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

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