Fat freezing: The new slimming craze that can scar you for life
Warning on ‘liposuction alternative’
DOCTORS are warning that a new weight-loss craze sweeping Scotland could cause permanent scarring and frostbite.
Fat-freezing – endorsed by a host of reality television stars – claims to be the ‘non-surgical’ alternative to liposuction.
Sold as a pain-free way to slim ‘problem areas’ such as the stomach and thighs, the skin is sucked into a vacuum and cooled to -6c so the fat cells crystallise and die. But medical experts have raised concerns that unregulated salons offering the procedure at rock bottom prices may be putting people at risk.
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) has called on the Scottish Government to introduce stricter guidelines to stop so-called ‘cosmetic cowboys’ as the NHS is forced to pick up the tab for botched treatments.
An investigation by The Scottish Mail on Sunday found fat-freezing, also called cryolipolysis, on offer in towns and cities across Scotland.
Prices varied from £2,000 in private cosmetic surgery clinics to less than £100 in beauty salons and sunbed shops. Many offered dramatic discounts for same-day appointments or multiple sessions, and promised ‘fast results’.
At Sunset Beach tanning salon in Glasgow, leaflets for 3D-Lipo cryolipolysis treatment falsely claim the Duchess of Cambridge has ‘confessed to using it to help weight loss’.
At the annual BAAPS scientific conference last week, delegates were shown images of patients who needed skin grafts after low-budget, fat-freezing sessions went wrong.
Consultant plastic surgeon Vivek Sivarajan, who attended the conference, said: ‘In the right hands, cryolipolysis is proven to produce results but it is worrying that we are seeing more and more unregulated beauty salons in Scotland offering it at low prices.
‘The machines that have the correct safety certificates cost money, which means the procedure costs more. We are seeing cheaper machines being manufactured in China and bought by Scottish businesses online. With these, the risks are much higher.
‘The biggest danger is that they can overcool the skin and cause painful frostbite and loss of skin, which can require skin grafts and leave scarring.’
Mr Sivarajan, who runs the Elanic cosmetic and plastic surgery clinics in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, added: ‘I have noticed a significant increase in places offering fat-freezing in Scotland this year.
‘Anyone can offer it as there are currently no regulations. The Scottish Government should introduce regulations to protect the public.
‘This procedure should be carried out by doctors and nurses equipped to deal with any complications.’
Consultant plastic surgeon Taimur Shoaib, who runs La Belle Forme clinics in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, said: ‘We offer cryolipolysis but we use equipment that meets the British standard. The only complications that have been reported in the UK have been from unregulated manufacturers. They are giving this procedure a bad name.
‘The cheap Chinese imports have no temperature control and can cause frostbite that requires reconstructive plastic surgery.
‘Some individuals are even buying equipment online and trying to do it themselves at home, which is dangerous. It is more expensive to deal with the consequences that to pay for proper treatment. It is the NHS that has to pick up the tab when people have to get corrective surgery. It is costing the country money.’
First developed in the US, cryolipolysis is said to freeze and kill 2040 per cent of fat cells in the chosen area, which dissolve and pass out of the body in a matter of weeks.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We expect the highest professional standards from all those working in cosmetic surgical procedures. Informed consent should always be obtained and full information provided.
‘There are clear guidelines and standards which place patient safety at the heart of all care.’
‘There are no regulations’