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CoolSculpting™: Frequently Asked Questions

To answer some of the most commonly asked questions, please review the topics below.
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The CoolSculpting® procedure delivers precisely controlled cooling to target the fat cells underneath the skin. Treated fat cells are crystallized (frozen), destroyed, and then over time your body naturally processes the fat and eliminates these dead cells. CoolSculpting was developed but Harvard medical doctors and is celebrating its 10 year anniversary in 2020.
Excess body fat is the #1 aesthetic concern, above facial lines and wrinkles. A recent study showed that 88% of people are most concerned with excess body fat, whereas 60% of people are concerned with facial lines and wrinkles. Excess body fat concerns were also shown to be gender neutral – both men and women listen excess body fat as their #1 aesthetic concern. CoolSculpting is the world’s #1 non invasive fat reduction and body contouring technology. There have been 8+ million CoolSculpting treatments performed worldwide in over 80 countries.

The importance of choosing a qualified provider: Not all Cryolipolysis devices are made equal. CoolSculpting is the gold standard in non-invasive fat reduction treatments. Not all practices have a legitimate CoolSculpting machine.

Treatment provider training: CoolSculpting treatment providers receive approximately 45 hours of training, which includes online modules, clinical training and classroom training, all provided by CoolSculpting. Master’s level training is also offered to experienced treatment providers, which consist of an additional 15 hours of classroom and hands-on clinical training at the Allergan international training center. Well trained and experienced treatment providers = optimal patient results.

The difference between CoolScultping and other Cryolipolysis machines:
CoolSculpting’s patented technology, Freeze Detect, ensures the protection of your skin during treatment. Freeze Detect is unique to CoolSculpting and critical to patient safety. CoolSculpting is also a physician directed treatment that requires a medical doctor on staff to oversee treatments; this ensures patient protection before, during & after treatment. CoolSculpting also offers 5 different applicator sizes for different treatment areas that allow for a completely tailored treatment for each individual.

The science behind CoolSculpting: To date, CoolSculpting has 21+ years of ongoing Research & Development and over 100 peer reviewed studies. Technology and treatment best practices are continually evolving.

It is important to note that CoolSculpting is not a weight loss treatment. Rather, CoolSculpting is a body contouring treatment that is best used to treat stubborn bulges of subcutaneous fat. Contraindications, or reasons that we would not move forward with treatment, include pregnancy and lactation. Your health history will be reviewed during your private consultation, where it will be determined if you’re a candidate for CoolSculpting. 

CoolSculpting’s parent company is Allergan.

CoolSculpting has long-lasting results.
Your CoolSculpting treatment provider will help you create an individualized treatment plan tailored to your specific goals. The length of your CoolSculpting treatment will vary depending on the number of areas being treated. On average, patients need a minimum of 2 – 3 separate rounds of treatment in the same treatment area to achieve their goals.
Best results are seen 2 – 3 months post treatment.
CoolSculpting is not a weight loss treatment but rather meant to contour your body by reducing stubborn pockets of fat. On average, patients see a 20-27% reduction in the subcutaneous fat layer of the treated area.
During your private / complementary consultation, your technician will assess your desired treatment areas to select the best applicators and number of treatment rounds required to achieve your goals. This is a highly individualized process that is tailored to each patient. Our technicians are highly trained and experienced, enabling them to provide you with the most comprehensive treatment plan to ensure optimal results.
CoolSculpting can treat multiple body areas. In Canada we are indicated for treatment from the chin down, always assuming that the patient is a candidate for each particular area. Some of our most popular treatment areas are the chin, abdomen, flanks, bra fat, arms, inner & outer thigh. We can also treat the male chest.
With most applicators, you’ll feel some pulling as suction is applied. As the cooling begins during the first few minutes, you typically feel a strong cooling sensation. This should soon dissipate. After the treatment, you may feel some tingling and mild discomfort as the area is massaged for approximately 2 minutes. Patients are usually able to return to normal activities following their appointment.
Following the procedure, typical side effects include redness, swelling, blanching, bruising, firmness, tingling, stinging, tenderness, cramping, aching, itching, skin sensitivity and numbness. Numbness can persist for up to several weeks. A sensation of fullness in the back of the throat may occur after submental (under the chin) treatment.
After dieting and weight loss, fat cells get smaller but the number of fat cells stays the same. Losing weight does not make fat cells go away. After the CoolSculpting treatment, if weight is gained, remaining fat cells in the treated area are still able to expand, however, there are less of them in the treated area to take on volume. Once fat cells are gone, they’re gone for good. We always recommend to our patients to, at the very least, maintain pre-treatment weight after treatment is completed. Remember that CoolSculpting is not a weight loss treatment, but rather a body contouring procedure.
The price for CoolSculpting procedures varies depending on your areas of concern, the number of treatments needed and your ultimate goals. It is important to schedule an in-person consultation so that our experienced treatment providers can create a customized treatment plan that’s tailored to your body and your goals. If you’re not already a Brilliant Distinctions member, be sure to sign up at BrilliantDistinctions.ca (it’s free!) so that you can earn and redeem points towards subsequent CoolSculpting, treatments. Brilliant Distinction is Allergan’s consumer rewards program. Every CoolSculpting cycles earns you $20 towards your next Allergan treatment!

