CoolSculpting: cryolipolysis treatment that freezes off your festive fat

CoolSculpting, a treatment that promises to “freeze off” your fat, has been proving a popular solution to shifting those post-holiday pounds.

Thousands in the U.S. are turning to CoolSculpting, otherwise known as cryolipolysis, which costs upwards of $750 per session and promises to remove 20 to 25% of fat in targeted areas such as the stomach or thighs.

New York City-based dermatologist Dr. Michele Green says she has noticed a surge in demand for the non-invasive procedure at this time of year.

She said: “CoolScuplting is an easy in-office procedure and freeze away that bulge in their stomach or love handles.

“It is especially popular after the holidays when we have all eaten too much.”

The CoolSculpting device features a gel patch that clamps on to the targeted area and freezes fat cells beneath the skin.

The sub-zero temperatures cause the fat cells to die. They are then flushed away by the body over the next few months.

The treatment, which takes anything from one to several hours, is apparently relatively painless, and patients often work or watch movies throughout.

According to the Daily Telegraph, it is proving particularly popular with men, who typically shy away from surgical options such as liposuction.

At Marina Plastic Surgery, which has clinics in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, men make up 45% of the CoolSculpting patients. With other procedures, just 13% of patients are male.

Those hoping to dodge the gym, however, will be disappointed to learn that CoolSculpting should not be considered an alternative.

While the fat-loss in the targeted area is permanent, it won’t prevent build-up in other areas.

“If you eat a lot you’ll gain weight in other places, so you need to keep going to the gym and watching your diet,” Dr. Grant Stevens warns.

The procedure will not replace proper diet and exercise, Dr. Michele Green added.

“The ideal candidate is someone in good shape who simply has a bulge that they cannot reduce either through diet or exercise but they are physically fit,” she said.

HOW DOES COOLSCULPTING WORK?

CoolSculpting, which has enjoyed huge popularity since it was approved by the FDA in 2010, was designed by scientists at Zeltiq in California.

The device features a gel patch that clamps on to the targeted area and freezes fat cells beneath the skin.

The sub-zero temperatures cause the fat cells to die. They are then flushed away by the body over the next few months.

The treatment, which takes anything from one to several hours, is relatively painless.

The skin and muscle tissue is unaffected by the procedure because fat freezes at a higher temperature than other cells.

Mitchell Levinson, Zeltiq’s founder, said trial patients had been monitored for three years without the fat returning.

A single treatment is usually enough for each love handle. A larger beer belly or a set of flaps of fat under the arms may need two treatments.

Zeltiq says it is for those in need of a little fat removal and is not suitable for the obese.