Cryolipolysis: Info, Prices, Photos, Reviews, Q&A

Ice bags or Coolsculpting?

Medical devices that are FDA approved, have been extensively studied for our protection. Through a series of studies, the peak temperatures, times and treatments were found for Coolsculpting.

Sometimes people try to replicate many different types treatments at home with homemade remedies that lead to poor results or side effects.

Chose your provider carefully and ask about their experiences with a device. (Elisa A. Burgess, MD, Portland Plastic Surgeon)

Coolsculpting – Do not attempt this at home!

While the discovery of Coolsculpting came out of the observation that repeated cold exposure to an area of the body would reduce fat in the area where that exposure occured, Coolsculpting is a precise method of applying that cold over a specified amount of time under highly controlled circumstances.

The benefit of Coolsculpting occurs safely because of the physical difference between fat and water, mainly that fat freezes at a slightly higher temperature that water.

The surrounding skin is mainly water and will not freeze at the same temperature as the fat underlying it.

If you applied cold packs or ice to an area in which you wanted to reduce fat, you could easily damage the overlying skin by making it too cold and actually cause frostbite to the skin.

Also, it would be difficult to control the temperature for a specified period of time in a specific location to achieve the fat reduction result you are desiring. That is why the precision of the Coolsculpting applicators delivers precise fat reduction results extremely safely with virtually no adverse effects.

While I applaud your ingenuity, I would not advise attempting this at home. (Paul Flashner, MD, Boston Physician)

Precise Cooling With Coolsculpting

What makes Coolsculpting different than using ice packs at home is that the applicators have sensors that carefully measure the temperatures of the skin, fat, and surrounding tissues.

If you were to apply ice bags at home you 1) may not cool the area enough to cause apoptosis, or cell death, and 2) you risk injuring the skin or other tissues. The applicators in Coolsculpting actually cool through a controlled conduction process- they draw heat out of the lipid tissue and cause programmed cell death.

That is part of why this procedure is physician directed, so that you can get incredible results without the risks associated with liposuction or at home remedies that may be ineffective, or in some cases harmful.

Coolsculpting is definitely not a do-it-yourself procedure! (Vincent Marino, MD, Scottsdale Physician)

The safety and efficacy behind CoolSculpting

CoolSculpting is the only FDA-cleared, non-surgical fat-reduction treatment that uses controlled cooling to eliminate targeted fat cells. It has been specifically designed to freeze and kill fat cells but not cause damage to the skin’s surface.

During the CoolSculpting process, the temperature of the plates is continuously monitored to ensure that a consistent temperature is maintained – they are designed with built-in safety measures so that if sensors detect that the skin is getting too cold, the system will shut down automatically.

Using a home-based method such as ice bags will a) be likely to cause damage to the skin’s surface (such as frost-bite) and b) will not maintain a constant temperature. The science behind CoolSculpting is that cold, but not freezing, plates are applied to the skin, which will kill the underlying targeted fat cells but won’t damage the skin, as fat freezes at a higher temperature to water (skin contains a high percentage of water). (Tracy Mountford, MBBS, London Physician)

Defence Against Obesity

Do Not Try This At Home

I have significant experience working with Coolsculpting, and I would not recommend that you try this at home. Trying anything at home can result in serious injury. Coolsculpting is a safe and effective treatment when applied by a trained professional.

While it takes about 6 weeks to see results, the results are long-lasting. Most clients need 1-2 treatments to see results, but some require more. (Justin Harper, MD, Columbus Physician)

Using Ice Bags to Freeze Fat instead of Coolsculpting is not a good idea

First and foremost, be careful trying to take short cuts or coming up with less expensive home versions of cosmetic procedures. Applying freezing ice bags to your skin can result in permanent injury to the skin from the direct contact.

With coolsculpting, the skin is protected with a gel barrier, and the cold is carefully applied with a delivery device that targets the fat cells and does not damage the skin. Please seek out a board certified plastic surgeon for a consultation and treatment plan when considering coolsculpting or an other body contouring treatment. (Mauricio J. Castellon, MD, Melbourne Plastic Surgeon)

Coolsculpting with Ice Packs

The scientific name for the process of destroying fat cells using cold exposure is called “cryolipolysis” and it has taken over 20 years to harness this technology to be both accurate and incredibly safe.

Technologically advanced sensors imbedded in the Coolsculpting system read the temperatures of the tissue layers as you are being treated to ensure that only the subcutaneous fatty layer is being affected. Specially designed barriers sheets also ensure that other tissue layers remain unharmed.

This is not something that can be achieved with a cold pack or sitting out in the snow. One would certainly damage other tissue layers well BEFORE ever having an effect on the fatty tissue layer.

Attempting anything like this at home is extremely ill advised as it would be both ineffective and could potentially cause permanent damage to your skin. (Joseph G. Bauer, MD, FACS, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)

Can Popsicles replace cool sculpting?

Coolsculpting reduces fat by cooling it just right. Too much cold and injury can occur. Too little, nothing happens. You really can’t do it at home. (Daryl K. Hoffman, MD, San Jose Plastic Surgeon)

Science of Coolsculpting

Fat reduction with Coolsculpting is a scientifically proven technology developed by Harvard with strict protocols that are approved by FDA and Health Canada. The treatment area is isolated and frozen to a specific temperature that remains constant for a controlled amount of time.

There are too many variables in attempting to treat the area with ice bags. If you are interested in learning more about Coolsculpting please contact a Certified Coolsculpting Professional for a Consultation. (Shehla Ebrahim, MD, Vancouver Physician)

CoolSculpting cannot be safely and effectively replicated by ice bag skin application

CoolSculpting gradually and safely freezes fat over the course of 1 to 2 hours during a treatment cycle. The skin temperature is carefully monitored to ensure that there is no burn. In contrast, applying an ice bag to the skin will cause a burn to skin resulting in pigment loss and scarring.

It will not cool deep enough to create significant and permanent fat loss. CoolSculpting has been perfected to the point where we have safe and consistently noticeable results. There are knock off devices, many of which are made in China, that do not have this advanced technology that have been shown to cause burns similar to those one can get from applying an ice bag.
My advice is don’t be penny wise and pound foolish. If you are looking to have cryo lipolysis avoid all unproven and risky modalities and stick with CoolSculpting. (Ran Y. Rubinstein, MD, Manhattan Facial Plastic Surgeon)

CoolSculpting® offers safe, consistent, reliable results.

Technically, you might be able to freeze some fat cells with ice packs on your own. But you risk causing severe damage to your skin and the results would be unpredictable. CoolSculpting® offers safe, consistent, and reliable results.

The treatment delivers smoother, slimmer body contours through a very controlled method of gradually cooling the fat cells without harming the skin or surrounding tissue. It’s impossible to repeat this process at home just by applying cold packs.

You only have one body, so it’s never a good idea to take risks with your health in the chance that it will improve your appearance. Instead, take the time to find a board certified plastic surgeon who will help you get the look you want in a safe and healthy way. (Jeremy Pyle, MD, Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon)