Neither, on the evidence: no randomised trial compares them, and we do not say which is better. What we can give is the device facts, which the US regulator sets side by side in its own comparison table, and the differences that matter to the person in the chair. We provide both, SculpSure here and CoolSculpting at our sister clinic, and the doctor plans the right one for your bulge at a free consultation at Sculpsure Clinic, 8 Devonshire Place, London, W1G 6HP. Every SculpSure treatment is led by Dr Marie Duggan, GMC 7488383.
Side by side, from the clearance records
- The method: the regulator's table puts it plainly. SculpSure is heat-assisted, a 1060 nm laser heating the fat layer; CoolSculpting is cold-assisted, cooling it.
- The cycle: a SculpSure cycle is 25 minutes per area, with up to four applicators at once on the body. CoolSculpting's upper-arm treatment is cleared at minus 11 degrees Celsius for 35 minutes.
- The cleared areas: SculpSure for the abdomen, flanks, back, thighs and under the chin; CoolSculpting for the upper arm, bra fat, back fat, the banana roll, thigh, abdomen and flank, and the chin and jawline.
- The BMI limits: SculpSure 30 or less for the body and 49 or less for the chin; CoolSculpting 30 or less for the body and up to 46.2 for the chin.
- The fat enlargement: an enlargement of the treated fat, paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, is documented for cryolipolysis and described as under-reported; it appears in none of the 63 SculpSure reports to the US regulator.
- The measured result: in SculpSure's trials one treatment (up to two under the chin) made the fat layer 7 to 15% thinner at twelve weeks. CoolSculpting's trials are its own, and the two have not been compared head to head.
What it feels like
SculpSure feels hot, with contact cooling running throughout, and pain averaged 3.9 out of 10 under the chin and 6.1 on the knees in the independent studies. SculpSure lets you return to normal activities straight away, with tenderness, swelling or firmness settling over one to three weeks in the studies; the doctor explains how CoolSculpting feels at the consultation.
Which we plan for which person
In our practice the choice follows the bulge rather than the brand: its shape, its position, how it sits in the applicator, and the areas each device is cleared for. SculpSure is also used on the upper arms and bra fat, which CoolSculpting is cleared for and SculpSure is not, so for those areas the doctor advises at the consultation what to expect from each. The doctor says which at the consultation, and the price for either is in writing. The sessions page and the side effects page cover SculpSure's course and risks, and the full guide the rest.
