Cold lipolysis is one way to get rid of stubborn localized fat that just won't go away despite all the diets and exercise. It is a treatment that breaks down only fat cells without harming the surrounding tissues, and it delivers effective results without keeping the patient away from social life. Behind the mechanism of this treatment, which offers results similar to liposuction surgery, lies a scientific discovery made in 2005.
Developed by Dr. Dieter Manstein and Dr. R. Anderson of Harvard University, CoolSculpting was inspired by the dimples that form on the cheeks of children eating ice lollies. Starting from this important observation, the researchers concluded that cold triggers a process that leads to the death of fat cells and began to study the subject. The patent for cryolipolysis, known in Turkish as "soğuk lipoliz", belongs to Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts. In 2009 they developed CoolSculpting, the cold lipolysis technology that eliminates localized fat with the effect of cold.
Not Every Cold Lipolysis Treatment Is the Same
Although other cold lipolysis devices came onto the market after the success of CoolSculpting, CoolSculpting is the only device among cold lipolysis treatments whose safety and effectiveness have been proven by scientific studies and publications.
Anyone planning to have cold lipolysis should make sure that the device used is CoolSculpting, because it is the only FDA-cleared device among cold lipolysis systems. Cold lipolysis with CoolSculpting has been performed on millions of people around the world since 2009. This is the best proof of how effective and, even more importantly, how safe the treatment is.
How Does Cold Lipolysis Work?
The treatment targets only the fat cells beneath the skin, without affecting the upper layer of the skin, the muscles or the nerves. With CoolSculpting technology, the fat cells in the treated area are exposed to freezing cold of down to -11 degrees Celsius. The system's controlled cooling mechanism disrupts the integrity of the fat cells in the treated area. Fat cells, which are sensitive to low temperatures, break down and are naturally eliminated from your body over the following two weeks or so. In a single session, CoolSculpting technology eliminates about 30–35% of the fat tissue in the treated area. One session is enough for patients who do not have much localized fat. Patients with more fat tissue may need a second and sometimes a third session.
What you want to know about CoolSculpting, the only FDA-cleared cold lipolysis technology…
Can Cold Lipolysis Also Be Applied to the Face?
When the CoolSculpting system, the world's first cold lipolysis technology, was first developed, its areas of use were limited. It could treat areas such as the abdomen, hips and flanks, but the device's applicator could not be used on smaller areas such as the arms and inner knees. Over time, applicators were developed that can be used on excess fat in almost every part of the body. With the applicator called CoolMini, the face has now also become one of the areas where cold lipolysis can be applied. Today, cold lipolysis is one of the treatments for excess fat under the chin, which makes the face look older and blurs the jawline, and the technology used is CoolMini. The CoolMini treatment, which eliminates fat tissue under the chin, takes only 35 minutes. The final results appear once the broken-down fat cells have been completely eliminated from the body, that is, after about six weeks.
Are CoolSculpting and Cold Lipolysis the Same Thing?
Cold lipolysis is a method, a form of treatment. The treatment that permanently eliminates localized fat with the effect of freezing cold is called cold lipolysis. CoolSculpting technology was developed after the discovery that cold breaks down fat cells. Although other cold lipolysis devices have appeared since then, CoolSculpting is the only system proven by many scientific studies to be safe and to permanently eliminate fat tissue.
When Will I Start to See the Effects of CoolSculpting?
About a week after the procedure, you start to notice a reduction in the treated area. After the second week, the final result of the treatment begins to appear. About 30–35% of the fat tissue in the treated area is permanently eliminated and naturally removed from the body through the lymphatic system.
Who Are the Best Candidates for Cold Lipolysis?
Cold lipolysis is not a weight-loss treatment but a body contouring treatment. Because it only targets localized fat, it should not be seen as a way to lose weight. In other words, the best candidates for this treatment are people who are close to their ideal weight but are bothered by localized fat. Cold lipolysis is suitable for people whose body mass index is normal or slightly above normal, or who are at most about ten kilos overweight. Anyone who is a few kilos overweight or at a normal weight but is bothered by stubborn fat on the back, abdomen, hips, inner knees, flanks, arms or inner thighs that cannot be removed with diet and exercise, and who wants a more shapely silhouette, can benefit from this treatment.
Why Should I Choose the CoolSculpting System?
Because among cold lipolysis treatments, CoolSculpting is the system that has been scientifically researched and proven safe and effective by the FDA.
What Is the Procedure Like? Can People With a Low Pain Threshold Have It?
It is a very comfortable procedure. However, it is normal to feel a slight ache for the first three to four minutes until the skin gets used to the cold. After the treatment, there may be mild redness and swelling in the treated area. These disappear completely within a few hours at the earliest and within a day at the latest.
Is There Anything I Should Pay Attention to After the Procedure? When Can I Return to Social Life?
If you are careful not to gain weight after the procedure, the effects of the treatment will be permanent. You can return to your social life, and to work if you are working, right after the CoolSculpting treatment.
How Is Cold Lipolysis Applied and What Does It Cost?
The price of CoolSculpting cold lipolysis is determined by the area to be treated. A minimum of 2 applicators are used for each treatment area. The number of applicators needed for the area is determined during the consultation, and you are then given an exact price.
