CoolSculpting for the banana roll in London

The banana roll is the fold of fat that sits just under the crease of the buttocks, at the top of the back of the thigh, and shows under leggings and swimwear. CoolSculpting has been FDA-cleared in the US for it since 2016, in the same clearance as back fat and bra fat. The buttocks themselves are not a cleared area and are not treated, and we say so. Both sides are treated in one visit, usually with no time off work, at Cool Clinic, 130 Harley Street, with the price in writing at a free consultation.

Why this area

The roll is a firm, pinchable fold that the applicator draws in, and cooling it to the temperature at which fat cells break down leaves the skin and the tissue around it unharmed. The body clears the cells over the following weeks and the crease sits cleaner. The clinician places the applicator below the crease, not on the buttock, because the fat of the buttock is not what the clearance covers and removing it would change the shape in a way nobody wants.

What the evidence is

The 2016 clearance rests on the device working the same way at every site and on a review of 4,792 published treatments, 14 of them on the banana roll. It rests on no study of the area itself, and we say so. The manufacturer's 2022 expert panel set two to four cycles for the banana roll, both sides together.

The session and after

One cycle per side, 35 to 60 minutes each, lying on your front, intense cold and pulling for the first minutes and numbness after. The area is red, firm and often bruised for a week or two and numb for one to three weeks, and sitting is tender for the first days. The result can start to show from about four weeks and is judged about eight weeks after the last cycle, when we take the after photograph.

Who it suits

A pinchable fold under the buttock in someone whose weight is steady, with a body mass index of 30 or under for the body areas. A crease that is loose skin rather than fat does not respond to cold, and the clinician says so at the free consultation. The thighs page covers the inner and outer thighs, often treated in the same course, and the full guide the rest.

Book a free consultation

Call Cool Clinic on 0207 043 1117 or use the form below. The clinician pinches the fold, counts the cycles and gives you the course price in writing.