|
|
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Coolsculpting® by Zeltiq is one of the hottest procedures of summer 2013, according to dermatologic surgeon Lisa Donofrio, MD, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.
“It’s the perfect body contouring procedure because there is no real downtime or scars, or any evidence that you weren’t born with a great bikini body,” says Donofrio, who also has offices in New York City and New Orleans, La.
Coolsculpting literally freezes the fat beneath the surface in your abdomen or other trouble spots. “The procedure uses controlled cooling to target and crystallize fat cells, which then die off gradually in the months to come,” she says.
The science behind Coolsculpting comes out of Harvard University where researchers found that is under carefully controlled conditions, the fat cells just beneath the skin are more vulnerable than other surrounding tissue to cold.
“Very few new technologies are unique, and Coolsculpting brings a whole new mode of action to the table,” she says. “It’s not liposuction. It’s not a laser, and it doesn’t employ ultrasound or radio frequency energy either. And it is very safe.”
Donofrio says that Coolsculpting is ideal for localized pockets of unwanted fat. (Think love handles, back rolls, muffin-tops and belly bulges.) These are the trouble spots that are often resistant to diet and exercise. “Even if you are a Pilates or Cross Fit fanatic, you can still be left with these problem areas because some of them are genetic,” she says.
Full Coolsculpting results appear in three to four months, but early contour improvements are visible within three weeks. Multiple treatments may be needed depending on your goals, she says. “The average person can lose about 25 percent of the fat from the treated area,” she says. “I tell my patients that they should be close to their ideal body weight or at least at a stable body weight before they opt for Coolsclupting because it is not a weight loss procedure,” she says.
The CoolSculpting Experience
“It’s a very comfortable procedure,” Donofrio says. “Most of the time, my patients ‘chill’ out and listen to music, read magazines, catch up on emails or even doze off during the treatment.”
A Coolsculpting treatment takes about one to four hours, depending on how many cycles you need. “It feels like a firm pulling sensation with some mild cold in the treated area, but this goes away and then it becomes numb,” she says.
Getting svelte for summer with Coolsculpting is also safe, she says. “The fat is naturally flushed from your body by the liver, and there is no evidence that it affects cholesterol or other blood fats.” Temporary side effects may include redness, minor bruising, cramping, tingling or numbness in the treated area, she says, but this fades quickly.
Wendy Lewis is President of Wendy Lewis & Co Ltd Global Aesthetics Consultancy, author of 11 books and Founder/Editor in Chief of http://www.beautyinthebag.com
###
For advertising and promotion on HealthNewsDigest.com call Mike McCurdy at 877-634-9180 or [email protected] We have over 7,000 journalists as subscribers who have access to our content for their own media.