The Nation’s Fixation With Fat Freezing: Does It Work?

Curious? Find out all about the cutting-edge treatment that’s got everyone talking…

The Low Down on Fat Freezing

There’s no denying that when it comes to cutting-edge aesthetics, the States know what they’re doing – so when they launch something new, the world of beauty pays attention. One of the most recent Stateside innovations to hit the UK market is a game-changing fat reduction treatment called Cryolipolysis, aka. ‘Fat-Freezing’. Sounds pretty terrifying – but what is it exactly?

Spotted some strange-looking suction devices on Instagram? Or heard colleagues and friends whispering about the new way of burning fat without hitting the gym? It’s time that the mystery around the treatment ends – so we head to Regents Park Aesthetics find out what all the fuss is about.

What is it?

Cryolipolysis is a non-invasive fat reduction and ‘body contouring’ treatment, which uses a handheld device to freeze fat cells below the skin. The treatment was developed, interestingly, thanks to the science behind frostbite. Scientists realised that fat cells actually freeze before the skin does, leading them to develop a treatment in which you could safely freeze, and thus eliminate, fat cells, without causing any damage to the skin or surrounding tissue.

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The best-known fat-freezing brand is CoolSculpting, which has been around in the States since 2010 and more recently began to brand itself as an alternative to liposuction, yet there are numerous other systems which use the same Cryolipolysis technology (often at a fraction of the price). Regents Park Aesthetics chose 3D Lipo Cryofreeze, for example, which uses the same science to freeze fat cells.

How does it work?

The pain-free and milder alternative to lipo, Fat-Freezing technology is applied to the chosen area of the body to kill the fat cells. It’s particularly popular with stubborn areas of fat such as the lower abdomen, the back, inner thighs and even under the chin (where a smaller device is used), areas which may accumulate unwanted fat over time and are the hardest to budge with exercise.

The Fat-Freezing applicator is applied to the chosen area (on top of a gel pad to protect the skin), often using a vacuum to suck the excess fat into the applicator cup. As scary as this may sound, at worst it will feel like a mild pinching sensation. The cooling technology is then applied, lowering the temperature to -6 degrees and thus crystallizing the fat cells. It is pain-free, so a great excuse to switch off for a while – some people even nap!

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The results aren’t instant, however. You’ll be able to resume normal activity immediately after the treatment, but it won’t be until a few weeks later that you’ll notice the difference. This is because once the cells have been destroyed, the body’s lymphatic system naturally disposes of them over time. So be warned: this isn’t a quick fix.

The results

After your initial treatment, you’ll be encouraged to drink lots of water and continue exercising as normal. Around 6-12 weeks later, the fat cells that were frozen will have been expelled from the body, resulting in a 20% – 40% reduction of fat in the chosen area. It must be emphasised, however, that you won’t wake up with a totally different body (as with lipo). While the science does work, it only promises a mild difference in appearance – essentially, less bulge of the particular area, an improved waistline, a more contoured chin.

It does depend greatly on the person being treated, and thus a pre-treatment in-depth consultation will inform what kind of results you can expect. And it’s important to bear in mind that while the freezing of the cells is permanent and they are expelled from the body, to maintain the results a healthy lifestyle is essential. Once new fat cells are formed, they will appear somewhere! In our experience, the treatment is a great reason to start improving your exercise and eating habits so that you can be sure to achieve optimum results.

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If you want to make sure the treatment works as well as possible, you can also combine it with a course of radio frequency (also pain-free) which will help remove the fat and tighten the skin. Fat-Freezing underneath the buttock, for example, is particularly effective when combined with cavitation to melt fat as well as radio frequency to lift and tighten the skin (resulting in what’s known as the non-surgical ‘Brazilian Butt Lift’).

Where?

Regents Park Aesthetics offers bespoke Fat-Freezing programmes, using 3D Lipo. Located on Wimpole Street, the practice is parallel to Harley Street and is something of an insiders’ secret. Find out more at regentsparkaesthetics.co.uk

CoolSculpting is also available at Beyond MediSpa in Harvey Nichols. Last year, the one lucky winner of our £10,000 transformation competition had the chance to undergo the spa’s CoolSculpting treatments, you can find out how she got on and her first-hand opinion on the weekly blog she kept here.

Another trending sculpting treatment is EmSculpt. This is an ideal solution for people who want to improve their weight loss goals and make their muscles pop, particularly useful for those with less than one inch of abdomen fat tissue. The muscle contractions caused by the device not only release free fatty acids to gorge on the fat tissue around the muscles – reducing fat there by around 19 per cent – but also helps to increase muscle mass by around 16 per cent,  boosting the ab sculpting process. Minimum 4 sessions needed over 2 weeks.

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Photo by Kiwihug