Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cryolipolysis is a non-surgical procedure for subcutaneous fat layer reduction by controlled cooling. During the past few years, the use of cryolipolysis for non-invasive body contouring has increased significantly. OBJECTIVES: This retrospective study examines patient satisfaction, recommendation rate and patient comfort with the use of an FDA-cleared system (CoolSculpting Elite, Allergan Aesthetics, AbbVie Company, Irvine CA) for cryolipolysis at a single clinic and reports on the results. METHODS: Between December 2020 and January 2022, 91 patients were treated with an FDA-cleared cryolipolysis system. To assess patient satisfaction, patients were asked to complete clinical questionnaires three months after their last treatment session. The following questions were asked: painfulness of the treatment, complications, satisfaction with the treatment, consideration of further treatment sessions, and willingness to further recommend the treatment. RESULTS: Eighty-four percent of the 91 patients were female, and 16% were male. The average age was 45.5 years and the mean BMI was 26 kg/m(2). Patients rated the treatment in terms of pain and discomfort experienced during the procedures on a scale of 1 to 5, with the value 1 representing not painful and 5 as extremely painful. 40% of the patients evaluated the procedure with 1, 38% with 2, 19% with 3, 1% with 4 and 2% with 5. With respect to satisfaction rates, 66% rated the treatment on a scale from 1 to 5 with 1, 18% with 2, 7% with 3, 7% with 4 and 3% with 5, with 1 indicating very satisfied and 5 indicating very dissatisfied. Thus, the overall level of satisfaction (the sum of scale values 1 and 2) amounts to 84%. Of 91 patients, 88% would agree to further treatment and 92% would recommend the therapy to others. All patients reported temporary tissue reactions such as swelling and redness which did not require any further treatment and were self-limiting. Serious or permanent complications did not occur. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study show that cryolipolysis is a safe and effective method for non-surgical body contouring, providing a high degree of patient satisfaction and recommendation rate.