Although this method does not offer the more extensive fat loss available from liposuction, it is a great alternative for those with smaller areas of fat," Stevens says. The temperature of the machines used to freeze away the fat is kept secret, but the idea of using extreme cold to damage fat cells first surfaced in the 1970s when it was discovered that some children who ate ice lollies developed cheek dimples.
According to Dr Mathew Avram, of the Massachusetts General Hospital Dermatology Laser and Cosmetic Centre, who helped to create the technique, it "targets and cools fat cells to temperatures that trigger their natural death". He adds: "Because lipids crystallise faster than normal cells, there is no damage to nerves or other tissue. Over the next few weeks and months, the fat cells shrink and begin to die."
Longevity Magazine - March 2012
Treatment: Coolsculpting
by Zeltiq
Cryolipolysis is a non-invasive treatment that freezes fat. It’s
ideal for treating resistant pockets of fat, such as the belly, love handles,
inner thighs, knees, upper arms, “bra bulges” and “man boobs”. The vacuum
hand-piece sucks the area up between two electrodes, which freeze the fat cells
to about 4ºC. This causes them to crystallise and eventually undergo fat cell
death. These damaged cells are gradually cleared away, over a period of four
months, via the lymphatic system.
Cost: Treatment costs between R7 000 and R12 000 per area. Each area takes an hour to treat (Gauteng).
Realistic expectations: Results vary from 20% to 40% loss of fat in a treated area after one session. When treating a belly, most patients also lose two to three centimetres, but some have lost as much as six centimetres. “Results are less marked in other areas of the body,” says Natasha Begg-Spiro of Laserderm.
Precautions: The treatment can be mildly uncomfortable, but most patients go numb after about six minutes, and many even sleep through the procedure. Numbness and tenderness at the site of the procedure can last for up to two weeks, and sharp, shooting pains are sometimes felt sporadically. Mild bruising may occur, and 1% of patients can develop a more severe pain which may require painkillers for about a week. This treatment is recommended for treating fat pockets and not for overall weight loss.
Comments: The non-invasive nature means that there is no need for a general anaesthetic, and there are no cuts and scars. Multiple treatments can be done for even better results, and with FDA approval, you are assured that this treatment is effective, adds Begg-Spiro.
I
Had My Fat Frozen Off - 7 June 2011
By Helen Grange:
The Star
By now we’re all suffering fat ad fatigue. I mean, how often do
commercials for slimming products or treatments ever deliver a really
noticeable, lasting result? Fact is few if any of these things work. Nothing
beats a healthy diet and regular exercise, but even then, you have those bits
that bulge no matter what, right?
I’ve never made more than a mediocre effort at losing my belly flab, probably because I just don’t care that much about it. I’ve half-heartedly contemplated liposuction, but not since Dr Robert Eckeld’s recent study finding at the University of Colorado that liposuction does work initially, but then the fat comes back after a year to another part of the body, mostly the upper stomach or upper arms. The body apparently “defends” its fat by re-growing fat cells, the researchers claim.
I gladly agreed, however, to be one of the first journalists in South Africa to try out Cool Sculpting by Zeltiq, a new treatment that, to be blunt, freezes your fat cells to death. They either burst when the fat crystallises, or shrivel and die from stress. It’s been hailed by celebrities on both sides of the Atlantic.
It sounds radical, but unlike liposuction, it involves no anaesthesia, needles
or cutting, and zero downtime. So I was happy to try, as the worst that could
happen is my tummy would be on ice for a bit, while some fat cells did a long
overdue swansong.
Developed at a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School in the US, Cool
Sculpting has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which
means it’s been tried, tested and proven effective.
The process is alternatively called Cryolipolysis (cold lipolysis) and is based on extensive scientific research that demonstrates fat cells are susceptible to extreme cold, unlike the surrounding skin or muscle.The sub-zero temperatures cause the fat cells to die, which are then absorbed and flushed away by the body over the next few months, reducing your targeted fat layer by, on average, 20 percent and if you’re lucky, nearly 40 percent.
