Fat Freezing – A Non-Invasive, No Downtime Treatment
For those who have stubborn pockets of fat despite diet and exercise, a noninvasive treatment that freezes and destroys the fat cells may be the answer. Cryolipolysis, also known as CoolSculpting, was FDA-cleared in 2010.
During treatment sessions, the fatty area is drawn into an applicator and frozen using a cooling technique that protects surrounding skin and muscle. Over time, the frozen fat cells die off and are naturally eliminated by the body.
What is Cryolipolysis?
Cryolipolysis is a noninvasive procedure, also known as CoolSculpting, that uses a specific cooling technology to destroy fat cells in the body without fat freezing treatment damaging the skin or other tissue. It is often used in areas that are resistant to diet and exercise, such as the stomach, thighs, or flanks (love handles), but it can also be done on other parts of the body, including the chin.
The idea behind the procedure came from a strange but harmless phenomenon observed in toddlers who ate a lot of popsicles. The researchers found that the children developed dimples in the fat tissue where the popsicles made contact with it. This led to the development of a process that would freeze these cells, killing them and leaving surrounding tissue undamaged.
During the treatment, you lie in a comfortable position while a device holds the area of the body that you are targeting between two paddles. During the session, you will feel pressure and cold, but this dissipates as the area becomes numb. Many people read, watch videos, or work on their computers during their treatments.
Unlike liposuction, there is no downtime or recovery period after cryolipolysis. The results from a single session can be visible as soon as three weeks after treatment, with the full effect showing up within a few months. These results are permanent because your body can’t produce new fat cells.
How Does Cryolipolysis Work?
Cryolipolysis is a noninvasive procedure for reducing stubborn fat pockets in specific areas of the body that do not respond to diet and exercise. It is FDA-approved and marketed under the name CoolSculpting. The procedure uses a cooling device to freeze and destroy fat cells in the treatment area, leaving other tissue unharmed. The technique is based on research that showed fat cells are more sensitive to cold temperatures than other types of cell, such as muscle cells or skin cells.
Harvard scientists discovered this process when they noticed that toddlers who ate a lot of popsicles developed dimples in their cheek fat (known as “popsicle panniculitis”). This led them to study what happens when you freeze fat cells, which they found occurs at a lower temperature than skin or other tissues. By adjusting the freezing temperature and timing of the treatments, they were able to target and destroy fat cells without harming surrounding tissue.
During the procedure, your doctor holds the part of your body you want to treat between two paddles on the device, which does not have needles or any sharp objects. The device applies the cooling pad to your skin for 30 to 60 minutes as the fat cells die, which your body slowly flushes away over the course of a month or so.
What Are the Side Effects of Cryolipolysis?
Fat freezing is a noninvasive procedure that causes no permanent damage to nerve fibers, blood vessels, muscles, or skin. During treatment, the applicator is placed over your desired area. Then, cooling energy lowers the temperature of the treatment site to -9°C. Because fat cells can’t survive at that temperature, they crystallize and die. Over a course of 12 weeks, your body naturally eliminates the dead fat cells from the treated area.
In clinical trials, cryolipolysis (also called CoolSculpting) has been shown to permanently reduce the size of fat deposits in treated areas. These results have been demonstrated in a variety of patients, from women to men, and across all ages.
Side effects of cryolipolysis are typically mild, including redness, tenderness, bruising, tingling, and numbness. These side effects are normal and usually resolve within a few days of your treatment session.
The origins of this fat reduction technique are based on the clinical observation of cold-induced panniculitis. The phenomenon, which was first described in infants who sucked on popsicles, was thought to occur because lipid-rich tissues are more vulnerable to cold injury than water-rich tissues.
The FDA approved this technique in 2010, and since then, it has become the fourth most popular noninvasive cosmetic procedure in the US. However, it is important to note that this procedure does not prevent new fat cells from forming and that it is not a weight loss solution for those who are overweight.
What Are the Benefits of Cryolipolysis?
One of the main benefits of fat freezing is that it is a non-invasive, no downtime treatment. It uses an applicator that “sucks up” the area where you want to see results, then freezes the fat cells beneath the skin to -9C. The cells crystallise, die and the body naturally eliminates them over a period of 12 weeks. This process can reduce the size of a fatty bulge by up to 20% on average.
Fat freezing is also more effective than liposuction, as the procedure only targets and destroys the fatty pockets. This allows the surrounding tissue to fat freezing treatment remain healthy and intact. Furthermore, fat freezing is a much safer alternative to surgical options such as a tummy tuck, as there is no risk of infection.
Lastly, fat freezing is also a more permanent form of fat reduction. Once the fatty pockets are destroyed, they will not come back. However, new fat cells can appear in other areas of the body, so it is essential to maintain a balanced diet and exercise regime.
A lot of people choose to undergo a fat freezing treatment because it is a safe and quick way to achieve noticeable results. This is especially true when compared to the months of recovery associated with a more invasive procedure such as a tummy tuck.
