Vorteile der Kryolipolyse versus der „Fett-weg-Spritze“

Cryolipolysis compared to injection lipolysis

Medical devices for fat reduction is a trending topic in aesthetic medicine. Cryolipolysis is a method that is successfully carried out in my own practice. The so-called fat freezing treatment is an efficient and effective method of reducing localized fat deposits (Garibyan et al. 2014). Compared to non-instrument-based procedures like injection lipolysis, the initial investment seems to be high.

So, what are the benefits of medical cryolipolysis compared to injection lipolysis?

Indications for Non-Invasive Fat Reduction in general

Non-invasive treatments are popular in Germany. Germany has been a country, which was more conservative regarding aesthetic operative procedures but within the last five to six years it changed. The reason for this is on the one hand the social network world and on the other hand the ever-growing offers, opportunities and improvement of minimal-invasive operations.

In my opinion cryolipolysis is an effective treatment for all patients which are conscious regarding their health, diet and lifestyle. For patients, which don’t want to have an operative liposuction and also feel fine with improvements of their problematic areas without seeking for best, often unreachable results. Furthermore, there are problematic areas which are too small for an operative procedure and vice versa. There are areas which are treated more effective with an operative procedure like the liposuction for example.

Indications for cryolipolysis compared to injection lipolysis

Non-invasive cryolipolysis and minimal-invasive injection lipolysis are barely comparable with each other, cause the side effects, the down time and also the results are definitely not the same.

For example, you want to treat the hips area you will have a huge area. So, with the injection lipolysis the patient will have hundreds of injections, bruises, swelling and also PIH after this procedure and also the risk of infection. If you treat the same area with cryolipolysis, you will have the right applicator to suck the fat in, cool it down effectively and there is no downtime afterwards, much less bruises, infection and also swelling. And the cryolipolysis seems to be more effective by the way. Only for small areas where nothing can be sucked in an applicator, I see an indication for the injection lipolysis.

Less treatments, more patient satisfaction

The needed number of treatments depends on the initial position of the patient, her or his expectations and also on their reaction to the method. With the cryolipolysis usually between 1 to 3 treatments are needed, with the injection lipolysis often more! This means that the cryolipolysis is much more profitable for the practitioners and usually the patient is more satisfied afterwards (Krueger et al. 2014).

We often treat patients with the cryolipolysis after they have received the injection lipolysis somewhere else. And they are all definitely more satisfied with the cooling treatment. But again: we as practitioners have to select the treatment for the patients meticulously. Not every area is treated as good as the other with the same procedure.

Cryolipolysis and patient safety in aesthetic medicine

With a medical device the cryolipolysis is an absolutely safe treatment: Studies show that fat freezing with medical devices has few side effects (Ingargiola et al. 2015). The injection lipolysis is more prone to get side effects like allergies, PIH and for sure infections.

To ensure patient safety when it comes to cryolipolysis, it is important to make sure to find a reputable supplier of certified medical devices. The quality, performance of the cooling system and number of safety-sensors do make a huge difference for the treatment (Naumann 2019).

References

Garibyan, L., Sipprell, W. H., Jalian, H. R., Sakamoto, F. H., Avram, M., & Anderson, R. R. (2014). Three-dimensional volumetric quantification of fat loss following cryolipolysis. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 46(2), 75–80. https://doi.org/10.1002/lsm.22207

Ingargiola, M. J., Motakef, S., Chung, M. T., Vasconez, H. C., & Sasaki, G. H. (2015). Cryolipolysis for fat reduction and body contouring: Safety and efficacy of current treatment paradigms. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 135(6), 1581–1590. https://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0000000000001236

Krueger, N., Mai, S. V., Luebberding, S., & Sadick, N. S. (2014). Cryolipolysis for noninvasive body contouring: Clinical efficacy and patient satisfaction. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 7, 201–205. https://doi.org/10.2147/CCID.S44371

Naumann, R. (2019). Interview mit Dr. med. Rebecca Naumann: Kryolipolyse Geräte im Vergleich. Kosmetische Medizin. (3.19), 172–173.