Assume you just want to get rid of one area of stubborn fat. Often, this is impossible to do without a drastic diet or exercise and weight loss plan.
Some patients of mine worry about losing fat off the face, breast, or buttocks, when all they want is to get rid of that tiny tummy bulge.
Fat Freeze CoolSculpting treatments can target specific fat bulges, and sculpt your body without affecting other non-treated areas. This guide explains how!
How does Fat Freeze CoolSculpting work?
Losing weight makes fat cells smaller, but does not get rid of the fat cells.
Losing weight only causes your fat cells to become smaller.
On the other hand, the CoolSculpting treatment permanently reduces fat cells in the treated area with a single session.
Also read: How effective is Coolsculpt for losing tummy fats after childbirth?
This also means that if you put the weight put back on, it will not show up in those treated areas!
Fat cells permanently lost!
There’s also a general misconception that “fat freeze” = “CoolSculpting”. That’s not entirely true.
It’s similar to when we say “Go Xerox this” instead of “Go photocopy this”. CoolSculpting is simply a BRAND of fat freezing technology.
Being inventors of the procedure more than 20 years ago, CoolSculpting has become the largest company worldwide in the field of non-invasive fat reduction, but there are other fat freeze machine brands around.
The bigger names in Singapore are CoolSculpting, Clatuu, and CoolTech.
There are also multiple, lesser-known brands from China, Korea, Taiwan, Europe etc. They all use the same philosophy of freezing fat cells to kill them. Of course, as with all aesthetic brands, there will be differences between them in terms of cost, effectiveness, and safety.
Should you choose Fat Freeze, HIFU, or RF?
I personally find fat freezing to be the safest and most consistently effective non-invasive procedure.
While heating fat helps to debulk and shed general areas of fat, I would choose fat freezing any time for more targeted and precise contouring.
This is because the results of HIFU and RF can be variable. Other factors which can adversely affect the results of HIFU and RF include:
- Treatment with heating depends on tolerance to pain (especially HIFU) and when treatment is lowered in intensity, results are sacrificed.
- With radiofrequency, individual skin impedance affects the depth and intensity of treatment
- The intensity of heating with laser can vary with different skin types (dark skin or hydration levels can compete with fat for the laser energy)
What happens during a fat freeze session?
During the treatment, a gel pad and applicator is applied to the targeted area, and a 35-70 minute long treatment session ensues where you feel a cold and tugging sensation.
This quickly subsides as the treated areas turn slightly numb.
Combining different technologies at suitable intervals is also clinically proven to enhance results.
Results can be seen as early as 1 month, but for most, it takes 2 to 3 months. Results from a single session can be visible on photographs as well as measurements.
Repeat treatments are usually only required in areas with excess fat.
Which brand of fat freeze should I choose?
To compare fat freezing machines, you should consider:
- Safety and risk of side effects
- Effectiveness
- Cost
How do I evaluate the safety of a fat freezing treatment?
Fat freezing can be dangerous!
Safety is the main reason why I suggest using machines from more renowned manufacturers. Do not risk getting a skin injury and permanent scar.
Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/new-mum-gets-second-degree-5820041
The above treatment resulted in permanent scarring on the patient. It’s something that happens rather frequently in Singapore too.
To evaluate safety, look out for:
- Long track record of safety
- Multiple clinical research papers
- Professional certification for usage
- Built-in safety features
Also read: Do $300 Spa Slimming Sessions Really Work? This Singaporean Doctor Explains
I personally use CoolSculpt at my clinic because it is the only FDA-approved fat freezing device in the world. With more than 100 peer-reviewed publications (validated by subject matter experts in the same field), they show the serious commitment behind giving patients the best results.
The other brand with a decent track record is CoolTech, with three clinical studies (Clatuu currently has zero clinical peer review studies as far as I’m aware of).
CoolSculpt is also the only controlled cooling device designed with built-in safety measures.
This is a patented technology which automatically terminates the treatment when it detects any safety breach or abnormal skin condition.
Overall, in terms of safety, CoolSculpt is the clear winner.
What should I know about CoolSculpt?
Applicators (or handpieces) are those little gadgets that are actually placed onto your skin during treatment.
Clinical Research
CoolSculpting’s effectiveness is as well-documented as its safety.
In this review paper (1) that looks at all the various body contouring devices in the market, CoolSculpting was the only treatment (apart from the extremely painful Liposonix HIFU) that gave significant results with just ONE session.
Applicators: Fit & Sizing
Applicators come in different size and specs. They are the main reason why some machines can treat specific areas like your double chin, while others cannot.
Trying to use a big, flat, stomach applicator on the chin simply won’t work!
As of now, CoolSculpt has the most number of applicators (10 in total), followed by CoolTech (6 applicators) and Clatuu (2 applicators).
CoolSculpt’s applicators are also designed for the Asian body and fit our body types perfectly.
However, if you take a close look at CoolTech’s handpieces, you’d notice that they are all made for a much larger, Caucasian sizing.
I’ve personally tried CoolTech’s double chin handpiece, and it doesn’t fit Asian double chins well at all. Treatments also lose effectiveness if the handpiece does not properly cover the treated area.
As for Clatuu, the main drawback is that the limited number of applicators means the machine is unable to effectively treat the double chin, smaller areas, and spots with non-pinchable fat.
