Lose Weight by Freezing Fat Cells
People who are in need of losing some weight now have another alternative to ponder, that of having their fat cells frozen!
The procedure is known as cryolipolysis and it kills the fat cells that are targeted permanently by simply freezing them.
Once the cells are dead, the body disposes of the tissue over a period of 3 to 4 months. During this time, the person's weight drops as the flab disappears from those areas of the body that have been targeted.
First Non-Surgical Fat Removal Technique
According to British surgeon Mark Whiteley, cryolipolysis along with another technique using ultrasound waves have been hailed as the first non-surgical techniques for getting rid of fat cells permanently. Before this breakthrough, the only permanent means of fat removal has been liposuction that literally sucks out the fatty tissue surgically.
Whiteley said he has so far treated 23 patients as part of a recent study that looks into the effectiveness of HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) for removing fat tissue. As a cosmetic procedure, the treatment costs from £1500 to £2000.
According to Whiteley:
"Our results have been very good and, from the previously published studies, it appears that HIFU and cryolipolysis are the only two methods of non-surgical fat removals that show any promise. Other techniques using lasers or other types of ultrasound don't work because they only damage fat cells, rather than destroying them, so the cells simply grow back."
Idea Came from Popsicles
The idea for removing fat cells by freezing initially came from observations made of children in the United States that were addicted to Popsicles. When they ate too many of the iced confectionery treats, their cheeks became hollow as ice crystals formed in the fat cells there and literally killed them.
HIFU and cryolipolysis are not designed to be used on grossly obese patients for weight loss. These procedures may however help those who struggle to lose the extra pounds from areas such as their stomach, hips and thighs.
According to Stephen O'Rahilly, Cambridge University professor of clinical biochemistry, these new techniques should however be treated with some caution. He said,
"As a cosmetic treatment, this would be fine. But if you kill off fat cells on someone's stomach and they start to regain weight, you would run the risk of the fat being stored in the heart or liver, where it could be very dangerous and cause real organ damage."
More in-depth information on this procedure can be found at:
cryolipolysis
HIFU
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Posted on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 in News | 0 Comments