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[[File:CoolSculpting device.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The commercial CoolSculpting® device.]]{{DISPLAYTITLE:CoolSculpting and DIY CoolSculpting (Cryolipolysis)}}__NOTOC__The idea of using CoolSculpting uses cold to remove reduce fat seems too good to and can be true, but if effective as long as you understand know the limitations it , and a similar effect can be quite effective. It could also be performed achieved cheaply at home. This approach is marketed as CoolSculpting® or Cryolipolysis®. It works by chilling the skin so that the underlying fat cells are reducednaturally die off, reducing the thickness of fat in the area treated. While commercial CoolScuplting CoolSculpting requires expensive equipment, I've found that a similar effect can be produced at home for almost no cost. =What is CoolSculpting?=
CoolSculpting uses an FDA approved device to chill the skin for up to an hour<ref name="CyroMeta"/>, with a session lasting one to three hours<ref name="CSFaq"/>, producing a reduction in the fat thickness in the treated area. Animal and human studies have shown a reduction in fat thickness between 20% and 80% over 3 months following treatment<ref name="ClNelson"/>. The device sucks the skin and underlying fat into a cup<ref name="CryroNerves"/>. More than one treatment can be used, but the results of the second treatment are not as dramatic as the first<ref name="CryroChin"/>. CoolSculpting is considered an alternative to liposuction, which is the most common type of plastic surgery.
=How does CoolSculpting work?=
CoolSculpting is quite different to Cryosurgery, which uses cold to kill off tissue, such as tumors. Typically cryosurgery uses far lower temperatures (-20c/-4f to -40c/-40f) and immediately kills off the living cells ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necrosis necrosis]) <ref name="CryosurgeryTemp"/>. Cell damage is caused by temperatures below -10c/14f<ref name="CryoSkin"/><ref name="CellDeath"/> and CoolSculpting does not go that cold.
=Side effects of CoolSculpting=
There have been no serious side effects reported so far<ref name="ClNelson"/>. The skin being treated goes red, with some bruising and numbness. I suspect that the bruising may be because the CoolSculpting device sucks<ref name="CsSuction"/><ref name="CryroNerves"/> the fat against the cooling device. These problems normally resolve within a week. Studies have shown no changes in blood lipid levels or liver function<ref name="CyroMeta"/>. The numbness is not associated with nerve damage<ref name="CryroNerves"/>. There are reports of a small number of patients having a prolonged (weeks), painful response to CoolScupltingCoolSculpting<ref name="CSIndividuality"/>, though a study of 528 patients that underwent 2,729 cycles showed only three cases of mild or moderate pain, which resolved within 4 days<ref name="StevensPietrzak2013"/>.
=Weight Loss or Spot Reduction?=
CoolSculpting reduces the fat thickness in the limited area that is treated rather than producing overall [[Weight Loss]]<ref name="ClNelson"/>. CoolSculpting does not seem to be effective in obese people, though it may simply be harder to observe the effects<ref name="ClNelson"/>. It's worth noting that CoolSculpting reduces the fat thickness in people who have a stable weight; in other words, you don't need to be on a diet for it to work.