Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice. All statements are merely the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to prescription medication.
Cryoskin is a slimming and body contouring beauty treatment brand. The company uses medical devices that it claims can cause fat loss, decrease the appearance of cellulite and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
In this article we’ll explain how Cryoskin works, whether we believe the treatments are likely to be effective, and we’ll explain why we consider the business model to be questionable.
How Does Cryoskin Work?
There is surprisingly little specific detail on the Cryoskin website about how their procedures work. The fat loss treatment, called “CryoSlimming,” appears to be a type of cryolipolysis. This is a medical term for a procedure that causes localized fat loss and body contouring via topical application of cold temperatures.
While this can sound unlikely to many consumers, there is actually significant medical backing for cryolipolysis.
A medical review published in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery journal analyzed data from 19 clinical trials on cryolipolysis for fat loss. The results were impressive. The average fat reduction as measured by ultrasound ranged between 10.3% to 25.5%.
We cannot confirm for certain if this is the procedure used by Cryoskin, because the word “cryolipolysis” does not appear on their website at the time of writing this article.
We find the descriptions of the “CryoToning” and “CryoFacial” procedures on the brand’s website to be relatively vague. The brand makes statements like “cold temperatures smooth skin, reduce the appearance of cellulite, and improve the skin’s overall texture and appearance” but there is no medical citation or explanation of the specific medical procedure used to achieve these outcomes.
We have not come across any convincing medical research suggesting that topical application of cold temperatures reduces cellulite or improves skin quality.
Questionable Clinical Studies
We cannot identify any clinical trial results suggesting that CryoToning or CryoFacial are effective.
On the “Treatments” page of the Cryoskin website, there’s a “Real Results” button for each of the three treatments. But all of the buttons lead to the same page which highlights clinical trial results of the CryoSlimming device, shown above.
Although the “Results” page highlights a 19% reduction in fat using the CryoSlimming device, there is no link to the full study. Instead, the brand shares a link to a Google Sheets presentation with a summary of the study results, which states that “the full paper is available upon request.”
We strongly recommend that consumers be wary of claims of clinical efficacy without the brand publishing the full set of data, and be even more wary when the clinical research appears to be funded by the brand. There is a significant amount of bias involved with manufacturer-funded studies that does not exist in independently-funded studies.
We only consider claims of clinical efficacy to be legitimate when the clinical study in question is published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, which is certainly not the case with Cryoskin. Their clinical study is published in Google Sheets.
On the Cryoskin 4.0 page, there are further claims of clinical efficacy without citation, shown above. The brand claims waist reduction of 1.64 inches, but there is not a single link to the actual research cited; not even to a Google Sheets summary as with the other research.
We find it to be highly questionable from an ethical perspective when medical brands make claims of clinical efficacy without citation, and we urge Cryoskin to publish the full study backing any claims of clinical efficacy.
Cryoskin Vs. CoolSculpting
CoolSculpting is another popular fat loss and body contouring brand, so consumers are often curious about which treatment is better.
We have no affiliation with either brand, but we consider CoolSculpting to be a significantly better option. First, CoolSculpting transparently explains that their treatment involves cryolipolysis as well as the 9 areas of the body it’s cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat.
The most important consideration in our opinion is that CoolSculpting has been studied in legitimate clinical trials published in medical journals. A clinical trial published in the Dermatologic Therapy journal found a “significant improvement” in body contouring after CoolSculpting treatments.
As we documented in our CoolSculpting reviews article, there are other clinical trials published in legitimate medical journals backing CoolSculpting’s efficacy.
Put simply, CoolSculpting very clearly indicates the medical procedure they use, and their specific procedure has been proven effective in multiple clinical trials published in peer-reviewed medical journals. Cryoskin remains vague about the specific medical procedure they use (at least we can’t figure it out at all from their site), and we cannot identify any clinical research on Cryoskin published in medical journals.
Cryoskin Real User Review
One of the most popular Cryoskin reviews on YouTube is published by a channel called “Susan Yara.” The video appears unsponsored and the creator shares her experience using Cryoskin complete with before-and-after images:
Questionable Business Model
Cryoskin has “Partners” that “generate revenue” from promoting their products and services. We consider this to be a questionable business model for a medical device brand unless they are only partnering with credentialed medical experts like doctors (which doesn’t appear to be the case).
Our issue with this type of affiliate or multi-level-marketing model in regard to medical device brands is that it can lead to individuals with zero medical background or credentials making health claims that are inaccurate.
In our recent Plexus reviews article, we highlighted how a supplement brand got in trouble with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) because some of their “representatives” were making false health claims about the brand’s supplements being able to treat COVID-19.
We’re not suggesting that Cryoskin partners are currently making false health claims. We’re just highlighting why we consider this business model to be highly questionable for a medical device brand unless their only partners are medical professionals.
Our Weight Loss Supplement Recommendations
There exist several over-the-counter (OTC) weight loss supplements that don't require a prescription, and which have medical research backing.
We recommend dietary fiber as a safe and effective weight loss supplement, especially when combined with caloric restriction.
A landmark medical study found that moderate caloric restriction (750 calories per day below baseline) combined with dietary fiber intake (a minimum of 20 grams per day) caused an average weight loss of 16.03 pounds over 6 months. That’s a pace of 32 pounds per year of weight loss in overweight individuals simply by adding fiber to a moderately-restricted-calorie diet.
The fiber supplement we recommend is SuperGut Fiber Mix. It contains a clean and effective formulation: a blend of three different types of unflavored dietary fiber and zero additive ingredients. It can be mixed into liquids or foods. Interested consumers can buy SuperGut fiber at this link.
We recommend using two fiber mixes per day, which provides 16 grams (g) of total fiber. Diet should provide the remaining fiber necessary to meet the 20 g minimum threshold.
Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil is another dietary supplement which has been shown in clinical trials to cause weight loss.
MCT oil is quickly absorbed by the body and increases metabolic rate, which causes fat loss. A meta-study on MCT oil documented weight loss of 1.12 pounds over 10 weeks. This equates to a potential annualized weight loss of 5.84 pounds with MCT oil supplementation.
We recommend Bulletproof MCT Oil as our top MCT oil product, because it has a clean and effective formulation. The only ingredient is MCT oil derived from coconuts, and the product has no questionable additives. Interested consumers can buy Bulletproof MCT Oil at this link.
The effective dose range of MCT oil for weight loss (based on the medical review) is 1.7 g to 10 g per day. Bulletproof's MCT oil provides 14 g in one tablespoon, so around two-thirds of one tablespoon should be a maximally-effective dosage.
