If you have visited my blog or follow me on IG, you might have read or seen me with updates with my Reformaskin Journey with Caci Clinic in Botany Junction about a year ago. I had a year-long package with them for collagen induction treatments mainly to improve my acne scarring. I had a series of 5 collagen induction treatments, multiple microdermabrasion treatments as well as sonophoresis and glycolic peel facials. I documented the entire package on my blog, and here is the link to that post.
About a year after my package finished, I am now considering another type of treatment, this time for my body – ChillSculpt. Now with body image, everyone has different views and opinions on it. I do this for my own self-esteem and self-confidence. I am not doing this to please anybody or am I under any pressure from anyone. So, I’m just putting it out there before anyone pounds me on body-image.
Background on my body shape and weight
So, a little background on my body shape. My ethnicity is Asian and my parents are not big. My mum is around 150cm high and dad is probably about 165cm? Dad is quite slim and my mum is curvy and wide at the hips (giving birth to 4 girls does change your body quite a bit).
I would say my sisters and I lean towards dad’s physique. I was around 45-47kg until I got to university, stress took over and I gained a bit of weight until I was 51kg when I graduated. By the age of 30, I got pregnant with my first child and I put on about 9kg (Asher was born 3.1kg). I manage to lose most of it by eating properly and being a mum, lifestyle changes meant I did not have time for the gym ever since Asher was born and I had to go back to work full time before he turned 1.
I got pregnant again with my second child while I was around 56kg and I hardly remember how much weight I put on, but it definitely felt I put in more than I did with my first. After my second child, it was even harder to lose weight. He is now 3 and I am still 59kg, far from my 47kg before I was pregnant. I understand that this weight might be muscles, but I can actually see my tummy and thighs being nothing like what they used to be. Sometimes when I’m bloated, I look like I’m 5 months pregnant for goodness sake! I have no time for the gym and I try to fit some light exercise like walking and jogging in the weekend mornings, but that is never going to do anything substantial.
How I came across ChillSculpt and what is it?
So I stumbled upon ChillSculpt via a Facebook or IG advert and I looked into it, researched a bit more. ChillSculpt is actually just the name for this cryolipolysis treatment. This treatment is also called differently like CoolSculpting, etc.
It is basically a non-invasive fat reducing treatment (i.e. no liposuction) using cryolipolysis technology. “Controlled cooling that freezes and reduces fat cells. The targeted fat cells gradually disappear naturally through the body’s normal metabolic process. It is not a weight loss solution but ideal for reducing unwanted fat that cannot be easily removed through diet and exercise. It is a non-surgical alternative to liposuction and requires no down time, each treatment only takes around an hour.” – Caci clinic website.
Image from Caci Clinic
Areas that can be treated: stomach – lower abdomen, hips – muffin top, thighs, waist, back – bra strap area and love handles, saddle bags. Generally where the fat is quite soft and can be squeezed by the hand so that the suction device from the machine can be attached and the fat can be sucked into the device. Some places do treat underarms and chins as well using a smaller suction attachment.
Why did I choose Caci Clinic and what was the first consultation like?
There are a couple of places that do these treatments now and the two places I went for a consultation is Caci Clinic in Botany Junction and Laser Clinic in a Botany Town Centre. They use different machines and therefore quoted very differently (more than double the price, if you want to know about the quotes, message me or leave a comment). I went to Laser Clinic first and I had a free 45-min consultation where I was asked to put on disposable bra and shorts. She then took pictures of the areas I want to be treated and mapped out where she plans to place the device on my. She had these oval templates and drew all over my mid-sections with different coloured sharpies. Honestly, I was not expecting that and if you are uncomfortable with that, you need to let her know and see what she can do about it.
She recommended a total of 6 “cups” per treatment session. 4 cups surrounding my belly button which will overlap each other a little, then another 2 just under my boobs. 2 treatments are recommended for each cup area therefore it will be a total of 12 cups to see the best results. She explained that for each visit, that I would need to allocate pretty much the entire day as they only use 1 cup on you at a time (approx 50mins per cup x 6 areas = approx 6 hours each visit), and there will be massaging involved after the machine has done its work. Their quote for me was $5,880 after 30% discount, saving me $2,520 from the RRP $8,400. Holy cow that’s expensive! Anyway, let’s have a look at what Caci offered me below.
A few days later I went to Caci Clinic for a consultation with Lena which is the owner of the Botany Junction and Kohimarama branch. She was really polite and friendly and I felt really comfortable talking to her. She briefly described to me what this treatment entails and how it works, if there were any side effects or downtime. She had a brief look at my areas of concern but not in detail like what we did in Laser Clinic. Lena recommended a series of 6 treatments for my abdomen area and the way they do this is quite different to Laser Clinic. I decided to go with Caci Clinic because I felt more comfortable there and they have treated me before. They were also much more affordable and the sessions are a lot shorter each time even if it meant I need to go more often. See below of her quote for me.
How much did it all cost and how many sessions do I need?
At Caci, each visit will be approximately an hour and the entire stomach area is treated as the “cup” is moved along the area (I’m not sure how many minutes on each area). A total of 6 visits within 6 months, spaced 4 weeks apart will achieve the best results. She said she had an exclusive offer to her branches only (Botany Junction and Kohimarama) for buy 5 get 1 free treatment. So a total of $2000 for 5 treatments and I will get 1 treatment free, which makes it $400 per treatments if I didn’t get that extra one for free. I was waived the set-up fee because I was a previous client and I opted for monthly payment of $274 for 6 months after paying a $360 deposit up front.
As part of the ChillSculpt Body Shaping program, I get 20% off beauty treatments and 10% off Skinsmiths skincare, I also get treats such as free facials too!
Immediately I was offered to have my first treatment which I kindly declined because I had other things to do that day, but Lena set me up with my first apppointment a week later at around lunch time so I am super excited right now. I will update you guys here on my blog or follow me on IG stories for updates. I’m going to try and film the process if I can, otherwise I will just take photos. Hopefully I will be brave enough to post before and after photos, because mind you, it takes a lot of courage to post unflattering photos of yourself on the internet. I truly hope this helps people out there looking into doing this treatment!
