Recently celeb Jeanette Aw has emerged as the spokesperson for an American fat freezing brand, Coolsculpting. There is quite a lot of interest on what this new technology can do.
For those of us who are looking at permanent fat removal, previously minimally invasive surgical type of liposuction has always been considered the only method. However liposuction comes with many problems, such as surgical risks with post surgery pain, swelling, bruising, fibrosis or hardening of the underlying skin, surgical scars, long recovery period of up to 2 to 3 weeks, and unevenness after the surgery. Not to mention anaesthetic risks which have proven to be fatal at times.
By comparison fat freezing technology is also a permanent method of fat removal. Fat freezing or cryolipolysis uses sub-zero temperature, from -8 to -13 degrees Celsius, to induce apoptosis or natural cell death of the fat cells.
All of us are born with a fixed number of fat cells, therefore with this cell death the areas that are treated by fat freeze will permanently lose the fat cells. Another advantage is that the natural cell death have minimal complications like scar tissue formation which limits the number of times it can be done.
Q: So why are there so many types of fat freezing devices and how should we choose?
Firstly look for those fat freeze technologies that has proper medical great certification such US FDA like Coolsculpting or EU CE Mark like Cooltech. Next asked for proven research clinical papers.
Typically the brands of fat-free‘s machines carried in clinics are of higher quality with more consistent results.
Q: Why do some people get less good results than others?
The commonest reasons are under treatment. What this means is that the problem areas with extra fat deposits are incompletely treated. For example to treat the tummy or abdomen we should also treat the waistline or the flanks as well so the entire area of fat is removed.
Also the abdomen should be treated for both the upper and lower parts abd not just the Central single part.
In general most people need at least two sessions performed at intervals of 4 to 8 weeks apart to see visible results. This is because each session of medical-grade fat freeze can achieve 26 to 34% of fat reduction.
Q: How do I know if fat freeze is for me?
This is very simple: just pinch the area of fat. If you can pinch it it can be treated with fat freeze. However you should still consult an expert on fat freezing before starting any treatment.
Q: What if the Fat is not pinchable?
In this case there are other types of fat freezing Technology such as Cool smooth pro, ultrasound cavitation, , radiofrequency or electromagnetic waves treatment. For the latter 3, minimum 6-12 sessions are needed.
Q: What is the commonest problems with Fat freezing?
The most common problem is the overcooling the skin causing skin blistering or cold burns. This problem has now been solved by using thick quality cooling gelpad applied over the area prior to undergoing fat freeze.
Q: What is the rarest problems I should know about?
There is a rare condition known Paroxysmal Fat Hypertrophy which is excessive fat recurrence on the area treated due by fat freezing. This has been found in 0.01% of patients treated using legacy Coolsculpting mainly in people with African or Hispanics descent. The causes are still unknown. For these people only surgical treatments are suitable.
