With its ability to remove an average of 20% to 25% of fat cells in the targeted area, CoolSculpting has become increasingly popular among men and women alike. Also known by its generic name cryolipolysis, it leverages the fat-destroying power of cool air to eliminate problematic fat.
If you’re struggling with unwanted fat in one or more areas of your body, CoolSculpting might be the answer. Before making the commitment, though, you might be wondering if CoolSculpting is really safe.
The History of CoolSculpting
CoolSculpting has origins dating back to 2005, during which Mitch Levinson founded the company ZELTIQ. At the time, ZELTIQ was a healthcare technology company, but the company soon changed its course after developing an innovative new fat-reduction procedure.
In the mid-2000s, medical researchers Dieter Manstein and Rox Anderson discovered that by exposing fat cells to cool air, the cells would die. The duo confirmed their findings by conducting studies on pigs.
When exposed to cool air within a specific temperature range, the subjects’ fat cells would die, resulting in substantial fat loss. Manstein and Anderson then launched human trials, for the new procedure — and the results were the same.
When participants were exposed to cool air, the fat cells in the targeted area died. In 2008, ZELTIQ received an exclusive license to use the technology for CoolSculpting.
How CoolSculpting Works
CoolSculpting works by exposing fat cells to cool air so that they enter a state of localized cellular death. The applicator creates a vacuum that suctions some of your skin, as well as the underlying fat, into the applicator’s hollow interior.
At the same time, it blows temperature-controlled cool air over your skin. The cool air will penetrate through your skin to reach the underlying fat cells. Once the fat cells are exposed to the temperature-controlled cool air, they’ll begin to die.
With CoolSculpting, the targeted fat cells in your body will die. The fat cells aren’t surgically or otherwise physically removed from your body. Rather, once they die, the fat cells are absorbed and processed by your body naturally. The cool air essentially kills the targeted fat cells, at which point your body will process them naturally.
CoolSculpting Doesn’t Require Incisions
CoolSculpting is perhaps the safest and most effective fat-reduction procedure, partly because it doesn’t require incisions. The aesthetician who’s performing CoolSculpting can target problematic fat without ever breaking the skin. During the procedure, the aesthetician will use a special machine, known as an applicator, to blow cool air over your skin.
The aesthetician won’t make any cuts or incisions, thereby eliminating the risk of infection.
Unfortunately, many other fat-reduction procedures do require incisions. Liposuction, for example, requires the use of at least one incision. As a result, it’s a more invasive procedure with a higher risk of complications. If you’re looking for a safe and effective way to eliminate stubborn body fat, you can’t go wrong with CoolSculpting. With that said, the lack of incisions is just one of many reasons CoolSculpting is safe.
CoolSculpting is FDA Approved
CoolSculpting has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the permanent removal of fat, so you can rest assured knowing that it’s both safe and effective. The procedure first received FDA approval specifically for “love handles” — fat on the sides of the stomach — in September 2010.
Just two years later, the FDA approved CoolSculpting for the removal of stomach fat as well. Since then, CoolSculpting has received FDA approval for many other areas of the body, some of which include under the chin, under the jawline, the thighs, the back and buttocks. If CoolSculpting wasn’t safe, the FDA wouldn’t approve for it so many areas of the body.
CoolSculpting Doesn’t Require Downtime for Recovery
Because it’s a noninvasive and nonsurgical procedure, CoolSculpting doesn’t require downtime for recovery. The procedure itself is typically completed in under an hour, after which you can go back to your regular activities. You don’t have to rest while your body recovers, nor are you required to “take it easy.” Rather, you go back to your daily life immediately after leaving the aesthetician’s office. And without any downtime recovery, CoolSculpting is considered safer than other, more invasive fat-reduction procedures.
CoolSculpting Doesn’t Damage Your Skin
Some people are reluctant to have CoolSculpting performed, believing that it will damage their skin. After all, the procedure involves the use of an applicator that blows cool air over your skin, so conventional wisdom may lead you to believe that it can cause frostbite or other forms of skin damage.
The good news is that CoolSculpting is completely safe and doesn’t harm your skin.
The applicator used in the procedure allows the aesthetician to control the temperature of the air to which your skin is exposed. By setting the applicator to the right temperature — slightly above the point of freezing — the aesthetician can target fat cells without harming your skin. This is because fat cells are more vulnerable to cool air than skin cells. As a result, the cool air created by the applicator induces cellular death in fat cells but not skin cells.
You may still experience a slight numbness or tingling sensation during the procedure, but your skin will remain safe and unharmed. The applicator used in CoolSculpting protects your skin from damage by ensuring that the air is just cold enough to induce localized cellular death in fat cells without harming your skin. Only the targeted fat cells will be harmed. Your skin, as well as muscle tissue, will remain safe and healthy throughout the procedure. This is just one more reason why CoolSculpting is a safe procedure for the permanent reduction of body fat.
CoolSculpting Doesn’t Affect Liver Function
With CoolSculpting, the targeted fat cells will be absorbed by your body and processed by your liver — but that doesn’t necessarily mean the procedure will affect your liver function. Whether you realize it or not, your liver is constantly processing dead fat cells. When fat cells die, they enter the bloodstream before being processed by the liver. It’s a completely natural process that doesn’t harm the liver. In fact, you won’t even notice when your liver processes dead fat cells. The fat cells are simply expelled out your body in urine.
CoolSculpting Can Be Performed Multiple Times
You might be surprised to learn that CoolSculpting can be performed multiple times on the same area of your body. It’s not uncommon for clients to seek two or more CoolSculpting sessions to achieve better results. If the procedure wasn’t safe, it wouldn’t be performed multiple times on the same area. Whether you only want a single CoolSculpting procedure, or if you’re planning two or three follow-up procedures, you can rest assured knowing that it’s safe.
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