How does CoolSclupting not damage skin? The machine is freezing the fat so why does the skin not freeze?

Scientists at Harvard recognized that fat freezes at higher temperatures than skin, so you can selectively freeze the fat while leaving the skin unharmed.

The researchers who developed CoolSculpting placed the temperature of the treatment at 12 to 15 degrees higher than the temperature at which skin, muscle and other non fatty tissue would start to be damaged. Have you ever noticed that when you put a bowl of chicken soup in the refrigerator the fat will freeze at the top. This is a great demonstration of the higher freezing temperature of fat.

Fat has a higher freezing point than the rest of our body tissues including skin. Therefore, CoolSculpting can preferentially treat the fat without injuring the skin. Once the fat is frozen and thaws it sends the fat cells into apoptosis or cell death. These cells are then swept out of your body via the lymphatic system.

Hi Jeanneen. The beauty of the CoolSculpting treatment is that it does not damage the skin, nerves or blood vessels in the treatment areas. Fat freezes at a higher temperature than skin does, so this way damage to the skin is prevented during a CoolSculpting treatment. Also, before we begin the treatment we place a cool gelpad over the area that we are treating. This gelpad protects the skin and ensures that the proper temperature is maintained by the CoolSculpting machine. To see how the treatment is performed you can view our youtube page. Hope this helps!

No,
there are not any reports of skin necrosis from CoolSculpting. Simply stated, the fat cells are more
susceptible to cold damage than are the overlying skin cells. The patented technology behind CoolSculpting
exploits this difference and uses exposure times to the cold and temperatures
that preferentially freeze and damage the fat cells without harming the
overlying skin.

Coolsculpting selectively freezes fat cells to induce programmed cell death. There are several safety mechanisms to protect the skin during this procedure including a special gel pad over the skin and temperature monitors in the applicator. The fat cells area more susceptible to cold than skin cells, and that is the premise of this treatment.

The Coolsculpting approach as developed by 2 Harvard Professors has the advantage of being able to isolate the fat cells and will not damage the skin etc. around the treated area. There are numerous safeguards to prevent the skin from being damaged.

Coolsculpting is a completely non-invasive method of getting rid of fat. It doesn't' damage other tissues because fat is much more sensitive to cold temperatures. The Coolsculpting applicator and machine calculate the ideal temperature to cool your fat cells most effectively. Additionally, your skin cells have a much higher rate of circulation than your fat cells, which keeps your skin warmer, preventing damage. Coolsculpting is safe to use, but should be used with caution in those with conditions that make them sensitive to cold.

I concur with my colleagues.   The technology achieves a temperature that "freezes" just the fat cells and not the skin.  In addition, a protective gel pad is utilized to further safeguard the skin.  Best wishes.

Hi Jeanneen. The Cool Sculpting machine by Zeltiq developed from research by Harvard Dermatology Scientists has safe guards to protect the concerns you raise. The cooling plates measure and feed back to the machine the ideal temperature for fat cells to "turn-off" and be eliminated. The plates do not reach freezing but just above that temperature for this fat resorption mechanism to occur. Should there be a concern, the machine warms itself or turns off and alerts the physician. Blood flow percolates through the skin much more so than it does in the fat. This circulation warms the skin so it doesn't freeze.There are imitation machines being used which do not have these safe guards and have had more skin and nerve complications than the remarkable safe and efficacious FDA approved Cool Sculpting machine.I am not aware of any skin injuries with Cool Sculpting but it should be used with concern in patients with sensitivities to the cold. I hope this was helpful! All the best!