Skin Care Education

Zeltiq

The company that developed and commercialised cryolipolysis, the fat freezing technology used in CoolSculpting. Zeltiq was acquired by Allergan and the CoolSculpting brand continues as the leading platform for non-surgical fat reduction using controlled cooling.

What Is Zeltiq?

Zeltiq Aesthetics was the medical device company that developed cryolipolysis, the technology that uses controlled cooling to permanently destroy fat cells without surgery, and brought it to market as the CoolSculpting platform. Zeltiq was founded in 2005 and developed the cryolipolysis concept based on research from Harvard Medical School that observed fat cells are more vulnerable to cold temperatures than surrounding tissue. The company received FDA clearance for its CoolSculpting device in 2010 and rapidly became one of the most recognised names in non-surgical body contouring.

Zeltiq was acquired by Allergan in 2017, and the CoolSculpting brand now operates under Allergan Aesthetics, a subsidiary of AbbVie. In everyday clinical and consumer contexts, the technology is referred to as CoolSculpting rather than Zeltiq, as CoolSculpting is the established brand name for the treatment. Zeltiq as a company name is largely of historical and technical interest rather than a name people encounter in clinical practice today.

The cryolipolysis technology that Zeltiq pioneered has become the foundation of an entire category of non-surgical fat reduction treatments. While CoolSculpting remains the most widely known and most extensively studied platform in this category, other devices have been developed using similar principles, making cryolipolysis one of the most significant innovations in non-surgical aesthetic medicine of the past two decades.

What to Expect

Treatment using Zeltiq technology is the same as CoolSculpting treatment, as Zeltiq is the company behind the CoolSculpting platform. A suction applicator is placed over the target fat deposit, drawing the tissue into a cooling chamber. The area is cooled to a controlled temperature over approximately 35 to 60 minutes. The initial sensation is intense cold and pressure, which typically transitions to numbness within a few minutes as the tissue cools.

At the end of the cycle the applicator is removed and the treated area is massaged firmly for two minutes, which has been shown to improve fat reduction results. After treatment, the area typically looks red and feels numb, tender, and firm for several days. There is no significant downtime and most people return to their normal activities the same day.

Results develop over four to twelve weeks as the body processes and eliminates the destroyed fat cells. Most people see a meaningful reduction in the treated area at this point, with clinical data showing an average of approximately 20 to 25 percent reduction in fat thickness in the treated zone from a single cycle.

Who It’s For and Results

CoolSculpting using Zeltiq technology is best suited to those at or near a healthy weight with specific localised fat deposits that have not responded to diet and exercise. It is not a weight loss treatment and is not designed for large volumes of fat. The best results come from targeting well-defined, pinchable fat deposits in people with broadly healthy overall body composition.

The fat cells permanently destroyed by the treatment do not regenerate. Remaining fat cells can still expand with weight gain, so maintaining a stable weight after treatment is important for preserving the long-term result.

CoolSculpting has one of the most extensive clinical research bases of any non-surgical body contouring treatment, which reflects the head start that Zeltiq had in establishing the cryolipolysis category. The breadth of applicator options available for different body areas and the consistent clinical data across those areas make it one of the most versatile and well-supported platforms for targeted fat reduction without surgery.

Frequently Asked Questions: Zeltiq

Zeltiq was the company that developed and manufactured the CoolSculpting device and technology. In current clinical practice, the technology is known and referred to as CoolSculpting rather than Zeltiq, as Zeltiq was acquired by Allergan in 2017 and the CoolSculpting brand is what patients and providers encounter today. Zeltiq as a name is largely of historical interest, referring to the originating company rather than a separate treatment or product distinct from CoolSculpting.

Cryolipolysis was developed based on research by Dieter Manstein and R. Rox Anderson at Harvard Medical School, who observed the phenomenon of cold-induced fat loss and developed the scientific foundation for using controlled cooling to selectively destroy fat cells. Zeltiq Aesthetics commercialised this research, developed the clinical device protocols, and brought cryolipolysis to market as CoolSculpting. The scientific observation that inspired the technology came partly from studying the effects of cold on fat tissue in children who ate popsicles, which caused localised fat loss in the cheeks, a phenomenon known as popsicle panniculitis.

Yes. Cryolipolysis as a category includes other devices beyond CoolSculpting that use controlled cooling to reduce fat. These include devices from various manufacturers that operate on the same principle. CoolSculpting remains the most widely studied and most recognised platform in this category, with the largest body of published clinical data and the broadest regulatory clearance for different body areas. When evaluating fat freezing treatment at a clinic, asking specifically which device is being used and whether it is the Allergan CoolSculpting platform is a reasonable question, as the clinical evidence base varies between different devices.

Zeltiq Aesthetics was acquired by Allergan in 2017 for approximately 2.5 billion dollars, reflecting the commercial success of the CoolSculpting platform. After the acquisition, CoolSculpting continued to operate and develop as a brand under Allergan Aesthetics. When AbbVie subsequently acquired Allergan in 2020, CoolSculpting became part of the AbbVie portfolio alongside Botox, Juvederm, and other Allergan Aesthetics brands. The Zeltiq name is no longer used as a product or company brand in consumer-facing contexts, with CoolSculpting as the established name for the technology.