About Cryolipolysis™

Cryolipolysis is the non-invasive cooling of adipose tissue to induce lipolysis (breaking down fat cells) without damage to other tissues. The result over two to four months is a noticeable, natural-looking reduction in fat.*
Cryolipolysis is based on the principle that fat cells are more vulnerable to energy extraction (cooling) than surrounding tissues. A non-invasive applicator is attached to the targeted procedure area to extract energy from the underlying fat tissue, while protecting the skin, nerves, muscles and other tissue. The cooled fat cells undergo apoptosis (controlled cell death) and are gradually eliminated, reducing the thickness of the fat layer.
During the Procedure, exposure to cooling causes fat cell apoptosis, which leads to the release of cytokines and other inflammatory mediators. Inflammatory cells gradually digest the affected fat cells in the months after the Procedure. Lipids from the fat cells are slowly released and transported by the lymphatic system to be processed, much like fat from food.
Lipids in fat cells crystallize at warmer temperatures than other water-containing cells. This is how Cryolipolysis targets only fat cells for destruction and spares other tissue such as skin, muscle, and nerves. The CoolSculpting™ system controls the rate of energy extraction or cooling during the Procedure.

Cryolipolysis was discovered by dermatologists Dieter Manstein, MD, and R. Rox Anderson, MD, of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

Drs. Manstein and Anderson and their research team proved that, under carefully controlled laboratory conditions, subcutaneous fat cells are naturally more vulnerable to the effects of cold than other surrounding tissues. Their initial evidence, published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine in November 2008, concluded that prolonged, controlled local tissue cooling can induce selective fat cell reduction and subsequent loss of subcutaneous fat without damaging the overlying skin.1 This discovery, called “selective cryolysis,” led to the development of the patented technology behind the non-invasive CoolSculpting™ Procedure.

ABOUT ZELTIQ™

ZELTIQ is a science-based medical device company located in the San Francisco Bay Area. It has licensed the commercial rights to Cryolipolysis from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) as a non-invasive method of reducing fat, the science behind the CoolSculpting™ Procedure. ZELTIQ is advancing the basic science, clinical evaluation, and commercial development of this technology.

About the CoolSculpting™ Procedure

The CoolSculpting™ Procedure is a new non-invasive method clinical proven to reduce fat. A CoolSculpting™ Procedure can reduce the fat layer by 20 to 40%.* Fat is uniquely susceptible to cold while sparing all other tissue. The mechanism of action is Cryolipolysis.

The science behind the CoolSculpting™ Procedure, called Cryolipolysis, was discovered by physicians Dieter Manstein, MD, and R. Rox Anderson, MD, of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

Drs. Manstein and Anderson and their team conducted research demonstrating that, under carefully controlled laboratory conditions, subcutaneous fat cells are naturally more vulnerable to the effects of cold than other surrounding tissues. Their initial work, published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine in November 2008, concluded that prolonged, controlled, local tissue cooling can induce selective fat cell reduction and subsequent loss of subcutaneous fat without damaging the overlying skin.1 This discovery, called “selective cryolysis,” led to the development of the patented technology behind the non-invasive CoolSculpting™ Procedure.

