Will soaking in a hot tub for 30 minutes prior to Coolsculpting help expand & weaken the fat cell's walls?

Question

The theory of heating something gradually (fat cell wall) & then exposing it to something cold (like a piping hot glass placed in the fridge) the result is more likely a reaction to cell wall's destruction (like the hot glass cracking in the fridge before a cool glass would). Would it make valid reasoning that a 30 min hot tub soak before Coolsculpting would weaken the fat cells walls, expanding them & making them even more susceptible to the freeze & ultimately achieving a better end result?

Sheila S. Nazarian, MD · Answer

Hi there!  Interesting thought... I have not heard of any pre-treatment ritual prior to Coolsculpting that will increase its effectiveness.  I did Coolsculpting on myself and found that heating after the treatment really helped me with my discomfort.  I find Coolsculpting to be so effective, with or without heat.  Enjoy your results!

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

this is a great question and I can help give the answer.  when I used to do alot of coolsculpting we used to combine ultrasound or RF treatments to enhance the results.  the issue with heat to cause fat loss, is that Time and Temperature is quite important.  You need at least 42-45oC for 10-15 mins to get the fat cells to burst/die or even be metabolically stimulated.  With that said, if the hot tub is that hot for that much time then essentially you should get some improvement.  However, this would be 108-113oF which would likely be intolerable and cause a problem.  I suggest going to somoene who does surgical and nonsurgical contouring for advice, but I do not think the tub is going to help! Best, Dr. Emer.

Jeff Rapaport, MD · Answer

Very interesting question. At the ASDS conference, in the body sculpting session, one of the presenters mentioned that they use radiofrequency to heat and breakup fat prior to Coolsculpting! Its never been formally studied and this is anecdotal.  The Coolsculpting r e sults are generally good so any pretreatment is usually not necessary.Massage post op is of much more significance.Hope that helps.

Michael A. Zadeh, MD, FACS · Answer

I like your creative thinking! However, there has been no scientific evidence to indicate that pre-heating fat cells makes them more susceptible to the freezing of the CoolSculpting treatment. Once the fat cells reach a certain temperature during CoolSculpting they undergo a programmed cell death. There is really nothing that is needed to accelerate this process.

Michael I. Echavez, MD · Answer

There is no scientific data to show that soaking in a hot tub prior to CoolSculpting would weaken fat cell walls or produce better results, so I would not recommend it.

Michele S. Green, MD · Answer

Coolsculpting has been so effective there seems to be no need to heat the skin prior to the procedure and is certainly not part of the recommended procedure.  It is an interesting theory that we will post to the company.

Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS · Answer

To have any significant impact you would need to keep the temperature that would not be tolerable for any extended period of time. Therefore, I would not recommend it. Each physician has his or her guidelines for pre and post treatment care. During your consultation process, you can understand what your provider believes. Consult with 3 experienced and expert board certified plastic surgeons who have a certified coolsculpting center to understand your options. Note: Not all facilities who have coolsculpting have the training or achievement to be certified.

Suzanne Kim Doud Galli, MD, PhD, FACS · Answer

Coolsculpting selectively freezes fat cells to induce programmed cell death. It is unnecessary to prepare for the procedure in such a way.

Will soaking in a hot tub for 30 minutes prior to Coolsculpting help expand & weaken the fat cell's walls?

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