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Cryolipolysis on flank effectively, safely reduced subcutaneous fat
Cryolipolysis effectively and safely reduced localized subcutaneous fat in a single treatment cycle on patients’ flanks when compared with untreated flanks, according to recent study results.
R. Rox Anderson, MD, professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School and director of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and colleagues conducted a prospective study of 11 patients (mean age, 37.6 years; 55% women; mean BMI, 27.1 kg/m2) treated with cryolipolysis on the flank. Three-dimensional camera and software were used to evaluate post-procedural volume change.
R. Rox Anderson
Patients underwent a single 60-minute cycle of cryolipolysis (CoolSculpting, Zeltiq Aesthetics) to one flank. The untreated side served as a control and underwent cryolipolysis at the conclusion of the study.
From baseline to 2 months, the treated flank had a mean calculated absolute fat volume loss of 56.2 ± 25.6 cc compared with 16.6 ± 17.6 cc at the control site (P<.0001), according to 3-D photography. Mean absolute difference at 2 months posttreatment between the treated and control flanks was 39.6 cc.
Caliper measurements demonstrated significant reduction in the treated flanks from baseline (45.6 ± 5.8 mm) to 2 months posttreatment (38.6 ± 4.6 mm; P<.001), while the untreated flanks showed little reduction for the same period (45.3 ± 5 mm vs. 44.6 ± 5.1 mm; P=.36).
Erythema and edema were reported by all patients 10 minutes after treatment, but there were no reported unexpected side effects or adverse events after the study. Eighty-two percent of patients were satisfied with results in follow-up surveys.
“Cryolipolysis is a well-tolerated, safe and effective noninvasive fat removal technique,” the researchers concluded. “There is on average about 40 cc of fat volume loss after a single treatment of the flank at 2 months posttreatment.”
Disclosure: See the study for a full list of relevant financial disclosures.