If you’ve been following me over on Instagram, you’ll remember that about 3 months ago I had a procedure done on my chin called CoolSculpting to get rid of the excess fat (ie double chin) that never goes away, no matter how clean I eat, how much I work out or whatever I do.

Needless to say it’s been something that I’ve grown increasingly self-conscious about over the last several years. It’s the first thing I notice about myself in pictures. Even writing about it is difficult and slightly embarrassing, which means it’s even better that I’m talking about it and releasing the stigma of it.

We live in a society that tells us in one breath that we need to be perfectly comfortable in our own skin, accepting of our flaws while at the same time we’re bombarded with images of 21-year old models on yachts, sipping umbrella drinks on a Wednesday afternoon selling us watches that no 21 year old could ever afford. Where’s the balance in that? Where does that leave us? Us as in someone who does care about how I present myself and look to a healthy extent but understands the unrealistic fantasy that brands are trying to sell us by promoting images such as the above.

For me that balance comes in a version of myself that I feel comfortable in. A version that knows me sipping Cristal on a yacht in my itty bitty bikini in the Mediterranean isn’t a realistic version of myself. But doing something about a feature on myself (my chin) that makes me feel incredibly self-conscious about is. I shouldn’t feel guilty about not loving every inch of myself. I’ve gotten over that. While overall I think I’m pretty bomb (aren’t we all?) there are some things that drive me batty. We all have them. Rather than struggle to feel I need to accept these little nuances I decided to change it.

I have to admit, I was slightly nervous about my trip to Blackhawk Plastic Surgery for this particular procedure. While I’ve utilized other beauty services from Blackhawk Plastic Surgery in the past and was comfortable with their friendly staff, I wasn’t sure what to expect when it came to CoolSculpting.

On that note, let’s back up for a quick second and talk about the staff at BPS. I know when people hear “plastic surgery” it can be a bit scary. But guys, it’s really not. While BPS obviously does elective surgical procedures on site they have so many more non-invasive beauty options and the sweetest staff ever. Everyone that I’ve ever met there, including Dr. Ronan, has always been friendly, helpful and willing to answer any silly question I have. So in short, there’s nothing scary. I don’t know why I was nervous at all.

Because I’m a wuss that’s why.

Moving on.

You may have seen my Instagram live where I shared the procedure live and myself along with Nikki (their CoolScupting aficionado) and Megan (their Marketing Coordinator) and answered all of your questions. There were so many great questions and I’ll answer some of them here in explaining my procedure.

In laymen terms here’s what happened. Nikki put a cool gel onto my neck and underside of my chin that prevents frostbite from occurring (it’s called CoolScuplting, remember?) and attached a pad and turned the machine on. They way the procedure works is that the cold will destroy the unwanted fat cells. Your body then metabolizes those dead cells out of your body on its own. It takes about 3 months to see full results. And yes, it got cold. Uncomfortably cold, but just for a few minutes. There was no point that I thought the procedure was painful. It lasted for about 30 minutes or so and they took the pad off and I was done. As far as cost, that is going to vary from person to person depending on your provider and how much you need done. In my personal experience I needed one pad and just one session and that cost will be in the $1,000 vicinity. Again, your individual price and needs may vary so don’t quote me on that. Got it? Great!

There were no scars, now nothing but a bit of redness that quickly went away. That’s IT.

About 3 weeks after the procedure was when I first started noticing my results. Was it in my head? They were subtle but there. About the 6 week mark was when I realized, holy smokes, this works! I was already feeling less self-conscious about my saggy chin.

Fast forward to July and my 3 month check up. Check out these before and afters, Particularly the profile shot. Can you believe it? I almost cried when I saw them. I told you I was a baby. But I was astounded that such a simple procedure would garner such amazing results. I had one round of CoolSculpting and sometimes you may need more it depends on you. I’m toying with the idea of doing one more round to get even more defined results and I’ll keep you posted if I do.

In short, if Cool Sculpting is something you’ve been thinking about doing I highly recommend Blackhawk Plastic Surgery for your needs. They truly are the best, friendliest and most importantly, competent, elective surgical and beauty center in the Bay Area.

At some point I need to have abdominoplasty done to repair the diastasis recti I got from birthing my girls (thanks, kids especially to the 10 pound one) as no matter how specialized abdominal exercises I do, nothing has helped. Now I have a hernia and my posture is on the downturn and I can;t even do one regular sit up. So when I do, they will be the only ones I trust with that as well.