Freezing your Fat Cells

Chill Out Baby!

A weight loss idea that started from a popsicle is rather unique indeed! How about terminating fat cells from the body by freezing them? No machines, no diet, no exercise and no other invasive procedures. It just sounds as the perfect plan to shed off the extra kilograms and layers of flabs around the body. Welcome to the world of cryolipolysis.

Freezing Sculptures
Liposuction has been practiced as a way of removing excess fat from the body when diet and exercise seem to have failed our efforts but here the complications are many and their consequences are also grave which might include infections and sometimes even death. A surgery is a surgery and it carries with it all the possible risks involved apart from being an invasive procedure. An accidental observation in children eating popsicles (fat necrosis was seen in the cheek of the kid sucking the popsicle) brought about the idea of fat reduction using freezing techniques. Technically termed as cryolipolysis this method involves applying an applicator set at a required temperature on a target area for a specific time period. The adipocyte tissues are the target here while other cells remain undisturbed. Owing to its non-invasive nature cryolipolysis is become one of the most sought-after procedures for spot reduction.

Coolsculpting (another name for cryolipolysis) doesn’t calls for the use of anesthesia, cutting or tissue damage which makes it free of any recovery time needed and also enables the individual to carry on normal activities thereon.

Effects
Side effects are minor and mostly disappear in a matter of days or weeks. Common immediate side effects include redness, numbness, stiffness, bruising, firmness, mild pain, muscle cramps or a stinging sensation. Some experience diarrhea as dead fat cells are expelled out, itchiness for the ensuing couple of days after the procedure and a feeling of fullness in the throat (when fat cells from the neck or chin are removed).

Coolsculpting has been approved to be a safe procedure in only certain regions of the body such as the thighs, abdomen, under the neck/chin, under the armpits, back and buttocks.

Despite lack of hazardous side effects coolsculpting can never become a substitute for obesity treatment. It is generally used to dissolve those fat cells that don’t melt away with diet and exercise. The following groups of people are generally advised against coolsculpting:

• Pregnant women, those trying to conceive or breastfeeding
• When concentrations of the protein cryoglobulinemia are present in high concentrations in the body
• Skin conditions such as eczema that are linked to immune system
• Those with a weakened immune system
• Those with chronic pain and anxiety disorders

While coolsculpting is applauded for its minimal side effects rare side effects that are serious include vasovagal reaction and paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), a condition where the fat cells start enlarging rather than shrinking and dying away. PAH is commonly observed in the male population but its cause is currently unknown.

Go for It?
While coolsculpting remains one of the best non-invasive methods for killing of adipocytes not many proofs and clinical studies exist supporting it. Individuals who have undergone this method of treatment are not numerous in number but serious consequences have not been reported until now. Cryolipolysis is not a one-time procedure but includes multiple sittings with a post-massage that’s included to enhance the results. One must also bear cost factors in mind before jumping over conclusions.

Logically too, it is always better to lose weight using lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise. For achieving weight loss through scientific methods of pure changes to diet and exercise please get in touch with registered dietitian nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com. While cryolipolysis exists as an efficient option to remove fat in those areas where it's difficult to remove with diet and exercise it is necessary to talk to a physician before taking any decisions.