice-cream habit and expect not to gain weight after. If you’re able to maintain your current weight though it won’t come back.
@Mariah I’m not a MD, but my understanding is that non-invasive means the skin is never breached (although I believe injections are technically considered non-invasive so I’m not quite sure of the definition). Generally any non-invasive procedure will be lower risk (because you don’t have the infection risks for example), but you could (at least hypothetically) conceive of a “high-risk” non-invasive procedure like using an external device that stretches the neck (not sure why you’d want to do that).
No. I had a friend that had the Cool Sculpture applied to her upper arms. Also known as bat wings. She is thin so the fatty arms bothered her. It was several thousand dollars and did not have any significant reduction in the appearance of fat. I personally could tell no difference.
@gorillapaws What kind of guarantee of satisfaction would there be?
No. I’d use the thousands of dollars as motivation to drop the weight on my own and take a great vacation. People always want the easy, quick fix instead of just buckling down and doing the work. The lazy persons way to weight loss.
It makes a person slimmer without reducing fat?
So far, I’d be afraid of that – I’d want to understand more.
If there were a way to magically uninvasively remove fat without health problems, AND I had spare thousands (which I don’t), and my conservative doctor thought it would be a health improvement without issues, then sure, it seems quite reasonable.
No…the fat is my emergency food stores.
@janbb I don’t believe there is a guarantee. It’s a matter of: This is the technology, It’s approved by the FDA, for most people it produces good results, It’s not magical and you won’t look like a supermodel afterwards, some people have more dramatic results than others, but you should have a 20%-25% reduction in the treated area, however there is no guarantee, the price is $X.
@Zaku It literally destroys 20%-25% of the fat cells in the treated area. Fat cells are more vulnerable to damage from cold than skin cells. So the device chills the treatment area to a temp that kills the fat cells without harming the skin. Apparently by the time you’re an adult, you don’t create new fat cells (the existing ones can get bigger/smaller). That means that you will shrink the size of that area, but there isn’t a significant change in overall body weight. This doesn’t replace diet/exercise and is best for people in reasonably decent shape, with “problem areas.” It’s purely a cosmetic thing and doesn’t really affect health in any meaningful way.
I think they are pointless and no more than a scam aimed at lazy people with money.
@cazzie Thanks for your input. I really don’t think it’s a scam (in the literal sense that the Machine doesn’t do what it claims). It’s FDA approved. It’s not promising unrealistic drastic changes, and patients are still encouraged to pursue diet and exercise. That said, it is expensive, it only works well on certain areas, and the improvements are moderate.
Understanding what people think of it is really helpful for me though. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
When I hear “moderate” and “no guarantee” I say “meh.” Take it or leave it. I’d leave it and not bother.
There may be areas of the country (like the one I live in) where there are people with lots of money to spare, and they may be willing to gamble on something like this. I’m not but I don’t have money to gamble, I hate gambling and I hate losing.
Perhaps if you were in an affluent area and you marketed to the right clientele, you’d get some prospects.
@jca Thanks. Your feedback is helpful for sure.
Answer this question 
This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.
Composing members:
0