At Laserderm Med Spa in Sandton, aesthetic practitioner Dr Natasha Begg-Spiro
talked me through each step of the Cool Sculpting procedure before taking my
body measurements.“You’re a good candidate,” she said, explaining that Cool
Sculpting is not for those who are obese or very overweight, but for people with
pockets of belligerent fat on thighs, butts, tummies or arms (“bingo wings”).On
my next visit a few days later, I was weighed, measured and photographed
semi-dressed as I turned slowly on a disc on the floor.
Begg-Spiro then took various sizes of calipers to check which one best fitted the roll just below my belly button. Once on the treatment bed and comfortable, the device itself – which looked like a margarine tub-sized vacuum head – was attached to the bottom part of my belly, and the machine was started. This is the most uncomfortable part, but it only lasts a couple of minutes. Your bulge gets slowly but firmly sucked up into the vacuum head, which consists of two cooling panels that will do the freezing. It’s not painful, just a pulling and tugging sensation. After a few more minutes, the feeling of intense cold dissipated as my lower belly went numb. I simply settled down to a magazine until the machine signalled the hour was up. Some people sleep or work on their laptops.
When the device came off, I had a very cold red lump to contemplate, but it soon flattened out and by the time I was home it was gone. It was a little tender in the days following, but far from debilitating. In fact, the only noticeable side-effect was I didn’t feel very up to eating meat. Begg-Spiro, who was the first guinea- pig on the machine when it arrived at her spa at the beginning of March, reports too that “you don’t feel like eating as much”, which is a bonus if you tend to pile on the portions.
A month-and-a-half later and there has been a definite, if not profound difference. My belly has deflated by a noticeable margin, and the consistency of the fat itself has changed from hard and stubborn to soft and yielding. Best of all, while the destroyed fat cells are still flushing out of my system, the results have given me a burst of motivation to clean up my act, so lentils and exercise have re-entered my life after a long absence. Spiro-Begg says the most dramatic results show at two months, though your body continues to flush out the fat cells for up to six months. And as long as you maintain your weight with a normal diet and exercise, the results should be stable and long term. “Every person I have treated so far is pleased with the results and quite of few are coming back to get a second treatment,” she says.
“CoolSculpting is definitely an option for people who don’t want to go the liposuction route. A single treatment is usually enough, but a larger belly might require two treatments. If we are treating love handles, there are two treatments involved, but the second one is half price,” she says. Initial tests showed that after one procedure, people lost between 10 and 37 percent of the fat, with an average loss of 25 percent after six months. I’m of course hoping I’m in the upper league, then maybe I’ll forgo potatoes and cheese for good, to save up for the next freeze. I’m hoping to get the top of my belly done. - The Star
* Costs: Between R7 000 and R12 000 a treatment, depending on the size of the area targeted. Love handles entail two treatments, but one is done at half-price, so the cost is about R10 500.
A safety and efficacy trial, carried out at 16 centers and involving 314 patients, was presented by Dr. A. Jay Burns at the 2010 ASLMS meeting. The study found no serious side effects and no skin damage or pigment change from the procedure. Minor side effects included transient bruising, minor pain, reduced sensation, erythema, and edema – all of which resolved spontaneously.
Of 41 patients in the study who underwent ultrasound measurement, the average reduction in fat was 21% after a single procedure. "That’s a consistent number you see in many studies," said Dr. Bass, of the plastic surgery department at New York University School of Medicine.
In a separate study also presented at the 2010 ASLMS meeting, researchers led by Dr. Ivan A. Rosales-Berber investigated the effect of consecutive cryolipolysis treatments separated by 2-3 months. The second treatment resulted in a similar proportion of fat reduction as the first treatment (14.6% vs. 16.5%, respectively).
Three months after the second procedure, the fat layer reduction exceeded 25%. This "means that there is repeatability [with cryolipolysis]," Dr. Bass said. "That’s important, because unfortunately a lot of patients have more than one body contouring emergency in their lives."
An earlier published study determined that cryolipolysis associated with modest reversible short-term changes in peripheral nerve function (Aesthetic Plast. Surg. 2009;33:482-8). Ten patients underwent a thorough neurological evaluation at baseline and weekly after the procedure. All patients returned to baseline peripheral nerve function in an average of 3.6 weeks. The study also found that mean fat reduction by ultrasound was 20.4% at 2 months and 25.5% at 6 months. "Even though we think it takes about 90 days for this whole apoptotic process to resolve, there may be something ongoing, or some tissue consolidation taking place for a longer period of time, allowing patients to continue to improve," Dr. Bass noted.
