There is a new game in town! It goes by many different brands ,one of which is “CoolSculpting”. It is medically known as cryolipolysis and uses a colder than body temperature to freeze unwanted body and/or facial fat. The process touts that the lipolized or destroyed fat and debris is then excreted out of the body via the bowel and/or urine. This is not usually biochemically and/or scientifically possible. The fat cells are not able to cross those barriers with impunity.
Consider a mental picture of a single, individual fat cell that is frozen through the process of cryolipolysis as a “baking potato.” Once the skin of the potato is broken, the contents are spilled into the lymphatics and blood stream and its components, such as cholesterol and fatty acids are destined to be relocated elsewhere in the patient’s body or reaccumulate in the residual fat cells in the area of cryolipolysis. The body’s more dormant fat cells will then store these circulating building blocks back in fat storage usually at distant sites from the origin area of destruction. The results made be manifested in unsightly bulges there. If you are a loved one has had this procedure, to get the more desired result they will need to add exercise and/or weight loss to their post-operative regimen.
Last month, a 62-year-old male patient of ours went to have this procedure done elsewhere on this “love handles” without consulting us. A couple of months after his cool sculpting, he presented to our clinic with large deposits of fat of his axillae, lateral breast tails and upper abdomen. Traditional liposuction was needed to remove over 1250 ccs of fat (i.e. about one and one half quarts) of fat. Since the previous fat cells were not removed from the body during the cool sculpting procedure, the relocated, unwanted fat had to be removed via the traditional method of tumescent liposuction. This tried and proven type of treatment was first introduced into this country in the early eighties and once was the most sought after procedure in this country. Because the contents of the removed fat cells were eliminated from the body and could not relocate somewhere else, a diet was not recommended.
Cryolipolysis can be a great adjunctive procedure under the right circumstances, but not all. Usually if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
If you desire permanent fat removal, call English Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery Center at (501) 227-9556 to schedule your liposuction consultation with Dr. Jim English.