Procedure Freezes Fat Cells To Flush Fat!

Dr. Z wants to share this article from KTSN News Channel 9:

 View full article and video: http://bit.ly/lve81l

EL PASO- Most of us have that annoying area of fat we can't seem to get rid of no matter how much we diet or exercise. While liposuction is an expensive and sometimes painful solution, a new technique has helped dozens of people in the Borderland at a fraction of the price and in an hour's time. It's called "cool sculpting" and the way it works is by freezing your fat cells.

“I'm going to Hawaii in June, so that's why I started kind of early to fit into that bikini for Hawaii,” says Alicia Revelez.

Even though she diets and works out, Revelez said she could not get rid of some bulgy areas like her love handles and stomach. The mother of two didn't want to get liposuction because of the down time and recovery involved, but then she heard of a new procedure.

“This machine is the Zeltiq apparatus. It performs a procedure called cool sculpting,” says Dr. Lyle Weeks.

Dr. Weeks, with Cosmetic Surgery & Laser Center in West El Paso says the procedure has become increasingly popular since his office first started doing "cool sculpting" in December.

“The technology is based on the fact that fat freezes at a higher level than water. This enables us to freeze fat, without freezing the skin where there's a lot of water,” says Weeks.

The frozen fat cells are broken up in the body and flushed out. “Fat is then disposed of by the body, just like a normal fat cell that's outlived its usefulness in the body. It's absorbed and carried away,” says Weeks.

The procedure takes about an hour. First, patients are weighed, marked and photographed. Then, a gel to protect the skin is placed on the area to be treated. The technician then places the Zeltiq applicator, which is about the size of a shoe over the area to be treated.

“It's a little suction. Like you know, the vacuum cleaner, like when it gets you,” says Revelez after the Zeltiq applicator was placed around her abdomen.

So how cold is it? “Cool, not cold cold, just cool,” says Revelez.

After an hour, the patient gets a vigorous massage to help the fat cells break up. Dr. Weeks asks patients to lose one pound over the next three months. “That seems to, for some reason, greatly enhance the results of the treatment,” says Weeks.

Dr. Weeks say there are many advantages to cool sculpting over liposuction. “The advantage of this is, it's extremely effective for small areas. It's very safe. It's essentially painless for most people and it's cost-effective.”

It does take one to two months to see the results following treatment. Reveles had her love handles treated in March and says her friends have taken notice.

“They've noticed a difference and they ask me if I’m on a diet and I’m like, "No.” And I told them about this procedure,” says Revelez. “My pants fit different. My clothes fit totally different.”

Reveles says she loved the results so much she came back to do her stomach.

“It's amazing. It's great. You won't see immediate results but you'll start seeing results in about a month and you drop the fat. You won't see the little bulges anymore.”

The procedure is not effective with obese patients. The ideal candidate is someone who is 20 lbs. or less overweight.

By Oralia Ortega - Main Anchor

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 - 3:00pm