The new cool to sculpt you: Cryotherapy, freeze and break down fat cells

If you want a svelte figure like celebrities and don’t want a rigorous routine, then cryotheraphy is the answer. After taking Hollywood by storm, the therapy, which was once used by professional athletes, is now gaining popularity in Bollywood and Tollywood too.

According to sources, “Salman Khan is said to have gone for cryotherapy for a painful nerve disorder called trigeminal neuralgia, which causes intense pain in the face.” Dr Sunil Kapoor, cardiologist adds, “Salman Khan seems to have undergone ablation for pain due to Trigeminal neuralgia in the USA. This procedure is also done by cryoablation (it’s a process that uses extreme cold (cryo) to destroy or damage tissue (ablation), or radio frequency ablation.”

Celebrity doctor Rashmi Shetty says, “We have celebrities from Bollywood and Tollywood, too, coming to our centres for cryotherapy. This therapy is popular for its ability to freeze fat cells. What is exciting is that the most popular equipment, CoolSculpt, is now FDA approved for treating double chins, one of the problematic areas which was previously untreatable without surgery.”

“My work in showbiz demands that I always look my best. Although I’ve been athletic, a few stubborn bulges on my back and around my waist (love handles) always bothered me. The CoolSculpting treatments have finally fixed all the flaws,” says a celebrity on condition of anonymity.

Elaborating more on the therapy, Dr Rashmi, who is author and an expert in non-surgical aesthetic medicine, says, “Cryotherapy, which is now offered in a few premium centres in Hyderabad, is the freezing of fat. The most popular equipment is CoolSculpt. This freezes the fat cells and destroys them permanently without one having to undergo surgery. This is done using a highly specialised equipment which sucks in the target area, for example, lower belly etc. and then freezes the area while holding the target area under suction.”

Each cryotherapy session can burn up to 800 calories. This treatment is done in temperatures as low as -140ºC that cause the blood to rush to the skin’s surface and flush out toxins, resulting in radiant skin immediately. The therapy, which exposes the body to sub-zero temperatures, also promises to reduce muscle pain, prevent aging, and help lose weight.

But how safe is it? “This is a safe procedure with minimal side effects like redness, and bruising which last for a few hours. You can resume your day-to-day activities immediately, which makes this more advantageous,” says Dr Padmavathi, dermatologist and cosmetologist. Cryotherapy also prevents anxiety, insomnia, muscle strain, back pain, cardiovascular diseases, muscle inflammation and headaches.

For cellulite reduction
Another therapy called Cryolipolysis is a body contouring technique that reduced localised bulges of fat. It’s, however, not for weight reduction. “A protective membrane is applied to keep the skin from freezing. The vacuum draws and holds the tissue, which is cooled to -5ºC to -8ºC.

This causes fat cells to crystallise and break, resulting in reduction of body fat without damaging the surrounding tissue. After treatment, affected fatty tissue is removed through a natural metabolic process. Results are seen from four weeks onwards,” adds Dr Padmavathi.