Cryolipolysis

Cryolipolysis is a medical technique for easy slimming. It is not a technique for losing weight or treating obesity. Dr Santini recommends cryolipolysis for patients whose weight has been stabilized, with a healthy lifestyle.

What are the objectives of cold slimming?

This treatment mainly concerns patients who are not overweight, but who have one or more localized areas of fat, usually resistant to dieting efforts.

These areas include "love handles" or unsightly bulges on the abdomen or under the arms, "saddlebags", fat folds on the back, inner thighs, under-gluteal folds, double chin and neck. It's an alternative to liposuction, for example, for effortless tummy loss or easy thigh slimming.

Cryolipolysis can also be used as a complement to liposuction, which the patient feels is incomplete or needs to be perfected in certain areas.

How can cryolipolysis help you slim down effortlessly?

The first clinical studies of the effect of cold on fat cells date back to the 19th century. However, it was only more recently that cryolipolysis was democratized, when Harvard researchers came up with the idea of using cold to eliminate localized fat deposits.

The principle of cryolipolysis is based on two specific features of fat cells, the adipocytes:

• They are fragile cells, because they are entirely focused on fat storage: they are therefore incapable of repairing small lesions, which leads to their death by apoptosis;
• This death is definitive , as fat cells are incapable of regenerating and multiplying: their total number and distribution remain unchanged from adolescence onwards. Weight gain then takes place by increasing their volume, not their number.

The cryolipolysis method involves vacuum aspiration of the fat fold, to press the skin against the "Cryode", a special handpiece. The Cryode cools the treated area to an intense cold of between -10 and -11°C. The cold then acts on the adipocytes (fat cells), crystallizing them and triggering apoptosis, i.e. cell death. Fat cells are thus permanently destroyed. It then takes between 2 and 3 months for them to be eliminated naturally through phagocytosis by macrophages, thanks to the lymphatic system.

Their destruction is immediate, but the visible effect on slimming takes a few weeks. It is definitive, provided that the remaining cells do not begin to store new fat, hence the need for a healthy lifestyle.

Before any cryolipolysis session, Dr Christelle Santini, aesthetic and plastic surgeon, will carry out a thorough and meticulous examination in order to rule out any possible contraindications:

• Pregnancy.
• Obesity.
• Cold-related pathologies, such as Raynaud's disease or cryoglobulinemia.
• Hernias (umbilical or inguinal) if you want to lose weight using cold therapy.
• Wearing an electronic device.

Cryolipolysis can be used on adipose cellulite, but gives poor results on aqueous cellulite: the edema of the cellulite acts as an insulator, preventing the cold from acting properly on the fat cells.

Dr Santini will then tell you which cellulite treatment she recommends, such as the Onda CoolWaves anti-cellulite process.

She will also examine the area(s) to be treated, checking for any stretch marks or recent scars, or even lesions (eczema, inflammation...).

Once the feasibility of the treatment has been confirmed, Dr. Christelle Santini will take photographs and measurements to evaluate the results and effects of cryolipolysis. The aim of cryolipolysis is not to lose weight, but to slim down one or more specific areas.

Lastly, she advises patients not to take any medication that may increase the risk of bleeding (such as aspirin) 24 hours before the session, and not to apply any cosmetic products to the area to be treated.

The cryolipolysis session takes place at the Paris 16th medical practice and lasts between 45 minutes and 2 hours, depending on the number of areas to be treated (arms, stomach, hips, saddlebags, buttocks, etc.).

At the start of the session, your surgeon will make you comfortable and once again examine the area to ensure that the skin is healthy and clean. She will then set up the cryolipolysis machine and precisely define the area to be treated.

In some cases, the handpiece is strapped on for better hold.

The main advantage of cryolipolysis is that it is totally painless. It is described as "uncomfortable" at best. No anesthesia is required, as cold "medical liposuction" precisely anaesthetizes the area.

Once the adjustments have been made, Dr. Santini will coat the area to be treated with a neutral gel to maximize the effectiveness of the treatment and protect the skin, then apply the applicator to the skin.

The latter will then be subjected to intense cold, "sucked in" and plated.

The cold makes the treatment painless, as the area is insensitive.

Several applicators are available, depending on the shape and surface of the area to be slimmed.

At the end of the session (about 45 minutes), the handpiece is removed. The professional then massages the area to break up the fatty deposits. This can be slightly sensitive, as it's the moment when the blood returns to the tissues numbed by the cold. A soothing treatment concludes the session.

Cryolipolysis does not involve any social exclusion, and patients can resume their activities immediately. Slight swelling and, more rarely, bruising of the treated area may appear in the days following the session.

We strongly advise you to stay well hydrated, drinking at least 1 liter of water a day, to encourage the natural process of eliminating fat cells destroyed by the cold. This is achieved through drainage. In addition, exposure to the sun, UV rays, steam baths, saunas or jacuzzis should be avoided for 2 weeks.

Cryolipolysis results are never immediate. To see the first effects of cryolipolysis, patients will need to wait around 4 weeks, which will increase in the following weeks as the fat cells are drained. Cold slimming is optimal and definitive around 2 to 3 months after the session, with an average destruction of 25 to 30% of fatty deposits in the area to be slimmed. Results are long-lasting, as long as the patient continues to follow a balanced diet and exercise regularly.

• No stopover planned.
• Painless technique for effortless slimming.
• Return home after the session.
• Definitive fat destruction.

What should I do before a cryolipolysis session in Paris?

• 1 aesthetic medicine consultation with estimate and photography.
• Effortless slimming in the cold can be done all year round.
• Discontinuation of anticoagulants recommended.

How does a cryolipolysis session work?

• Session duration: 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the area treated
• Modelling at the end of the session.
• Return home after cold slimming.
• A single session destroys ¼ to 1/3 of fatty deposits.

What are the after-effects of a cryolipolysis slimming session?

• Visible results from the 4th week.
• Final result of a cryolipolysis session after 3 months.
• No time off after cold slimming.