Characteristics and Treatment of Patients Diagnosed With Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia After Cryolipolysis: A Case Series and Scoping Review

Background Paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), a rare side effect of CoolSculpting (cryolipolysis), is characterized by fatty enlargement of the treatment area occurring months after the procedure. Objectives The purpose of this study was to report a retrospective case series of patients diagnosed with PAH at the authors’ institution, increase the collective understanding of this complication and subsequent management, and raise the question of who should ethically perform cryolipolysis. Methods All participants diagnosed with PAH by a plastic surgeon at a large academic medical center were identified. Demographic information, medical history, procedure details, time to PAH diagnosis, and corrective surgical intervention details were collected. Mean duration of time from cryolipolysis treatment to diagnosis of PAH was calculated, along with other descriptive statistics. A scoping review of all PAH literature published in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science was also conducted. Results Four patients diagnosed with PAH after cryolipolysis were identified for inclusion in this study. The calculated incidence of PAH at our center was 0.67%. All patients requested therapy for PAH and subsequently underwent either liposuction, abdominoplasty, or both. The mean duration of in-person follow-up time after final surgical treatment of PAH was 13.8 + 19.8 months (range, 2.8-43.5). Fortunately, no patients showed signs of PAH recurrence, and 3 out of 4 patients did not show signs of residual deformity. Conclusions Findings from this patient cohort and scoping review provide evidence that although revisions may be required, conventional body contouring methods, not in the armamentarium of non-plastic surgeon practitioners, effectively alleviated PAH. Level of Evidence: 4