Freezing away your fat non-surgically

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - No matter how hard one may try to beat the "bulge," sometimes it just won't go away.

"I do 50 [sit ups] every day, but it doesn't matter," said Sylvia Blemmer.

She is convinced she can't lose the bulge around her waist through her current method, so Blemmer is going to try a  new approach.

"I'll try anything at this point."

Instead of sweating it away, she is going to try freezing it away.

Dr. David McDaniel at the Laser Skin & Vein Center in Virginia Beach will freeze her fat.

"This is what we'll be using today on our patient," he said, while holding up what looks like a vacuum attachment.

The machine, called Zeltiq , acts like a vacuum too, as it sucks up skin and fat and holds it between two cold plates. It sits there and cools to about 40 degrees, and about a half hour later, a gentle vibration begins to break up the frozen fat cells.

"It reminds me of the ice pack I take out of the freezer," said Blemmer. "It's pretty wild looking...like...a popsicle."

It looks a little like a frozen stick of butter under her skin. McDaniel also assures that the procedure is safe.

"They cool it just to the temperature that fat cells die, but not cold enough to injure the surrounding tissue or skin," he said.

The "fatsicle" starts to go down as it thaws, and McDaniel says Blemmer's body will naturally excrete the dead fat and see results within two to four months.

Two months later, Blemmer had lost three inches and said she would be ready to freeze away some more.

"Would I do it again? Absolutely. Yes I would"

The treatment costs between $700 and $1000 per side. Blemmer had two treatments, one on each side of her stomach.

Those interested should be aware that the procedure does not work on everyone.