Treatment time
With the latest update, CoolSculpting introduced Cool Advantage applicators (yes there are differences even between new and old CoolSculpting machines).
These provide faster and more comfortable results. Fat freezing takes only 35 minutes, which makes it the most efficient device in the market.
The next fastest treatment time is achieved with Clatuu, which recommends 60 minutes per fat freezing session. CoolTech recommends 70 minutes per session.
Multiple treatment areas at the same time
What if you need to treat multiple areas at the same time? This is where CoolTech and Clatuu actually have an advantage over Coolsculpt.
Earlier on, I mentioned that CoolSculpt is the only machine with a built-in safety feature to prevent accidents. This exact same safety feature also restricts 1 CoolSculpt to using only 1 handpiece at a time.
How many clinics in Singapore have $400,000 worth of fat freeze machines!?
Both Clatuu and CoolTech do not have any built-in safety or monitoring systems. Hence, 1 machine can easily treat 2 areas at once. This problem is solved with having multiple CoolSculpt machines.
So although CoolSculpt has the fastest treatment times, if you have many areas to treat, the overall duration per session might end up being the same.
Operator experience
Finally, and most importantly, the proper placement of applicators can be the difference between a successful treatment and injury!
This requires a good eye for detail and lots of experience.
Please pick only experienced and certified professionals in Singapore for your fat freezing treatments.
Related: The Guide to Seeing an Aesthetic Doctor in Singapore (2021)
How much do fat freezing and CoolSculpt cost in Singapore?
On average, for the clinic to cover rental, staff costs, and machine costs, you’d be looking to pay an average of these prices for your fat freezing in Singapore:
- Coolsculpt – $600/session
- CoolTech - $380/session
- Clatuu - $350/session
There are two main costs involved here:
- Machine cost
- Consumable costs per session
1. Machine cost
A single CoolSculpt machine can cost more than $100,000. In contrast, the Clatuu can be bought for as low as $30,000 and the CoolTech for around $50,000. There are other lesser known brands that are sold for even cheaper.
For instance, the above machine costs only US$800 (6 applicators included) on Alibaba! But would you dare try it?
2. Cost per session
The second major cost to a clinic is the consumables.
Every fat freeze session requires consumables for the machine to run. CoolSculpt consumables cost 5 times more than Cooltech and almost 10 times the price of Clatuu’s.
Summary table
CoolSculpt
CoolTech
Clatuu
Lesser Brands
Safety
>100 clinical papers
Peer reviewed
FDA approved
Built-in safety feature
3 clinical papers, none peer reviewed
1 clinical paper, none peer reviewed
-
Effectiveness
10 applicators
35 minutes
Only 1 area at a time
6 applicators
70 minutes
Up to 2 areas at a time
2 applicators
60 minutes
Up to 2 areas at a time
10 applicators
No protocols
Expertise
Mandatory professional training course, with repeat refresher and expert level international course
Local 1 session training
Local 1 session training
No support given at all
Cost
Avg ~ $600/session
Avg ~$380/session
Avg ~$350/session
Avg ~$30/session but can go up to $1000 with practices that upsell!
Do note that there are hundreds of CoolSculpting imitations in the market today. These are similar to the above $800 Alibaba machine I mentioned.
The original CoolSculpting is sold only to clinics. If you ever see CoolSculpting promos at $100 or less, I strongly recommend staying away!
Should I choose Fat Freeze, HIFU, or RF?
Dermatologist Dr Davin Lim wrote an article in the Aesthetic Medical Practitioner (2) and controversially suggested that cryolipolysis is much more predictable in its outcomes compared to thermolipolysis (HIFU, Radiofrequency, and Sculpsure laser lipolysis).
His experience with the CoolSculpting in his centre with over a few thousand treatments of fat freezing and heating showed that CoolSculpting achieved up to a 98% satisfaction rate while thermolipolysis (heat treatments) achieved substantially lesser satisfaction.
I have to agree with Davin. Current techniques of heating fat have much variability and are very dependent on technology, technique, and inter-individual skin susceptibilities.
Results with heating can vary:
- Treatment with heating depends on tolerance to pain (especially HIFU) and when treatment is lowered in intensity, results are sacrificed.
- With radiofrequency, individual skin impedance affects the depth and intensity of treatment
- The intensity of heating with laser can vary with different skin types (dark skin or hydration levels can compete with fat for the laser energy)
I use heating options such as HIFU and RF at my clinic for body shaping too. While heating fat helps to debulk, shed general areas of fat, and is also very good for general skin tightening/cellulite reduction, I would choose fat freezing anytime for a more targeted and precise contouring.
Each technology has its own perks, but ultimately fat freezing is arguably the safest and most consistent in delivery.
Also read how Coolsculpting can be applied in Mummy Makeovers in Singapore
Dr Chua Cheng Yu (Veritas Medical Aesthetics) is a frequent trainer at medical seminars and often shares his knowledge on multiple aesthetic technologies, including the Ultraformer HIFU and Teosyal fillers. His clinic mirrors his philosophy of functional aesthetics: holistic health and beauty. In his spare time, he plays the piano, dabbles with amateur photography, and maintains a personal blog.