Is Cryolipolysis the cure for love handles & thunder thighs?
By:
Health Habits - 3 June 2010
Q: What the heck is Cryolipolysis?
A: It’s a non-invasive (unlike lipo) cosmetic procedure designed to provide a
controlled and selective destruction of fat cells (Cryo = cold – Lipolysis =
breakdown of body fat cells) without causing damage to the overlying skin or
rise in lipid levels.
And it might just be the next big thing for your friendly neighborhood cosmetic surgeon.
Zeltiq is the medical device company that was smart enough to grab hold of some 40 year old cryolipolysis research, build upon that research, and then monetize it via their cryolipolysis procedure. And, they are going to be rich. But, before you get all excited and start looking for a local practitioner, realize that not everybody is a suitable candidate for this procedure.
- Ideal candidates for the CoolSculpting procedure are relatively fit, but have some modest-size fat bulges that are not easily reduced through diet and exercise. They are seeking spot reduction for specific areas of fat, but are not considering a surgical procedure. The cryolipolysis procedure is not intended for weight loss or obesity, and it is not a substitute for invasive methods such as liposuction.
- In short, if you’re the kind of person who has been eating healthy and exercising regularly…and still having a problem with some problem areas, then cryolipolysis may be for you.
Everybody is always looking for a painless, effective way to lose fat. There have been all types of ‘cures’ and treatments available for fat loss – some more effective than others, and some actual involving physically invasive procedures. If you are interested to know about a non-invasive fat loss procedure, you are certainly going to find our review of Cryoliplolysis very interesting.
We have given you an explanation of what the process involves, and our article
also take into consideration any apprehensions that people may have concerning
this procedure. Read on to find out more!Cryolipolysis is the patented name for the Zeltiq procedure, also known as the Coolsculpting procedure. The outstanding feature of this treatment is that fat bulges are targeted using a special cooling technique. Gradually the fat cells are eliminated over a two to four month period.
The procedure reduces fat in a chosen, targeted part of the body, such as the love handles, back, stomach, or bottom. This method does not require surgery, there is no anesthesia, no needles, no cuts, and it only targets fat cells without harming the skin or any other tissue. There is no need to have pain medication, and most people who have the treatment don’t need recovery time and the same day they can get back to work or to their usual exercising. Cryolipolysis is a restful, painless procedure for most people and as they don’t have to be put to sleep, they can utilize their time reading or working on their laptop, or just relaxing.The coolsculpting treatment results have proven to be long lasting and testing have shown no increase in blood lipids or blood cholesterol. Other treatments which ‘melt fat’ have worried some doctors as the body cannot properly process the large amounts of fat introduced into the lymphatic system at a fast rate. The Zeltiq procedure has proven to avoid this concern as it takes a few weeks for the fat to be expelled, which is at a rate the body can handle.
How Much Does The Zeltiq Procedure For Cryolipolysis Cost? Typically the average cost of this treatment is around $650 to $3000, depending on the clinic and the areas of the body treated. This is not cheap, by any means.
In the never-ending quest for thinner thighs and flatter tummies, body fat has been melted, sucked out, kneaded, and subjected to vacuum pressure. The latest weapon of choice: the freezer. Last summer the FDA approved CoolSculpting by Zeltiq, the world’s first cryolipolysis (translation: fat-freezing) device. Over the course of a one- to two-hour treatment, the machine chills love handles, muffin tops, and other assorted bulges down to a temperature at which fat cells, or lipocytes, are damaged, while other cells remain unharmed.
During the next
few weeks, the lipocytes die off and are recycled by the lymphatic system and
the liver. “You can see as much as a 20 percent decrease after one treatment,
and the fat cell reduction continues for about three months,” says Santa Monica
dermatologist Ava Shamban, who has used the procedure on more than 700 patients.
Noninvasive, with little discomfort, and requiring no post-treatment downtime,
CoolSculpting is also reasonably affordable—Shamban charges about $500 per area.
And it’s a particularly welcome addition for men, whose lumpy areas are more
fibrotic and vascular than women’s, making them difficult to treat with
liposuction. “It has definitely revolutionized the way we think about fat