Coolsculpting® (CRYOLIPOLYSIS or ‘FAT FREEZING’) works on the principle of Differential fat freezing. It uses Cryolipolysis, or controlled-cooling technology, to crystallise the (freeze) fat cells. An applicator first applies suction to the area you want to target and then carefully regulated cooling is initiated to bring fat cells down to a temperature (-10 or -11 degree Celsius, depending on the area selected) at which they are irreversibly damaged. The cellular response of the fatty tissue to cold temperatures causes the fat cells to die. During the months after treatment, the dead fat cells are sent to be filtered out as waste by our lymphatic system. The treated area thus becomes slimmer than before.

The machine cools the area to a temperature at which only the fat cells get frozen, leaving the rest of the tissues like nerves and muscles unaffected. The skin is protected during the procedure by a patented gel pad.

ANY AREA THAT HAS ‘PINCHABLE’ OR ‘grabbable’ FAT. Although Coolsculpting® can be used to tackle just about any unwanted fatty bulge on the body, it is FDA-approved for treatment in specific areas: “Muffin top” (upper abdomen, lower abdomen), “love handles” (flank area), “saddle bags” (outer thighs), inner thighs, upper arms, “bra fat”/ “blouse bulges”, back fat, “banana roll” (fatty deposit underneath the butt), and “double chin” or “turkey neck”.

The newer cool-advantage series of applicators which include Cool-advantage, Cool advantage-plus, Cool Smooth pro and Cool-mini allow us to treat almost any area with their higher tissue draw, more cooling in nearly half the time, with much more ease and comfort for the patients.

One more popular area where Coolsculpting® is known to give good results is for the enlarged male breast. More specifically, it is suitable for patients with pseudo-gynecomastia in which the male breast tissue enlargement is only due to fatty deposits and not because of excess glandular tissue. However, this is a non-FDA-approved indication.

 A double chin or a “turkey neck” in extreme cases are usually the most apparent signs of obesity. Some people who are otherwise fit also have a double chin that makes them look much older than they are. It also gives the impression of laziness. Narrowing of this area can make you generally appear slimmer and can give you a much youthful demeanour.

In many cases, this treatment can be combined with ultherapy for skin tightening in lower-face and upper neck and with dermal fillers in the jaw to give more definition. This combination therapy can provide dramatic results.

The price for Coolsculpting® procedures can vary depending on your problem areas, the type of applicator required, number of sessions needed, and your long-term goals. At Anticlock Medispa, we will help you create a customised treatment plan that’s tailored to your body, keeping in mind your body goals, and your budget for this.

All Coolsculpting® procedures at Anticlock are performed under the direct supervision of doctors who are trained and experienced in the procedure.

This sophisticated machine has applicators that can be compared to the nozzles of a vacuum cleaner. Different types of applicators are suitable for different areas – Cool advantage (for smaller areas on abdomen, love handles, bra folds, banana rolls, upper arms, inner thigh), Cool advantage plus, Cool Smooth Pro (for non-grabbable surfaces like outer thigh), Cool Mini (for double chin, axillary fat deposits and fatty pads above knee).

After applying a protective gel pad, the recommended applicator is used to the targeted fat pocket, grabbing it in its cup to deliver controlled cooling over a specified time.

You may experience sensations of pulling and pinching at the start of the process, but in a few minutes, these sensations subside, as the area becomes numb when full cooling is achieved. Overall the procedure involves minimal discomfort, and most of our clients watch their favourite shows on Netflix, surf the net, read a book, sip tea or take a nap.

Immediately after treatment, the area is massaged to thaw the tissues and further break up the crystallised fatty tissue. This helps your body begin to absorb the destroyed fat cells. During this massage, many patients experience some pain, which disappears as soon as the massage ends, and when tissues come back to normal temperature.

After the applicator is fixed to the target area, the cooling is initiated. You would feel intense cooling for a couple of minutes after which the area becomes numb. This usually doesn’t cause much discomfort and is well tolerated by most people.

With the newer generation of machines using ‘Advantage’ series of applicators, Coolsculpting® is generally a comfortable treatment. There is no need for anaesthesia or and numbing creams for this procedure. However, with the older machines using ‘Legacy’ applicators, more pain and discomfort has been reported.

You may feel mild pinching and tugging in the initial few minutes when the applicator goes on, and after that, the area becomes numb due to cooling. After that most patients are so comfortable that they surf the net, watch TV, listen to music and many of them fall asleep. The discomfort during the ‘two-minute massage’ after the treatment is over, is also transient and the patients comfortably drive back to their home or office. Typically, there is no need for any pain killer medication either, but if necessary, we recommend only paracetamol.

Post-procedure, there might be some residual soreness in treated areas that typically lasts from 1 – 2 weeks. Mostly it doesn’t require any treatment and doesn’t interfere with any of your activities. One should, however, avoid pressure on the area for about a week to prevent any discomfort.

The treatment time for different ‘Advantage series’ applicators is as follows:

Cool Advantage – 35 minutes

Cool Advantage plus – 45 minutes

Cool Mini – 45 minutes

Cool Smooth Pro – 75 minutes

These treatment times are almost half of those with old ‘Legacy’ applicators. On an average, our clients require four-six that are often performed in one session. While treating multiple areas, we can often apply two machines simultaneously (called DualSculpting), further saving the total time.

