Diet and exercise. Calories in, calories out.

We all know what to do, yet for some of us, there are still stubborn “trouble” areas. Despite best intentions factors like age, genetics, and medical issues can make fat reduction feel impossible.

Such was the case for our fearless leader, Pamela Badolato, whose double mastectomy years ago left her with very little strength in her chest to do core exercises. “Sometimes your body physically can’t do the workout,” she explains.

Enter Strafford Chiropractic and Healing Center, who are the first to bring Cryoskin slimming and toning to the Main Line. “We helped you heal faster, and now we’re going to help you look better too,” says Amie Hamel, the lead massage therapist and Practice Manager at SCHC.

Cryoskin is a body-contouring machine that uses massage and below-freezing temperatures to target and destroy cellulite. Similar to an ultrasound wand, the process begins with two minutes of heat, and then drops to -4 degrees, all the while using massage technique to reduce fat in the target area.  

Unlike plastic surgery, the procedure is completely non-invasive, and there is no down-time after the treatment. “You are using your own body to achieve a natural result,” Hamel describes. The treatments take about a half-hour to 40 minutes—SCHC tells us some people come on their lunch breaks!—and clients are back in action right away. Even though slimming results are most likely seen in the first session, an average client can see ideal results in 3-5 sessions, using a combination of slimming and toning sessions.

While Cryoskin is similar to the older contouring method CoolSculpting, there are several differences. The most important difference we found was that clients report that Cryoskin is relatively painless. Moving away from a vacuum, cartridge based technique, Cryoskin is a fully-attended service, and the wand is constantly moving, so you don’t feel uncomfortably cold. That’s also the reason you get results—it all comes down to temperature and technique. In addition to slimming, the machine separately tones or “trains the tissue,” as Hamel puts it. The toning feature–which is used on the body and also on the face– improves collagen production, tightens skin, and reduces the appearance of fine lines and cellulite.

Results from Cryoskin are noticeable right away, though the best results appear from 15 days to 3 weeks after the start of treatment, as the fat cells are drained through the body’s lymphatic system (translation for non-doctors: you pee them out). And this immediate result helps the mindset of clients on their overall wellness journey. The slimming is permanent if you maintain your diet and lifestyle.

Badolato concurs, “It has a lot to do with mentality—you’ve made that commitment to go every week, and you don’t want to undo the hard work you’ve done.” And for her part, she has already lost two inches after two slim treatments and one toning treatment on her abdomen, and has plans to keep up with the treatments.

SCHC sees the addition of Cryoskin as just one more step in their mission as an overall wellness center, and the service has helped women and men with common challenges that range from “love handles” to weakened stomach muscles due to a C-section. “This has been a jumpstart to adding another wellness benefit to what we are already providing,” Hamels tells us. “When they see results, they want to keep it going, and feel more confident.”

Photographs by AMC Photography Studios.