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Delayed posttreatment pain occurs with cryolipolysis

Women treated with cryolipolysis experienced delayed posttreatment pain, according to recently published study results.

“While cryolipolysis has become a popular and generally well-tolerated treatment for noninvasive destruction of unwanted subcutaneous fat, delayed posttreatment pain is not an uncommon side effect,” researcher Tina Alster, MD, director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery and clinical professor of dermatology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, told Healio.com/Dermatology. “Its risk is greatest in young women undergoing abdominal cryolipolysis.”

Tina Alster

Alster and colleagues conducted a retrospective review of 125 patients (mean age, 44.5 years; 98 women) who received 554 cryolipolysis procedures during a 1-year period.  Specific variables that influenced development of delayed posttreatment pain were determined through demographic data.

The lower abdomen was the location of 36.6% of procedures, followed by the flanks (34.7%), upper abdomen (11.9%), back (9.4%), thighs (6%) and chest (1.4%).

Delayed postcryolipolysis pain occurred in 19 women (mean age, 39 years), who had completed 75 treatments averaging 3.9 cycles per treatment.  

Eighteen of the women developed pain in the abdomen, two reported pain in multiple areas, two in the flanks and one at the inner thigh. Onset of pain was at 3 days after cryolipolysis. The pain resolved within 11 days without long-term sequalae. Compression garments, lidocaine 5% transdermal patches, low-dose oral gabapentin (300 mg twice daily) and/or acetaminophen with codeine were used in posttreatment pain management. Low-dose oral gabapentin was the sole treatment for 14 patients.

The researchers reported that development of posttreatment pain was not affected by number of treatments. Three of the patients redeveloped posttreatment pain in the same area upon subsequent cryolipolysis treatment, while six patients did not develop pain after receiving a second cryolipolysis treatment in different areas.

“Delayed posttreatment pain is a not uncommon adverse effect after cryolipolysis that is severe in intensity and potentially debilitating,” the researchers concluded.

“Patients should be counseled on the possibility of its occurrence and timely intervention should be instituted in order to reduce its impact,” Alster said. – by Bruce Thiel

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.