The ZELTIQ system includes a selection of non-invasive, tissue-cooling applicators controlled by a precisely engineered monitoring system. To perform the CoolSculpting™ Procedure, the physician attaches an applicator to the targeted procedure area to extract energy (cooling) from the underlying fat tissue. The specially designed vacuum applicator draws tissue into the applicator cup and gently holds it between two cooling panels, extracting heat according to the selected procedure profile. Sensors embedded in the applicator monitor the skin during the Procedure to ensure a consistent and uniform procedure. The sensors are linked to the control console to continuously monitor and adjust cooling throughout the CoolSculpting™ Procedure and provide continuous feedback to the physician. A paging system automatically alerts the physician of any device or patient issues that need attention and notifies him or her when the CoolSculpting™ Procedure is complete.
Clinical studies demonstrate that the CoolSculpting™ Procedure provides noticeable, measurable fat reduction in properly selected patients over the course of two to four months after the Procedure. Additional procedures may be administered two to four months after the initial procedure to achieve greater fat reduction.
Patients experiencing fat layer reduction show persistent results at least six months after the CoolSculpting™ Procedure. Longer term studies have not yet been completed. It is known that the exposure to cooling causes the fat cells to begin a process of natural removal, which gradually reduces the thickness of the fat layer. The fat cells in the treated area are gently eliminated through the body’s normal metabolism process, like fat from food. The elimination of fat cells as a result of the CoolSculpting™ Procedure is expected to last about as long as fat cells removed by invasive procedures such as liposuction.
The results of the CoolSculpting™ Procedure are not as rapid or dramatic as invasive procedures such as liposuction. However, for patients who wish to avoid the pain, risk and recovery time associated with surgical procedures, the CoolSculpting™ Procedure may be the preferred option.
The CoolSculpting™ Procedure is completely non-invasive, which allows immediate return to normal activities such as work or exercise. Redness may appear in the treated area, and may last from a few minutes to a few hours. Some localized bruising may occur, which clears within a few weeks. Many patients experience a temporary dulling of sensation in the treated area, lasting one to eight weeks.*

Ideal candidates for the CoolSculpting™ Procedure are relatively fit, but have some modest-size fat bulges that are not easily reduced through diet and exercise. They are seeking spot reduction for specific areas of fat, but are not considering a surgical procedure.

The CoolSculpting™ Procedure is not intended for weight loss or obesity, and it is not a substitute for invasive methods such as liposuction.

The controlled cooling of the CoolSculpting™ Procedure targets and eliminates only fat cells. Other treatment modalities, such as lasers, radiofrequency and focused ultrasound, affect fat cells and may affect other adjacent tissue in a way that is not comparable to the CoolSculpting™ method of Cryolipolysis.
Well-controlled studies to determine whether the fat-reducing effects of the CoolSculpting™ Procedure will result in the improved appearance of cellulite have not been completed. ZELTIQ does not recommend the CoolSculpting™ Procedure using the current applicators for cellulite at this time.
The CoolSculpting™ Procedure for non-invasive fat layer reduction is available worldwide.

REFERENCES

  • Manstein D, Laubach H, Watanabe K, Farinelli W, Zurakowski D, Anderson R. Selective cryolysis: a novel method of non-invasive fat removal. Laser Surg Med. 2008,40:595-604.
  • Manstein D, Laubach H, Watanabe K, Anderson R. A novel cryotherapy method of non-invasive, selective lipolysis. Abstract presented at the 28th Annual Conference of the American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery; April 2-6, 2008; Orlando, Fla.
  • Zelickson B, Egbert BM, Preciado J, Allison J, Springer K, Manstein D. Cryolipolysis for noninvasive fat cell destruction: initial results from a pig model. Poster presented at 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery; November 6-9 2008; Orlando, Fla.
  • Dover J, Burns J, Coleman S, et al. A prospective clinical study of noninvasive Cryolipolysis for subcutaneous fat layer reduction: interim report of available subject data. Prospective poster presented at 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery; November 6-9, 2008; Orlando, Fla.
  • Riopelle J, Tsai M, Kovach B. Lipid and liver function effects of the Cryolipolysis Procedure in a study of male love handle reduction. Abstract accepted for the 29th Annual Conference of the American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery; April 1-5, 2009; Washington, D.C.
  • Clinical data on file. ZELTIQ, Inc. Pleasanton, Calif.
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