Jan 28 2011
Fat Freezing: Is it a Better Way to Lose Weight?
Many overweight people admit that along with the health benefits of becoming slimmer, they would love to have those sculpted body without the belly pouch and chubby arms and thighs. A way to achieve this nowadays is through body contouring.
The Food and Drug Administration has posted its green tag for the newest non-invasive technique for body contouring treatment that freezes fat cells and eventually promotes weight loss. Yes, you’ve read that right. This new body contouring and weight loss treatment helps you lose weight by cooling the fat cells to a freezing temperature for several minutes. Freezing fat also works for those unwanted bulges. So, it’s not just the normal burning of fats that helps you shed off the excess weight.
How Freezing Destroys Fats?
The idea of destroying fatty cells and tissues for losing weight is nothing new when it comes to cosmetic fat removal. The most popular means of losing weight called liposuction involves breaking down of fatty cells and extracting it from the patients’ body. It destroys large amount of cells at a time which can be harmful to the patient’s health.
Using a cooling device on the skin that freezes fats or causes body temperature to drop triggers a natural and gradual process in terminating fatty cells. This significant change in the body temperature causes the cells to react in a certain way and causes a metabolic process to take place called “apoptosis.” It is considered as a safer and more organic method of destroying body fats.
Apoptosis is a natural mechanism of the human body wherein cells are actually meant to self-terminate or undergo what we scientifically refer to as programmed cell death. This is a natural body process wherein our body cells need to die in order to generate new cells. Through this, our body continuously grows and heals itself.
This medical fact is where “freezing fat” technology operates on. Cooling the fatty cells to a temperature right around freezing for long periods of time causes them to self-destruct and get re-absorbed into the body over several months.
The Freezing Fat Treatment
Under a supervision of a dermatologist or plastic surgeon, freezing fat procedure takes about an hour and cost around $1,500. An initial consultation is needed in order to determine if you can be considered a candidate for freezing fat treatment. If you are severely obese, this body contouring procedure may not be the best for you. Freezing fat treatment is only applicable to those who are fairly close to their ideal weight and don’t have much extra weight to lose but still have stubborn spot such as potbellies or love handles.
The Procedure
During the procedure, tissue is drawn into a cup with mild vacuum pressure. It sucks the fatty part of your body and cools it so the fat in the cells crystallizes. The body reacts with an inflammatory response which triggers the body to naturally dispose off the damaged fat cells.
No anesthesia is needed during the treatment. Patients may feel slightly uncomfortable upon the contact of the cold as the procedure begins, which may usually subside after 10 minutes. The fat doesn’t go away immediately, it slowly disappears about after several months after it’s been processed and eliminated by your body. No recovery time is needed after the treatment. Patients are immediately allowed to return to their daily activities after the procedure.
Side Effects
Side effects may include temporary bruising, tingling, dulling, sensation of cramping, tenderness, and skin may also appear red for several hours. These are usually mild and related to the cold device applied during the treatment. Health experts fear the liver might be forced to overwork due to the elimination of excess fat cells from the body which may cause fatigue and lethargy.
Freezing fat treatment is now offered as an option in the body contouring treatments with lesser risk and greater results. However, it’s not suited for eliminating fat from large areas of your body such as thighs and bottom. If you really want to lose a lot of extra weight and be healthy, freezing fat treatment is not the answer to your dilemma.
Weight Loss Treatment?
Though it’s a highly promising procedure to lose weight, it should not be treated as an alternative to a healthy diet and exercise. The freezing fat treatment is relatively new and should be taken with caution though it is being marketed as “non-invasive” weight loss treatment. If you want to remove fat from different parts of your body not just your potbellies or gut fat, taking weight loss pills could be your solution. Combine it with proper diet and exercise to see the best results.

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