People are still obsessing over getting rid of fat lumps on parts of their body, but lately there's been quite a buzz about a more in-your-face body part. I'm talking about the "at-risk chin fat". The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery showed that last year approximately 67% of people were concerned about excess fat under the chin, which has increased 7% since 2013. So what's causing this surgery's popularity?
Despite the fact that this sensitive area is prone to age-related accumulation of fat, it is a spot that cannot be covered by clothing or make-up. And it proves to be another stubborn area of fat for many people to get rid of on their own. Prior to 2015, liposuction was the only way to effectively treat a double chin. Clearly, with the launch of a new applicator that will freeze and eliminate double chin fat without surgery, there is a large demand for this non-invasive alternative as well.
"Fat freezing" is not an entirely new technology, it was first discovered after, rumour has it, doctors noticed that children who ate a lot of ice lollies experienced fat degradation in their cheeks. The theory behind this is fat cells are more sensitive to cold temperature than other types of body cells. Two dermatologists at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School then began experimenting on applying cooling treatments to pigs, eventually leading to the development of cryolipolysis procedure.
Cryolipolysis procedure was first approved by the US FDA in 2010, but recently gained attention when it received the US FDA clearance for submental fat reduction in 2015.
The procedure involves nothing more than applying the specific applicator to the under-chin fat. The system pulls the fat snugly into the vacuum applicator cup where the cold plate reduces the temperature of the fat to its unique freezing point. Within the fat cells, crystals form and the fat cells die through programmed cell death, or apoptosis, in the first two to three days following treatment. As fat cells die, they collapse and a natural inflammatory process removes the dead cell through the lymphatic system for up to 12 weeks resulting in fat layer reduction.
Common side effects after the treatment include numbness, redness and bruising lasting for a few hours. Sometimes side effects can last longer but so far they tend to be confined to no longer than three weeks. A patient typically will be able to resume all regular activities without downtime. The more treatments a patient has, the more results one will see. But patients usually can see the results from the first treatment. Nevertheless, the procedure is not a substitute for liposuction.
The non-invasive submental treatment may be shorter, more comfortable and eventually trend this year, but, please remember that cosmetic procedures depend heavily on who is doing the procedure. In the safety studies that led to FDA approval, skilled and closely observed physicians performed the procedure under controlled settings. Now that the procedure is available widely, the key to choosing a qualified doctor will be whether he or she undertook technology training or not.
Dr Thanisorn Thamlikitkul, founder of Romrawin Clinic, is a certified dermatologist and laser surgeon and member of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery. Tel 080-153-9000.
