KATHMANDU: It can be really frustrating to spend hours exercising and eating the ‘right’ diet daily, only to find that layer of fat that doesn’t seem to burn, no matter what you try. This is a common problem for many, especially for those who do not want to go under the knife.

If you are one of them, there is a good news for you. Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, India has recently introduced a revolutionary technology called Coolsculpting, to help you get rid of that stubborn fat.

“Coolsculpting is a technique of freezing fat to reduce fat under the skin by non-surgical means,” Dr Kuldeep Singh, Senior Consultant, Department of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, India wrote in an email interview with The Himalayan Times.

The technology uses “revolutionary applicator”, which upon placing on the targeted area like abdomen, kills the fat cells underneath the skin, freezing them to the point of elimination through the cooling process.

As per Dr Singh, the applicator “cools the fat to 4 degree Celsius for one hour” without affecting the tissues of the skin or water of that area. The temperature thrown out by the applicator is more than enough to solidify the liquid fat in the body.

And one does not need to worry much about the side effects after the procedure. Despite some swelling and bruising on the treated area, there aren’t other side effects, as per him. It will also go away in a few days.

“Sometimes patients can have pricking pain for a few days after the procedure. But this can be easily treated by medication,” the doctor mentioned.

There is no need to refrain from any kind of food before or after Coolsculpting. However, you need to adopt a healthy lifestyle including healthy low carbohydrate and normal protein diet and daily exercise. Anyone above 18 years of age can opt for Coolsculpting, provided that the fat fold is pinchable and there is no significant looseness of the skin. Coolsculpting is not the procedure of choice for those elderly people, who have very loose skin.

Any serious medical illnesses like uncontrolled diabetes or any neurological disorder with loss of sensation is a contraindication, the doctor cautioned, adding, “Cryoglobulinaemia — a medical condition in which blood contains large amounts of cryoglobulins (proteins that become insoluble at reduced temperatures) is also a contraindication for Coolsculpting.”

People above the BMI of 30 are also unsuitable for Coolsculpting. One can resume his/her daily activities immediately after the procedure.

So, is the service available in Nepal?

Apollo Cosmetic Clinics — a wing responsible for Coolsculpting at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, has tied up with Om Hospital, Chabahil to start the procedure in Nepal. Yet the Coolsculpting machine is not available in Kathmandu. That is why the interested patients will have to go to New Delhi to get the treatment done.

Depending upon small and large skin folds, small and large applicators are used. The procedure done using small and large applicator costs INRs 32,000 and INRs 63,000 respectively.