Cryolipolysis: Freeze Away Fat Cells

How cooling your stubborn fat to sub-zero can help you achieve your body sculpting goals

Have you got a small pocket of fat that just won’t budge? Maybe you’ve tried the latest fad diet, or spent hours a week in the gym, with no success. For many women and men, non-invasive body contouring treatments are a good option to help with the stubborn fat that just won’t go away, without the risks and downtime associated with surgery. One treatment that’s being used by celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Khloe Kardashian, Amy Schumer and figure skating champion John Weir is cryolipolysis or ‘fat freezing’.

What is fat freezing?

Fat freezing is a way to recontour, shape and sculpt your body. It cools your fat cells to subzero temperatures through cup-shaped suction applicators that can be applied on the body and the freezing temperatures causes the fat cells to break down without damaging your surrounding skin. After the cooling, the practitioner will usually give the area a massage to help reduce swelling and bruising, while accelerating the elimination process of fat cells. Fat freezing typically takes around an hour, depending on the area being treated and the type of device used. After the treatment, the fat undergoes a natural cell death process called ‘apoptosis’, where the body naturally processes the fat and removes the dead cells, which will be excreted through the lymphatic system. Fat freezing treatments are a good alternative to more invasive procedures such as liposuction or surgery as they don’t take as much time, are cost effective, and have fewer risks with minimal to no recovery time.

Before Cryolipolysis After

1 2 3 4

1. Fat cells can be resistant to diet and exercise 2. Cryolipolysis cools and crystallises fat cells 3. Crystallised fat cells are removed by the immune system 4. The fat cells are eliminated

Before After

Patient in her early 50s before and eight weeks after one cryolipolysis treatment session to her double chin with the CoolScupting device. This patient also had jawline fillers to complete her result. Patient treated at The Cosmetic Skin Clinic

Before After

Patient in his mid-30s before and 12 weeks after two cryolipolysis treatment sessions to abdomen and flanks with the CoolScupting device. Patient treated at The Cosmetic Skin Clinic

What can be treated?

The most popular areas to treat with cryolipolysis are the abdomen, flanks and thighs, but it can treat almost any place on the body such as under the chin, the bra area for women, chest area for men, the upper arms, back, banana rolls underneath the buttocks and even around the knee! As cryolipolysis destroys the fat cells, they will be permanently removed and won’t return. However, destroying these cells will not prevent more from appearing or for current cells to grow larger, so a healthy lifestyle must be maintained. You should also consider the potential side effects of this treatment, which can include short-term discomfort, temporary numbness, swelling and redness.

What are the results?

According to the results of 85 patients who underwent cryolipolysis treatment using the CoolSculpting device, the average fat reduction at follow-up was 21.5% and 55 of these patients saw a 27% reduction of lower abdomen fat. Of course, results will differ according to the individual and the area being treated, as well as the kind of device that is used, but results will usually be seen from around three months. The number of treatment sessions varies from person to person depending on the desired outcome.

What type of fat freezing treatments are available?

There’s lots of cryolipolysis devices available on the market, and your aesthetic practitioner can advise which is best for your treatment concerns. Some of the devices in the UK include: CoolTech, CRISTAL, Cryo Quattro, cryoHD, perfecte’ me, and 3D Ultimate. One of the most well-known cryolipolysis devices is CoolSculpting. Although this treatment has been around for almost 10 years, it’s recently launched a new platform called CoolSculpting Elite, which can treat twice the number of body areas in the same amount of time!

Ask the professional…

Interested in trying cryolipolysis? Dr Tracy Mountford, founder of The Cosmetic Skin Clinic in Buckinghamshire and London, shares some advice. Find her on Instagram via @the_cosmetic_skin_clinic

Who can benefit from this treatment?

We can re-sculpt and recontour the whole body with this treatment and it’s highly successful – being popular with both men and women of all shapes and sizes. The ideal candidate is someone of normal weight that just has stubborn areas of fat that are hard to shift through diet and exercise alone.

Can you treat all skin types?

Yes! We can treat all coloured skins, although the treatment is not suitable for everyone. Those with very saggy, inelastic skin may exacerbate the problem if they have treatment, but this is true with any fat reduction procedure. These patients would be better suited to surgery, which is why we have to physically see you in clinic to carry out a full assessment.

How do I know where to go?

You should look for a practitioner with a good reputation and years of experience in body contouring, specifically fat freezing, because if the treatment isn’t done well and isn’t carried out artistically, you can get uneven results that look lumpy. Friends, family or colleague recommendations are ideal, or you can get a referral from the device company’s clinic locator.

What’s exciting in the world of fat freezing at the moment?

The treatment taking the industry by a storm right now is the newest device on the market called the CoolSculpting Elite – an upgrade to the popular CoolSculpting device. It can treat two body areas at the same time allowing you the beauty of being in and out of the clinic much quicker. We have carefully selected this technology as it has years of history showcasing its safety and efficacy. The original CoolSculpting device is also cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration with many millions of treatments worldwide under its belt. If you are someone looking to undergo a fat freezing treatment, it’s important the device your practitioner chooses has strong evidence for safety and results.

Dr Tracy Mountford uses CoolSculpting and is offering complimentary consultations for Beyond Beauty readers. Just quote Beyond Beauty when booking your consultation.