CoolTech Fat Freezing Information

Product Summary

The CoolTech device is manufactured by the Spanish company, Cocoon Medical. It is designed to treat and remove small areas of localised fat on a variety of areas of the body using extreme cold temperatures to kill fat cells in a non-invasive way.

It was launched into the UK market in 2014.

According to the manufacturer, more than 1 million patients across 40 countries have now received CoolTech treatments with an overall patient satisfaction rate of 95%

The device if marketed for the treatment of cryolipolysis, also called cryolipo or fat freezing.

Technical Specifications

The CoolTech device offers controlled cooling for the treatment of localised fat deposits. It cools the tissue down using temperatures which oscillate from 3ºC to -8ºC, depending on the area being treated and the thickness of the fat within that area. The temperature is also reduced slowly at the start of treatment, and increased again slowly towards the end of treatment.

The CoolTech system comes with a variety of hand pieces (HP) for targeted treatment of different areas of the body, and different quantities of fatty tissue, including:

Straight HP – Used on fat folds of 35mm on the abdomen, inside of the knees, sides of the body.
Curved HP - Used to treat fat folds on curved areas of the body, such as on the back (love handles), waists (muffin tops), hips and under the buttocks.
Tight HP - Used on smaller folds of fat, which are less than 35mm, on the abdomen, back, hips and under the buttocks.
Double HP - Designed exclusively for treating the abdominal area in larger, more lengthened areas where the fat folds are greater than 35mm.
Oval HP – Used to treated broader areas of fat, where the fat folds are greater than 35mm, such as on the upper abdomen, sides, love handles or calves.
Tiny HP - This is designed for treating smaller areas and where the fat folds are smaller than 35mm, such as for double chins, sub -scapula(bra bulges by the underarm) and upper arms (bingo wings).

The device allows for two hand pieces to be used at the same time during one treatment session, e.g. on both sides of the body.

How Does it Work?

The area being treated is first covered with a cool gel pad which is used to protect the surface of the skin.
The hand pieces for the CoolTech device have a vacuum application when placed on the body and ‘suck’ in the tissue area, which is to be treated, so that the fatty tissue is encapsulated by the hand piece and its temperature can be decreased in a controlled way, and away from other tissue structures within the body. This will feel like a tugging sensation as the hand piece pulls in the area.

The cooling can then commence. It works to reduce fat cells by relying on the fact that adipocytes (the medical term for fat cells) are vulnerable to temperature changes, more so than any other tissue type in our body, and thus by freezing the fatty tissue a controlled death of the fat cells can be caused. The body then metabolises the damaged fat cells and their contents.

After the applicator is removed when the treatment session is complete, the area will look raised, red and lumpy; the practitioner will usually massage the area to further help break down the fatty tissue and stimulate lymphatic drainage and thus aid recovery and improve the result, which in turn will make the area look more normal again by the time you leave the clinic.

Licenced Status

European CE Marked class IIa medical device (CE 0051).

Should be used by

Trained medical professionals and aesthetic therapists.

What is it used to treat?

CoolTech fat freezing can be used to treat all sorted of areas of the body where stubborn areas of localised fat are found that is resistant to removal through diet and exercise. It is not a weight loss treatment.

It can be used on the abdomen, back, thighs, hips, legs, arms and chin to treat saddle bags, muffin tops, love handles, bra bulges, double chins, bingo wings, flabby knees and post pregnancy tummies where small accumulations of fatty tissue have remained.

It is suitable for all skin types and can be used to treat both men and women.

How long does it last?

Results tend to start to become visible after the first fortnight and the final result from treatment will be apparent after around 3 months, with ongoing noticeable improvements as time passes and your body metabolises the debris. Most people can expect to lose at least 20% of the fat in a treated area, with one treatment session, with reports of 40 - 45% loss of the fat after one treatment. Thus a programme of 3 treatment sessions is usually recommended for optimal fat loss.

Subject to maintaining a sensible diet and lifestyle, the results should be permanent. Weight gain or hormonal changes may affect the results long term. You may be advised to have a maintenance treatment after a few years.

Side effects & risks

Treatment is generally considered to be minimally invasive with limited, tolerated pain and discomfort experienced during treatment due to the cold temperature, but this is usually only for the first few minutes and then it subsides as the area becomes numb. Many people are then happy to read, listen to music or use mobile devices whilst they wait for the session to conclude.

Usually you can return to most of your normal activities immediately after treatment, although you will experience mild swelling, redness, numbness, tenderness and residual pain for the first day or so following treatment. If required, over the counter pain medication can be taken. Bruising can occur which may last a little longer. Treatment is not generally associated with any long term complications. Although rare and infrequent, cases of paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), where accumulation of more fatty tissue appears in the treated area, have been reported post CoolTech procedures and should be mentioned during your consultation.

You will be advised to drink plenty of water to help your body to flush out the debris following treatment. You may also be advised to avoid eating certain foods during this time, again to assist in this process and achieve the maximum results. A healthy lifestyle with good diet and exercise is recommended, but is not prescribed as part of a treatment programme to achieve the end results.

Not to be used in

As long as you are generally healthy and don’t have any skin diseases or infections in the area treated, there are few medical reasons why you should not undergo this treatment.

Pregnant and breast feeding women will not be able to undergo this treatment.

Treatment Regime

The time taken for a treatment session will depend upon the size of the area and indication being treated, which will also affect the number of sessions needed. This can range from 1 to 3 sessions on the same area spaced 6 to 8 weeks apart. An average treatment session takes around 70 minutes, including the initial controlled cooling and the final controlled warming at the end, the temperature should be down to -8ºC for 60 minutes during the treatment session.

Cost of Treatment

The cost of treatment depends on the area(s) being treated and the indication and can start from approximately £400 to £500 per session. A discount is usually applied for more than one session. Expect to pay approximately £1,200+ for three sessions. Smaller areas may be less expensive.