Bilateral Submental Cryolipolysis Safe, Efficacious

FRIDAY, April 21, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Cryolipolysis is safe and efficacious for reduction of lateral and submental fat, according to a study published online April 20 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.

Eric F. Bernstein, M.D., and Jason D. Bloom, M.D., from the Main Line Center for Laser Surgery in Ardmore, Pa., examined the safety and efficacy of cryolipolysis for reduction of lateral and central submental fat in a population of 14 participants. Two cryolipolysis treatments were administered with a small-volume cup applicator, delivered in 45-minute treatment cycles in two sessions. All participants received bilateral treatments for the first treatment session with about 20 percent overlap of the treatment area. At the six-week follow-up visit, participants were reassessed to examine whether they would benefit from a second treatment.

The researchers found that the adverse effects of the procedure were typically mild among the participants, and included numbness and tingling; by the final 12-week follow-up visit, they resolved without intervention. The rate of correct identification of the pretreatment and posttreatment images was 81.0 percent in an independent review of digital photographs. There was a mean fat layer reduction of 2.3 mm in caliper measurements, and mean reductions of 4.82 cm³ in fat volume, 1.29 cm² in skin surface area, and 3.77 mm in fat thickness, based on three-dimensional imaging. Thirteen of the participants were satisfied with the lipolysis treatment.

"The study demonstrates that bilateral submental cryolipolysis is well tolerated and produces visible and significant fat layer reduction," the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to ZELTIQ Aesthetics Medical Advisory Board, which sponsored the study. Image capture and analysis was conducted by Canfield Imaging Systems.

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