Body, sweat and veins / TREATMENT GUIDE
Fat freezing (cryolipolysis)
An applicator cools a pinchable fat bulge to a temperature that damages fat cells but not skin. The body clears the cells over months.
- Appointment
- 35 to 60 minutes per area
- Typical social recovery
- Usually minimal
- When results may appear
- 8 to 12 weeks
- How long they may last
- Long term at a stable weight
- Typical course
- 1 to 3 cycles per area
- Relative cost
- $$ · Higher relative cost
Ranges vary by person, product, area and technique. Cost symbols are editorial comparisons—not quotes. Ask for the full course and follow-up cost.
How it works
Fat cells are more sensitive to cold than skin. Crystallised cells die and are removed by the immune system, reducing the treated bulge by roughly 20 to 25 percent per cycle.
Four illustrative steps. Select a step to highlight it; the optional anatomy view explains the same mechanism.
Recovery, in practical terms
Numbness, tenderness or bruising for days to weeks.
What it can feel like: Intense cold, then numbness. A brief massage afterward.
What people discuss
Pinchable pockets on the flanks, abdomen, chin and arms at a stable weight.
Reasons to pause
Cold-related conditions, a hernia, loose skin, weight-loss goals.
This list is not exhaustive. A clinician must assess your health, medications, skin and goals.
Risks worth understanding
- Numbness for weeks
- Rare paradoxical fat growth: a hard, enlarged area that needs liposuction
Ask your clinician
- Is this fat or loose skin?
- What is your rate of paradoxical fat growth?
Sources, approval context & editorial limits
US: authorization and risks are specific to the device and treatment area.
Sources support regulatory and safety context; not every efficacy claim or range has been independently verified.
Educational information, not medical advice or a personal recommendation. Independent clinical review is pending. A qualified clinician must assess individual suitability. Timings, relative costs and visuals are illustrative, not guarantees.
Read the editorial policyCompare different approaches
Related catalogue tags, not recommendations.
- Injectables
Fat-dissolving injections (deoxycholic acid)
An injectable acid that breaks down fat cell walls in small pockets, most commonly under the chin.
About a week recovery - Surgery
Liposuction
Surgical removal of fat with a thin tube through small incisions.
Several weeks recovery