We help our clients by creating an individualised treatment plan based on their personal goals. The number of treatment sessions required depends on the number of problem areas that need to be treated, the amount of fat in these areas as well as your personal goals.

For example, if a person needs to tackle ‘Love handles’ and double chin, he/she would need between 2-4 cycles to treat love handles and 1-3 cycles for Chin area. So, total cycles required would be between 3-7 cycles in a single sitting. In some cases, if further improvement is needed in an area, treatments may be repeated after two months. If there is extra fat, additional Coolsculpting® cycles can safely be done.

We would recommend a one-to-one consultation with our doctors where we discuss all the things in detail & assess your whole body, while considering your specific areas of concern and your long-term goals.

The fat cells crystallised by the Coolsculpting® procedure initially shrink in size and are gradually are metabolised before being eliminated by the lymphatic system. People with proper metabolism, therefore, notice the fat reduction as early as six weeks and get full results in about two months. Those with a sluggish metabolism, however, get to see full results in three months. The best thing is that once treated; these fat cells are gone for good.

Typically, after each Coolsculpting® treatment, you will find a noticeable reduction of fat in the treated area. Scientific studies have reported an average of 22.4% reduction in fat in the treatment area, per treatment. Many patients find their goals to be adequately addressed after one treatment session. For those who need more reduction in the same area, they can go in for additional treatments after a minimum gap of two months.

The newer Advantage series of Coolsculpting® applicators are technologically more advanced over the older Legacy applicators. In the legacy applicators, only the side panels provided cooling whereas the Cool-advantage series of applicators provide more uniform cooling as the entire applicator provides the cooling. As a result, the required temperatures are achieved at the target site in almost half the time than with the older applicators. Also, with the new and better applicator cup design, more surface area is cooled, and a lesser amount of suction and pulling is required with the newer applicators. This makes the procedure far more comfortable than it was before. Studies have reported about 45% increase in comfort with these newer Coolsculpting® applicators.

Comparison of different series of Coolsculpting® applicators:

Coolsculpting® is ideal in both men and women. Whereas the most popular indications in men are double chin, Love Handles, belly-fat; women most commonly want to dispose of ‘blouse bulges’, upper arm fat, double chin, ‘banana rolls’, ‘saddlebags’ apart from belly-fat.

Coolsculpting® is the only device for cryolipolysis, that has been cleared for the treatment of stubborn fat in flanks (love handles), abdomen, thigh and double chin by the US-FDA. It has an excellent safety track record and effectiveness with more than 7 million procedures done till date. It’s proven results have been backed by scientific evidence, and many plastic surgeons now feel confident to suggest this treatment to their clients.

Some patients do experience temporary side effects such as numbness, soreness and mild bruising. However, these side effects are usually transient and mostly subside on their own without any problems.

Adverse effects are minimal and vary between patients. While most clients walk out of our clinic without reporting any side effects, some people do experience short-term redness, swelling or numbness in the area treated, mainly when larger areas are addressed. However, these side effects are temporary and generally disappear within a few days. These signs are usually not worrisome and do not stop you going about your daily routine. The FDA- clearance is a stamp of its safety and effectiveness for non-surgical fat reduction. With the old Legacy series of applicators, which had double the treatment time many people would see bruising, swelling, numbness and firmness in the area but with the new Cool-Advantage series of applicators, these side effects are infrequent.

Occasionally, however, one might experience vaso-vagal symptoms of dizziness, light-headedness, sweating, nausea, and flushing. This is usually reversed by making the patient lie down.

In sporadic cases, instead of being annihilated by freezing, fat cells respond to Coolsculpting® by swelling up. This rare condition is called paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH). The incidence of PAH with has Coolsculpting® been reported to be around 0.0051 per cent, more so in men. The good thing is that this can be treated with liposuction. A tiny percentage of clients might develop some hyperpigmentation in the treated areas, this is usually self-limiting and usually resolves within a few months.

A lot depends on the technical expertise of the Coolsculpting® team. If the applicators or gel pads are not applied correctly, you might end up with frostbite, or first- and second-degree freeze burns. Therefore, always choose a facility where treatment is done in the supervision of a doctor and a clinic of good repute.

You should not the Coolsculpting® procedure if you suffer from Cryoglobulinemia, Cold agglutinin disease or Paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria. Also, Coolsculpting® must be avoided in pregnant or lactating women since there are no long-term studies to prove its safety in these conditions. It should also be avoided if you suffer from Raynaud’s disease, chilblains or nerve conditions, such as diabetic neuropathy. If there are any local skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, inflammatory skin conditions, recent injuries, scar tissue or a hernia in the area being treated, your doctor should not proceed with Coolsculpting® in that area. People on blood thinning medications or those with bleeding disorders or those with active implanted medical devices, such as pacemakers should also avoid Coolsculpting®.

You may start to see the results as quickly as 3-4 weeks after your treatment, but peak results are achieved between 8-12 weeks. Your body, however, keeps flushing out the destroyed fat cells, and this might continue for as long as 3-4 months. Therefore, some improvement may continue to happen for as long as 16 weeks’ post-treatment. So, we review our patients at eight weeks and again at 16 weeks to take photos and document the transformation achieved.