cold

By: María Muñoz Rivera / EFE REPORTS.

The sisters Khloe and Kim Kardashian, Anniston, Lindslay Lohan and Mariah Carey revealed years ago that, along with a good eating and sports routine, they had managed to reduce their fat and the appearance of their skin thanks to a non-invasive treatment generated from the oxidation of fat cells through the application of cold.

Although it seemed like one of the thousands of treatments that remain among those famous in the Hollywood orbit, medical cryolipolysis has arrived at affordable prices and has achieved virality among ordinary people, becoming democratized as one of the non-invasive treatments to lose fat. .

“It is a technique that allows the destruction of fat through the application of controlled cold,” explains Dr. Fanny Santacruz, under one of the flagship brands in this treatment, ‘CoolsCulpting Elite’.

Although the technique arrived in Europe in 2010, it was not until recent seasons that it began to go viral, becoming a non-invasive option.

Adipocytes, responsible for localized fat.

By applying it with a specific machine that reaches -11 degrees, fat cells are destroyed. “Adipocytes (fat cells), rich in saturated fatty acids, are very sensitive to cold, unlike blood vessels, nerves and other structures,” explains the doctor.

By subjecting certain parts of the body with localized fat to this cold exposure, “apoptosis or cell death is accelerated, that is, these cells crystallize and break, and are eliminated by the lymphatic system,” he indicates about the procedure, which is performed after having examined the patient and seeing if he or she is compatible.

The doctor assures that it is a treatment, for the moment, that both men and women opt for. The effects are irreversible, although she points out that only in the treated area and as long as it is complemented with a healthy lifestyle, based on a varied diet and physical activity.

“The human body is made up of 15 to 25 percent fat contained in adipocytes, which are formed during pregnancy and increase until adolescence, at which time they stop growing in number, but in volume.”

For this reason, the treatment, despite causing a stir on some social networks with a majority audience of Generation Z, such as TikTtok, is not advisable until after adolescence and until the end of the development of hormonal health.

As a result of this procedure, which is used on the thighs, flanks, hips, belly, legs, arms, back and chin, “between 23 and 50 percent of localized fat” can be reduced.

Miracles do not exist: Complementary to sport and healthy eating.

Given the rise of this type of treatment and avoiding the feared and dangerous “miracle effect,” the doctor highlights that this treatment “is not a substitute for a healthy diet and exercise,” and that it is also indicated “for people with normal weight who wish to treat accumulations of fat in specific areas.”

That is, those who are overweight would need to resort to other types of treatments, or use this type of technique in the final part of the weight loss process and in a complementary way. It is also not recommended for those people who have “visceral fat”, that which is located surrounding the organs in the abdominal area.

Santacruz clarifies that when we talk about weight loss, we are referring to “the loss of body mass, composed of muscle mass, water and fat, while losing fat responds specifically to fat mass, a more concrete and healthy objective,” he adds.

75 minutes and several sessions.

To undergo this intervention “no surgery, anesthesia or pre- or post-operative is required, so you can incorporate into your routine after it,” explains the CoolSculpting technician María Martos, from AEVO Centers, about one of the aspects that have the most impact on patients when choosing this procedure.

The results, as he points out, are visible “after three or four weeks”, although he emphasizes that “it depends on the patient, the area to be treated and the needs”, and specifies that the average number of sessions applied is usually two, although there are patients with a small amount, sometimes a single session may be enough.

With a gel pad that acts as a cold conductor and a specific applicator for the area to be treated, the session lasts approximately 75 minutes, the time necessary for the cold to act “on the subcutaneous fat, preserving the skin and tissues.” from around”.

“At first you can notice the cold on the skin, then it acts as an anesthetic, numbing the area,” explains Martos about one of the effects of the treatment during the application of the cold, prior to a final massage. “It is important to massage the area with energy, in order to reactivate the area,” he says.