Cold or light

Bellava treats stubborn fat without surgery in two ways: CoolSculpting, which uses cold, and laser lipo, which uses light. People from Pleasantville often arrive having read about both and unsure which to ask for. The short version is that both aim at a pocket of fat that diet and exercise have not shifted, neither involves an incision, and the right one depends on the area and on you. The longer version is below.

CoolSculpting, step by step

A cooling applicator is placed on the area and suction draws the tissue between its panels. Precision-controlled cooling brings the fat cells to a temperature that triggers their natural death without harming the tissue around them. You feel cold and a pulling sensation at first; most people say it ends up feeling like a firm massage. A session runs 35 to 60 minutes depending on how many applicators are used, long enough to read, answer email or nap.

Afterwards there is no recovery time. Over the next two to four months your body flushes out the treated cells, with subtle changes from around three weeks. Those cells are gone for good, though weight gained later can still settle in untreated areas.

Laser lipo, in brief

Optical fibres send low-level laser light through the skin; fat cells absorb it and rupture, and the body clears them away. Bellava aims it at the abdomen, love handles and thighs, and the full effect takes six to eight weeks.

Questions that point one way or the other

Where is the fat? CoolSculpting covers the abdomen, flanks, back and bra-line bulges, inner and outer thighs, and under the chin.
How much is there? Some areas need more than one CoolSculpting session; your plan sets the number.
Is it fat, or loose skin? Neither treatment tightens slack skin or repairs separated stomach muscles. That is a surgical question for Dr. Chang Soo Kim, whose tummy tuck consultations are requested by form, call or text.

Who treats you

CoolSculpting at Bellava is carried out by licensed medical estheticians certified in it: Semira Crecco-Donnelly, with over twenty years in the field, and Natalina McEwan, whose own page lists Pleasantville among the places her clients come from. They work under medical director Donna D’Alessio, MD.

The drive from Pleasantville is roughly 16 minutes without traffic, north on the Saw Mill River Parkway to 182 Route 117 Bypass Road in Bedford Hills.

Pleasantville patients ask

Is it FDA-cleared? Yes, for safety and efficacy.

What are the side effects? Temporary redness, bruising or numbness at the treated spot, gone within days to weeks. There is also a rare risk of paradoxical fat hyperplasia, where treated fat thickens; following the CoolSculpting protocols is how the team keeps that risk down.

How do I book? Press Book Now to choose a time online, or see the main CoolSculpting page.

CoolSculpting for Pleasantville, NY