For the first five to ten minutes, yes, a little, in our experience: intense cold, pulling and stinging as the applicator draws the fold in and cools it. Then the area goes numb and most people read, work or rest for the remainder of the cycle. In a 2022 series of 91 patients treated on the current applicators, 78% rated the discomfort 1 or 2 out of 5, 19% a 3, and 3% a 4 or 5. In our experience the two-minute massage when the applicator comes off is the part most people find most uncomfortable, and it is soon over. Afterwards the area is tender and numb for one to three weeks. The plan and the price are in writing at a free consultation at Cool Clinic, 130 Harley Street.
Minute by minute
- The first minutes. The applicator draws a fold of skin and fat into the cup and the cooling starts. The maker's own list of sensations: pulling, tugging, mild pinching, intense cold, tingling, stinging, aching, cramping. "These sensations lessen as the area becomes numb."
- Five to ten minutes in. Numb. You read, work on a laptop or doze. No anaesthetic is used.
- The cycle. 35 to 60 minutes depending on the applicator and the area.
- The massage. When the applicator comes off, the fold is firm and cold and is massaged for two minutes, as the label directs. In our experience this is the sharpest part. It is not optional: in a ten-patient study, the massaged side had 68% more fat reduction at two months and 44% more at four.
What the studies scored
- 91 patients, one clinic, current applicators (2022): pain on a 1 to 5 scale, 40% rated it 1, 38% rated 2, 19% rated 3, 1% rated 4, 2% rated 5; satisfaction 84%; no serious or lasting complications.
- 518 patients in Belgium and France (2013): 96% reported minimal to tolerable discomfort.
- 60 patients treated under the chin (2016): 76% found it comfortable.
- 35 participants treated with two applicators at once (2025): mean maximum pain 2.6 out of 10 in the first session and 4.1 in the second, no serious events.
The label notes that chronic pain, cold sensitivity or anxiety can make a session more uncomfortable, which is one reason the clinician goes through your history first.
The days after
Red, firm and numb when you leave. Bruising and swelling for one to two weeks; numbness or tingling for two to three weeks on average, sometimes several weeks, and 8% of patients in the pivotal study still had altered sensation at two months. Aching and cramping in the first days are common and respond to paracetamol or ibuprofen in our experience; leave the numb patch alone, with no heat pad or ice pack. Under the chin, the maker's list adds throat discomfort, lower lip weakness, tongue deviation and a dry mouth. The downside page goes through every listed effect and its frequency.
The rare pain events
The maker's UK safety information gives two: severe pain, about one in 6,000 treatments, and late-onset pain starting days later, also about one in 6,000. Both are listed events, both rare, and both reasons to call the clinic rather than wait.
Who should not have it
CoolSculpting is not for anyone with cryoglobulinaemia, cold agglutinin disease or paroxysmal cold haemoglobinuria, three rare blood conditions triggered by cold. The caution list, from cold urticaria and Raynaud's to nerve pain, a hernia or implants in the area, is in the full guide. CoolSculpting is FDA-cleared in the US for nine areas. Usually there is no time off work and you can exercise the same day; the sessions page covers how many cycles an area needs.
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 what each will feel like, and gives you the price in writing. Our patients review the clinic on review.clinic, where it scores 4.8 out of 5 from 54 reviews in November 2026.
