Original Article By Macaela Mackenzie. CoolSculpting — the procedure that can freeze fat off the upper arms, abdomen, and thighs — has just been cleared by the FDA to tackle a whole new area of the body: the double chin.
The non-invasive procedure made a splash when it hit doctors’ offices as an alternative to liposuction back in 2010. Rather than suck out deposits of fat via surgery, CoolSculpting allowed docs and medical spas to freeze fat cells in treatment areas. When treated, fat cells die and are naturally eliminated by your body, with no downtime necessary.
Up until now, CoolSculpting had only gotten the FDA’s go-ahead when applied to larger areas like the stomach, sides of the waistline, thighs, back, and upper arms — all areas you can alter through natural means like diet and exercise. But as of this week, CoolSculpting was officially cleared to treat “lax tissue in conjunction with submental fat.” That’s the loose skin and excess fat under the chin, an area more difficult to alter with lifestyle changes.
So far, the results of the new use are promising: According to the official press release, an 18-week clinical study found that 77 percent of patients had a reduction in the appearance of lax tissue under the chin, while 75 percent reported their chins looked more toned after the CoolSculpting treatment. Before-and-after photos from plastic surgery review site RealSelf show noticeable differences (see more here).
This makes CoolSculpting the first and only non-surgical fat reduction technology to be FDA-cleared for tackling double chins.
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