Fat freezing, also known as “Coolsculpting” or cryolipolysis, is a non-invasive procedure for reducing the appearance of fat in specific areas of the body. Non-invasive means that nothing cuts or penetrates the skin during the procedure, unlike in alternatives such as liposuction.
So, how exactly does it work if it is not physically taking the fat out of your body? It relies on the fact that fat cells suffer much more in low temperatures than the tissue they are surrounded by. This means that lipolysis – the process of breaking down fat cells – can be induced externally by very cold temperatures without harming other types of tissue nearby.
This short explainer will provide some more details about fat freezing and how it works, as well as discussing the benefits and risks of the procedure.
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What happens in a cryolipolysis session?
You now know that fat freezing works pretty much as the name suggests. Cold temperatures are used to cause fatty compounds within fat cells called lipids to crystallise, and this causes the cells to die through a process called apoptosis.
However, that only explains what is happening on a micro scale. You are probably wondering what happens when you arrive at a cryolipolysis clinic. After you have been made comfortable, fat in the area you wish to target will be placed in a sort of clamp which is attached to a machine. There, it will be cooled to a temperature low enough to damage the fat cells.
It is not painful, instead the area typically becomes numb within a few minutes. Depending on the area being treated, the whole session can take from 35 minutes to one hour.
The results
Fat freezing relies on your body’s natural processes to break down and get rid of the fat cells, and these processes are not fast. This means that instead of seeing immediate results, people usually have to wait several weeks to start to notice them, and the final results will only become apparent three months or more after the treatment.
The procedure results in an average 20-25% reduction of fat in the area treated.
Areas which can be treated
Fat freezing is not a replacement for general weight loss. It is meant to be used for the removal of fat build ups in specific areas which cannot be easily targeted by diet and exercise. Typical examples include the belly and abdomen, flanks, back, thighs, and arms. It can also target areas around your face, such as your chin.
Is it safe?
Generally, cryolipolysis is very safe. That said, it is still a medical procedure and these always entail some risk. Side effects are rare, but the most common ones result from the clamp pulling or sucking on the skin. These include redness, bruising, and sensitivity to touch.
One more serious side effect is paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, which is extremely rare. This is when the fat cells expand when frozen. This often results in the patient needing liposuction.
When it comes to aesthetic medicine, fat freezing is a big advance. As a non-invasive procedure based on sound scientific principles, it offers a relatively safe chance of restoring your confidence with less risk.
