Cryolipolysis effectiveness on a lean body vs overweight?

It’s true that fat cells expand as one gains weight and therefore fewer cells take up the same amount of space in an overweight person vs. a leaner person. CoolSculpting actually works best on people who are around their ideal weight. Not so much because it can kill more fat cells, but because it is a body contouring technique, not a weight loss technique. You need to have a stable weight to maintain your benefits long term. Be sure to consult a board-certified dermatologist who has been certified by Zeltiq to administer CoolSculpting.

Coolsculpting is good for removing stubborn areas of fat, between 20-25% in any treated area. For best results with Coolsculpting, I recommend a combination approach. I recommend adding radiofrequency treatments like Vanquish, Venus Legacy, Exilis Ultra for skin tightening and with Z wave/Cellutone for skin smoothing to improve your final results. However, VASER HI DEF with ThermiRF would give you best results for body shaping, but would require more downtime. See an expert. Best, Dr. Emer

Great question.  Coolscultping is ideal for people at or near their goal weight with some distinct and stubborn areas of fat.  As you know, fat cells increase in size as we gain weight and shrink again when we lose weight.  If the area we are treating is distinct and finite then when you are thinner more fat cells will fit in to the given space...and when you are heavier, less cells fit in that same and therefore less cells are treated and eliminated.  

Studies demonstrating the effectiveness of cryolipolysis did not involve lean vs. non lean individuals so a definitive answer to your question is not possible. Cryolipolysis has been shown to reduce fat volume in the area treated in the 20% range. The area treated is defined by the size and shape of the applicator, as well as treatment parameters. Adjacent tissue most likely will not be affected if the target temperature is not achieved. Therefore, it would not be expected to have greater fat area reduction in lean individuals. It is important to understand the percentage of fat volume reduction will be approximately the same, however in individuals with larger fat volume, the appearance may be more noticeable.    

This is a very interesting question and I like your mathematical approach.  This question has not been answered scientifically because the data produces averages.  For CoolSculpting, the average amount of fat thickness lost, based on early ultrasound studies, is approximately 25%.  A study comparing patients of different weights and sizes has not, to my knowledge been completed. Someone with smaller fat cells will get more cells into the applicator which is why the 25% is an average loss.  There is variation among patients. After 7 years of CoolSculpting experience, I have concluded that the treatment is more about sculpting a nice figure than just removing fat.