It depends what you count. A cycle is one applicator held on one spot for 35 to 60 minutes; a visit may hold several cycles, and two applicators can run at once. Most areas need two to six cycles, placed over one or two visits four to eight weeks apart, and the result is judged about eight weeks after the last. So three cycles can be enough for a small double chin or the outer thighs, and is usually short of what the flanks need. At Cool Clinic, 130 Harley Street, the clinician counts the cycles your area needs at a free consultation and writes the number down.
Cycles per area
An expert panel of eleven doctors experienced in cryolipolysis, recruited by the manufacturer in 2022, agreed minimum cycle counts per area:
- Under the chin, outer thighs, mid-abdomen, bra fat, banana roll: two to four cycles.
- Upper and lower abdomen, back, upper arms: three to five.
- Flanks: four to six, where the panel reached no consensus.
- Spacing: four to eight weeks between visits to the same area, and the result judged about eight weeks after the last.
In one of the largest published series, 3,262 patients over 18,203 cycles, the median patient had four cycles. In the manufacturer's studies the flanks had up to three treatments and the abdomen up to two.
Why a second visit is sometimes planned
Each cycle clears a share of the fat cells under the applicator, and the body carries them away over the following weeks. If the bulge is thick, a second cycle on the same spot after the first has settled takes it further; the manufacturer's flank study used up to three treatments on the same area. Massage straight after the cycle improved the reduction in a 2014 study of ten patients, so every cycle here ends with it.
What one visit can cover
Two applicators run at the same time since the dual-applicator clearance in 2020, so both flanks, both thighs or two spots on the abdomen are treated together. In our experience a first visit is two to four cycles over one to two hours. The clinician plans both visits and the review at the consultation, so you know the whole course before you start.
When three is not the answer
If a bulge needs six cycles and the quote says three, the result at three months is likely to disappoint. The reverse mistake is treating a soft, loose area that is skin rather than fat, where more cycles do not help. The worth it page describes who responds, and the full guide covers each area.
Book a free consultation
Call Cool Clinic on 0207 043 1117 or use the form below. The clinician measures the bulge, names the applicator and the cycle count for it, and gives you the course price in writing.
