Fat freezing in 2021: Obsolete, or still relevant?

Although the past year has forced us to stay home a lot more, our activity levels are anything but naught. A recent fitness report showed that in 2021, exercising outdoors became the most popular fitness trend, with close to 60% of adults choosing solo activities like running, hiking and walking to keep fit and burn off the extra calories¹. With exercise becoming the option of choice for individuals to lose weight and look good, does this mean that body contouring treatments like fat freezing are now obsolete?

Not at all, and here’s why.

First, what is fat freezing and how does it work?

Fat freezing, or Cryolipolysis, is a non-invasive fat loss procedure that destroys or melts fat through freezing. Fat freezing works by freezing your fat cells, achieving apoptosis or cell death. The dead cells are then eliminated naturally through your liver.

Because fat cells are more sensitive to temperature than skin cells, surrounding skin is left undamaged — something surgical treatments like liposuction have yet to achieve. Further, as fat freezing can target the treated area directly, patients can choose to lose fat in a certain area while leaving surrounding tissues like the blood vessels and nerves unharmed.

Fat freezing is commonly treated on areas that tend to hold stubborn body fat, including:

• Arms
• Thighs
• Back
• Abdomen
• Chin

In terms of efficacy, studies have shown that fat freezing treatments reduce subcutaneous fat at the treatment site by up to 25% after one treatment, and reductions of up to 6.7cm in circumference and 4.5m in thickness of the fat layer after 12 weeks/3-4 treatments².

What are the different types of fat freezing treatments in Singapore?

CoolSculpting currently reigns as the most popular and common fat freezing treatment in Singapore, and all for good reason due to the device’s long track record. But there are several fat freezing options in Singapore; while they work by the same mechanism and treatment process, each of them differ in features and results. 

Briefly, here are the different types of fat freezing options in Singapore: 

CRISTAL PRO

Cristal Pro’s 360-degree body shaping solution promises up to 30% fat removal and allows up to four areas to be treated simultaneously, including the body and face⁴. Like CoolTech, Cristal Pro also comes with a wide range of applicators to fit different parts of the body.

CLATUU ALPHA

Clatuu Alpha is arguably CoolSculpt’s biggest competitor, as this device comes with an upgraded 360-degree surround cooling technology that allows for an 18.1% increase in efficiency³. The Clatuu Alpha is also equipped with a 20% stronger suction capacity and customised applicators that can treat areas other fat freezing treatments typically cannot, such as the neck.

COOLTECH

CoolTech comes with not just one, two, but four applicators that allow us to treat four areas simultaneously! Compared to traditional fat freeze devices that come with large handpieces that are better used for larger body parts, CoolTech has 9 handpieces designed in different sizes, shapes and contours to better fit in fat pockets below the armpits, love handles and inner thighs.

COOLSCULPTING

CoolSculpting is one of the oldest fat freeze brands in the market. Its efficacy has been studied for over a decade in the market, and many patients tend to go for CoolSculpting due to its high safety track record and consistency. However, the CoolSculpting device is extremely costly even for practitioners to acquire — as such, when trickled down to the consumer, most patients can only afford to treat 1-2 areas in one session.

Which fat freezing treatment is best for me?

This really depends on your goals and body type. We store and lose fat differently; so just like how there’s no one-size-fits all solution for, say, acne treatments, the same applies for fat freezing. Our doctors will be able to advise you better. 

Regardless of the treatment you choose, you will still experience the following benefits of fat freezing: 

• No need for surgery 
• Painless and fast procedure with no downtime 
• Noticeable results after one session 
• No risk of infection

Do I still need to exercise with fat freezing?

As much as fat freezing can produce desirable results, the best candidates are those within their ideal weight range, engage in regular exercise, keep to a healthy diet, have noticeable fat bulges and most importantly are realistic in their expectations. 

In fact, we believe fat freezing is the perfect complement to a healthy, active lifestyle and hence also believe that although exercise has been on the rise and will hopefully continue to be, fat freezing will never be obsolete. If you exercise regularly or have been trying to lose body fat for awhile now, you would notice that fat on certain body parts are just always slower or almost impossible to shed. 

This is because we cannot spot fat, and fat freezing treatments can help remove those stubborn pockets of fat safely and efficiently. Aesthetic medicine is all about complementing what you already have to create a better you, and at Ozhean Zoey Singapore, we believe fat freezing can assist your efforts in working towards your dream body! 

References 

1. https://runrepeat.com/fitness-trends
2. Krueger, N., Mai, S. V., Luebberding, S., & Sadick, N. S. (2014). Cryolipolysis for noninvasive body contouring: clinical efficacy and patient satisfaction. Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology, 7, 201–205. https://doi.org/10.2147/CCID.S44371
3. https://www.news-medical.net/Clatuu-Alpha-Non-Invasive-Cryolipolysis-Fat-Reduction-from-Classys
4. https://expsinternational.com/cristal-pro/