For the past few decades, fat loss has been the number one forefront topic across the globe. Whether it be wanting to indulge in the pleasures of life or being too passionate and career-driven to spend 10 hours a week shedding fat at the gym, we all understand that fat is hard to lose. Countless magazines are selling you the “Top 4 Exercises to Burn Fat” or the celebrities’ new diet. On top of that, an innumerable amount of companies have produced detox teas; let’s take a step back to explore exactly what detox teas truly do and do not do.
Detox teas typically contain ingredients such as green and black tea, liver purification substances, and herbal laxatives. Common liver purification ingredients involve lemongrass, ginger, and primarily, milk thistle. Medically, liver detoxes help the liver produce bile which serves the role of metabolizing fats. However, there are no published studies that can vouch for milk thistle’s detoxification benefits for the liver. Despite the fact that these substances may seem to have good impact on health, a liver cleanse may not enough to correlate to weight loss.
Beyond that laxatives- usually consisting of magnesium hydroxide, senna, rhubarb-can be causes of dehydration and electrolytic imbalance. In medical settings, these are used to help clear out bowels before certain procedures. However, using laxatives in the long term will result in the bowels becoming accustomed and hence, may produce constipation when you try to get off of them. Though weight loss may seem like it’s occurred, the body simply moves back to its previous weight if diet and activity level are the same as prior. Most of the pictures on social media by celebrities and Instagram famous individuals are sponsored in exchange for a solid amount of cash. It is not to say that detox teas are a terrible investment but, rather, that detox teas are not bound to help you reach the goals that you are striving for.
Many people are not aware of this new technology known as Coolsculpting. In layman terms, Coolsculpting is a procedure that freezes fat without any surgical procedure or downtime involved. More than 2 million people in the US have gone through Coolsculpting and have the desired results to back it up. Data from 2015 shows that fat reduction averages around 20%. Now, for individuals who enjoy being more informed, let’s dive into the history and science behind Coolsculpting.
Initially, Coolsculpting methods were performed on pigs to better understand the results and effects. In September of 2010, the FDA approved the cryolipolysis procedure in the medical field. The medical terminology is known as cryolipolysis which relies on a temperature of around +5 to -5 degrees Celsius. Fat cells, or adipocytes, are damaged more easily than skin cells so by applying low temperatures to tissue, fat cells undergo cell death after an inflammatory response. This response is known as local panniculitis, inflammation of the fatty tissue. Cell death is triggered which are digested by macrophages. After apoptosis of the cells continue for around 14 days, adipocytes are surrounded by neutrophils and lymphocytes which will digest the lipid cells. This goes on until around 2-3 months after treatment and treatments can be done again after 8 weeks.
Overall, the efficacy of this treatment is amazing, costs around $1500 per area, and can be performed on multiple areas at once. There is no downtime for recovery so for those of us that are struggling to lose the last unbudging amount of fat, this is an option to truly consider. Here in the Bay, a lot of individuals are now choosing to ditch the tea-toxes and go with Coolsculpting, deemed “the lunchtime lipo”! To learn more about this procedure, read further at 77 Plastic Surgery or this study published in NCBI.