Health Alert: Freezing the Fat Off



ASHEVILLE, N.C. — For many people, no matter how much weight they lose, there are certain areas they just can’t tone up.

Now some are turning to a relatively new method that freezes the fat away called CoolSculpting.

In fact it is so simple, it’s easy to wonder if it’s too good to be true. There’s no surgery, no anesthesia and no down time. Todd Wilkinson, a dermatologist at Advanced Dermatology and Skin Surgery in Asheville, says it’s geared toward people with exercise resistant areas on their body.

“Ideal candidates for CoolSculpting are within 15 to 20 pounds of their body weight,” Dr. Wilkinson said. “It is important to remember that CoolSculpting is not a weight loss procedure.”

Dr. Wilkinson says it’s for people who can’t get rid of fat in certain areas.

“It’s essentially a vaccuum cup with cool plates,” Wilkinson said. “It pulls the skin and fat into the cup and those cooling plates cool down the skin to just above freezing. That selectively injures the fat cells and the body reasorbs them over three months.”

When losing weight, fat cells become smaller but they don’t go away. In CoolSculpting, fat cells are frozen – or injured – then the body’s immune system naturally gets rid of them. When fat cells are no longer there they can’t get bigger, so the area that is treated ends up with a thinner layer of fat.

“You do not lose weight with cool sculpting,” Wilkinson said. “It’s not a treatment for obesity.”

Some before and after pictures show how fat can be reduced in hard to lose areas like a small paunch on the lower abdomen or trimming down love handles on the sides.

Results from a clinical study for the FDA shows “no serious adverse events were reported” and results supported “safe and effective use of the device.”

CoolSculpting was cleared by the FDA for use in 2010.

As for risks or side affects?

“Risks are minimal,” Wilkinson said. “Some people might experience mild bruising, maybe some skin sensitivity for about a week.”

The cost for a CoolSculpting treatment can run from $750 to $1,500 depending on how many areas of the body are treated.

To learn more about CoolSculpting, click here or here

_______________
Follow WLOS on social media:

WLOS ABC 13 News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/News13/
WLOS ABC 13 News on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WLOS_13
WLOS ABC 13 News on Instagram: https://instagram.com/wlos_13

Subscribe to WLOS on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ABC13Channel/?sub_confirmation=1

Listen to AnchorMOMS, the Podcast:
https://wlos.com/news/anchormoms/anchormoms-the-podcast

Watch more top local news stories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk8Ge6UXHJs&list=PLkVbaoT-aYbIvnEpR0Ct5QQQqYaORUSUH

For all of the day’s top local and national news, visit http://www.wlos.com
Watch our live newscasts and other live video at https://wlos.com/watch

Have a news tip? Send it directly to us:

Email us: [email protected]
Call the Newsroom: 828.684.1340

WLOS ABC 13 News serves the Asheville, NC area and the rest of western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. We keep our audience informed through local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of community events, sports and entertainment programming since 1954.

source

WP Radio
WP Radio
OFFLINE LIVE