Fitting into pre-pregnancy jeans is every mother’s secret desire
Fat freezing (or cryolipolysis) has been around for many years. It originates from an interesting observation that kids develop dimples when they eat too much ice popsicles – the low temperature freezes away the subcutaneous fats underneath the skin. So these clever guys at Harvard developed a machine to freeze the fat cells in our unwanted areas, with minimal damage and trauma to the overlying skin. Coolsculpting (name of the machine for fat freezing) was born.
Cryolipolysis is a medical jargon. Cryo- stands for freezing; lipo stands for fat and lysis means to break down.
Does it work? – I would say it works for most. I do see improvement in myself after going through multiple sessions in the same area. But like what most doctors will tell you, you will still need to exercise regularly and control your diet. Visceral fat (fats around your internal organs) is something which only diet and exercise can get rid of. Fat freezing works by targeting subcutaneous fats in stubborn areas such as your muffin tops (tummy), love handles (flanks) and flabs around your inner thighs or upper arms.
What about those similar machines which promise the same thing but not exactly the same? I would be wary of those. Coolsculpting works by cellular apoptosis in which the membranes of these fat cells remain intact and shrink over time. Other methods work by cellular necrosis in which the membranes of these cells get destroyed; resulting in inflammation and scarring.
Non invasive fat freezing will appeal to the group of patients (including myself) who is not gungho enough to go under the knife. That is not to say that there is no place for liposuction – some people still do surgery if they cannot wait for multiple treatments, desire faster results and they don’t mind the risks of surgical complications.
For me, I am happy to freeze my unwanted fats away.
