For a firm, pinchable bulge that diet and exercise have not shifted, in someone near their target weight, in our clinical judgment yes. The published studies measure the fat layer in the treated area around 20% thinner at three to six months, most of it after one or two visits, usually with no time off work. It is not a weight-loss treatment, and in our experience the people who are disappointed are mostly those who hoped it was. At Cool Clinic, 130 Harley Street, the clinician tells you at a free consultation whether your bulge is one it treats.
What the studies measured
- 518 patients, 2013: a retrospective study at clinics in Belgium and France found the fat layer 23% thinner measured with skin callipers at three months, with no significant side effects reported.
- Flanks, 60 patients: 18.7% thinner on ultrasound, 82.1% satisfied at six months.
- Inner thigh, 45 patients: 93.3% satisfied.
- Under the chin, 60 patients: 2.0 mm thinner, 83.3% satisfied at three months.
- Abdomen, 60 patients: 62% satisfied at four months.
- 91 patients on the current applicators, 2022: 84% satisfied, 78% rated the pain 1 or 2 out of 5, and no serious or lasting complication.
- 3,262 patients, 2025: across 18,203 cycles the median patient had four cycles, and the rare complication where the fat grows instead of shrinking occurred in 0.018% to 0.048% of cycles, depending on how it was counted.
Our patients review the clinic on review.clinic, where Cool Clinic holds 4.8 out of 5 from 54 reviews, with 100% saying the treatment was worth it (November 2026).
Who gets their money's worth
The treatment freezes fat cells in a bulge the applicator can draw in. In the US it is FDA-cleared for the flanks, the abdomen, the thighs, under the chin and along the jawline, the upper arms, bra and back fat and the fold under the buttocks. The US clearance for the body areas is for people with a body mass index of 30 or under. If your bulge is firm and pinchable and your weight is steady, the fat cells that are cleared do not come back, and the result holds while your weight does. If what bothers you is loose skin, a muscle that has lost tone, or two stone you want to lose, CoolSculpting is the wrong tool and the clinician says so. EMsculpt NEO at the same clinic builds muscle and reduces fat by heat, and the full guide compares the two.
What it costs you besides money
A cycle takes 35 to 60 minutes depending on the applicator, and most areas need two to six cycles across one or two visits. You feel intense cold and pulling for the first minutes, then numbness, and the area can be numb, tender or bruised for one to three weeks. The result can start to show from about four weeks and is judged at two to three months, so it is not a treatment for next week's holiday. The sessions page sets out the cycles per area and the downside page the risks in plain words.
Consultations and follow-ups are free
The price question
CoolSculpting is priced per cycle, per area and per course, confirmed in writing at your free consultation, with a price match on any comparable written quote. Consultations and follow-up reviews are free, so the honest answer to "is it worth it for me" costs nothing to get.
Book a free consultation
Call Cool Clinic on 0207 043 1117 or use the form below. The clinician pinches the bulge, measures it, tells you how many cycles it needs and gives you the price in writing.
