When diet and exercise just aren’t working to get rid of those stubborn fatty areas on the body, millions of men and women seek out alternative ways to look and feel better without surgery.
Two of these trending and popular procedures are Zerona and CoolSculpting, both non-invasive body contouring treatments.
However, CoolSculpting has recently been in the news more and more due to potentially harmful side effects. One side effect that is garnering national attention is called PAH - paradoxical adipose hyperplasia. PAH is a complication of CoolSculpting that gets its name from the unexpected, paradoxical result: overgrowth (hyperplasia) of fatty (adipose) tissue.
Let’s compare!
Zerona
Developed by Erchonia, the Zerona Z6 procedure is a body fat loss treatment that can be used for body contouring and targeting specific areas of the body to remove stubborn body fat deposits. This safe treatment technology has been clinically tested and is FDA Market-Cleared to treat the overall body. Zerona is a non-invasive alternative to liposuction and other surgical fat-loss procedures and requires no downtime or side effects.
Zerona works by using a low-level laser technology (LLLT) or “cold laser,” which is applied externally to stimulate and emulsify fat cells in the body. This unique treatment shrinks the fat cells, rather than killing them. The cold lasers work to disrupt the fat cells’ membranes and shrink the fatty tissue, which causes fatty materials to seep out from the cells. The fatty tissue is then taken care of by the lymphatic system. The smaller fat cells not only make the body look slimmer, but supports the processes that keep us lean, and assists our bodies with regulating our metabolism, supports our immune systems, produces hormones and proteins, and assists the liver in processing or removing fat and toxins, and our muscles in keeping blood sugar down!
The cold lasers can be applied to the target areas of the client’s choice, including the waist, hips, back, thighs, chest, arms and neck. Although the lasers can shrink fat cells effectively, the light in the lasers is low enough to not heat or damage other bodily tissues.
During the Zerona process, a client lies comfortably on the treatment table for a total of about 40 minutes — 20 minutes on their back, and 20 minutes lying on their front. Throughout the 40-minute session, six lasers are aimed at the target areas of fat to contour the body. The treatment is generally repeated 2-3 times a week for 6-10 sessions depending on your situation and goals.
Clients experience no downtime after the procedure and can resume normal activities right away. Clients can expect to see results as drastic as 3.72 inches lost after only about six sessions and experience absolutely no side effects, resulting in thousands of satisfied clients.
Coolsculpting
The CoolSculpting process, also called cryolipolysis, uses cold temperatures to freeze away fat cells for good in a certain target area of the client’s choosing. It is also an FDA-cleared, non-invasive procedure with minimal downtime, and it can be an excellent alternative to liposuction and other surgical procedures.
The treatment uses a CoolSculpting device with an attached applicator. The applicator varies in size according to the target body area being treated. The device uses a combination of suction and freezing temperatures applied to the skin to target and freeze fatty deposits under the skin and reduce overall body fat. When the fat cells are frozen, they crystallize. These crystallized cells then need to be broken up so they can be more easily reabsorbed and flushed through the liver to be excreted properly. Depending on the treatment center, this is either done through the use of manual massage or with radio waves.
Most CoolSculpting procedures last about 35 minutes each, but some treatment areas, like the outer thighs, can be anywhere from one to two hours long. After the procedure, clients can expect to notice a difference after 2-6 months or more after treatment. It takes about three months for the body to fully metabolize the frozen fat cells and see the full results.
So, you may ask…...........How are these treatments different?
While the Zerona and CoolSculpting procedures are similar in some ways, there are some key differences. The biggest difference is in the way that each method gets rid of body fat.
Zerona uses cold laser technology, or low-level laser technology (LLLT), in which a group of six lasers is aimed at the target area of the body to shrink fat cells. The lasers disrupt the membranes of the fat cells to emulsify fatty tissue and make the cells smaller. In this treatment, the fat cells lose tissue and shrink, but they do not die. The cells can keep contributing to healthy bodily functions. Clients are not able to feel the lasers penetrating the fat cells, they can simply lay there and relax.
In the CoolSculpting procedure, a device is used on the target area of the body to apply both suction and freezing cold temperatures. The device freezes and crystallizes fat cells, killing them in the process. Either radio waves or massage are then used on the area to break up the crystallized cells so that the body can flush out the dead cells naturally. Clients can expect to feel sensations of pulling, tugging, mild pinching, intense cold, tingling, stinging, aching, and cramping at the treatment site.
Zerona and CoolSculpting both work best for those who are relatively fit already and should be used in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise plan. Clients of both procedures should be prepared to maintain their results through healthier lifestyle plans after their treatment. Both men and women can benefit from Zerona or CoolSculpting. Neither procedure should be used to treat the severely overweight or obese, and should not be a replacement for a healthy, active lifestyle.
Key Differences
Is there down time?
Each procedure can be performed during a lunch break.
How are results measured? CoolSculpting measures clients results in terms of percentage of body fat loss. Zerona measures clients’ results based on inches lost in the targeted area.
What happens to the fat cells? CoolSculpting procedure uses freezing temperatures to freeze and KILL the targeted fat cells. Zerona gets rid of fatty tissue in the fat cells but LEAVES the cells intact so they can keep on contributing to the endocrine system!