New technology hits Tulsa that will freeze fat away

TULSA - Most people have some part of their body they'd like to change.

Now there is a way to smooth out bulges without diet, exercise or surgery.

The technology is so new, a Tulsa doctor is the first in the state of Oklahoma to offer the procedure that promises to freeze away your fat without needles, surgery or down time.

Doctor Jeff Alexander is the first dermatologist in Oklahoma to offer a fat-freezing procedure called Coolsculpting at his Skin Care Institute medical spa in Tulsa. It is only offered to certain patients.

"Close to their ideal weight who have a pretty normal body contour with a few bulges that they really don't like," according to Dr. Alexander. "Anyone who has just minor imperfections that they want to get rid of. Where they are in good shape and they like the way they look but they have an extra bulge or two."

The system is specifically designed to smooth out isolated fatty areas, such as near a woman's bra strap, the waist line or "muffin top" areas, as well as the abdomen.

Even a man's breast area can be treated. According to the Zeltique company, which markets Coolsculpting, "The intent is to target, cool and eliminate fat cells without damage to neighboring tissue."

The controlled cooling method, called cryolipolysis, was developed from research by doctors at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. The hospital is a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

"Can you pinch the area that bothers you? Great," the technician said as she worked with a staff member interested in freezing away a small bulge on her stomach. After placing a gel pad on the patient's stomach, the Coolsculpting machine goes to work.

"They put an initial cold pad down and then they suck your fat up in it," said a patient who did not want to be named. "It was a little shocking cold but it wasn't painful. I had been warned that it may be painful but it wasn't any more than a little pinch," she said.

The patient we will call "Samantha" wanted her tummy tightened up. The device is left on each trouble spot for 60 minutes. During that time, the patient can read, make phone calls, or simply relax.

"And then it cools the whole area down to about 40 degrees while protecting the area. Then the fat cells freeze. Probably crystalize," said Dr. Alexander. Once the targeted area returns to it's normal temperature, the body begins the process of flushing out the formerly frozen cells. It is a process that can take up to three weeks before any noticeable change appears.

"The first week on my abdomen there was a little bit of tingling and loss of sensation but as the weeks progress that has gone away and I can definitely see a difference," Samantha said.

"Usually by about eight weeks they see about 20-percent reduction in fat," Dr. Alexander told 2News anchor Karen Larsen. "So far, we haven't seen anyone who hasn't responded. Sometimes it is subtle and the pictures aren't as obvious as when you look at the person. But the people who have done this so far have universally been happy with it."

When 2News interviewed Dr. Alexander in April, 2011, he had only had the Coolsculpting machine in operation for eight weeks which is halfway through the four-month process.

As for Samantha, she was thrilled with the early results. "My skinny jeans that are always really tight were really loose. So, it was really exciting," Samantha said. When asked if this was something she would recommend, she said, "Absolutely."

After researching fat sculpting options, the Tulsa dermatologist believes Coolsculpting will work better for patients than other systems that heat the fat cells. "The problem with thermal techniques is they empty the fat cells but they don't destroy the cells. Whereas the cool technique actually destroys the fat cells and we don't expect them to come back," Dr. Alexander said.

He said Coolsculpting is not meant to replace liposuction because it is only designed to re-contour small trouble spots, at least for now.  Dr. Alexander added, "We feel like this is the wave of the future and hopefully down the road we will be doing larger areas."

Here is the current cost of the procedure:

Single large treatment (stomach) $1,500
Single small treatment (upper abdomen) $600
Double treatment (bra line, love handles, man breasts or inner thighs) $1,200

For more information:

www.skincareinstitute.net
www.coolsculpting.com