Men find value in fat freezing

I've learned more about fat freezing during the past week than I ever imagined possible.

I wrote about the cosmetic fat removal process, with the brand name Cool Sculpting, in a column Friday, then chewed the fat with Jennifer Sanneman, who owns the Essence Skin Clinic in downtown Rochester. Jennifer's shop has been offering Cool Sculpting since December.

In fact, Jennifer's undergone the non-invasive procedure herself, as have her daughters, ages 27, 21 and 18, "along with my staff," she says. "I can show you before and after photos and you won't believe it."

A laser-like machine supercools the fat in your "love handles" or wherever else you want to dissolve some lard. "When we take the machine off, it's solidly frozen, almost like an ice cube," Jennifer says. A salon employee then massages the area for 2-3 minutes to break it down further, and then your body absorbs the disintegrated fat after that.

"You might see some results in three weeks, but by nine weeks you should definitely see results, and in 12 weeks, you're just overwhelmed," she said.

Jennifer, who's 48, has been in this line of work for 25 years and recently opened a second Essence clinic downtown.

The machines aren't cheap. They cost about $140,000. And in case you thought fat sculpting was primarily for women, she has a lot of male customers as well. "A lot of men have their breasts done," she says. "Any part of your body where you want excess fat taken off, we can do it."

My beat takes me to local city council or county board meetings where I'm one of the few reporters there. They are usually laid-back, friendly affairs. Or I go down into caves to count bats where there is no mob of reporters or fish on a trout stream that I also have to myself.

With P-B Capitol reporter Heather Carlson ill, on Feb. 19 I was told to go to St. Paul, where several busloads of people protesting the rapid growth of the silica-sand industry in Minnesota and those who back it appeared before a joint Senate-House committee. Before that, protesters held a press conference.

When they say "press," it can also mean the press of media bodies crowding into rooms, getting in each other's way and mobbing legislators who give out their gems of wisdom with smiles.

By the time the hearing was over, I was tired, frazzled and miffed. I wanted to get out of the building, out of the Twin Cities, out of the thundering herd of people. Wouldn't it be better to be out alone on a Mississippi River backwater or snowshoeing solo in the moonlight in the Whitewater Valley?

And last Tuesday, I was part of a crowded hearing on the silica-sand bill where I sat for 2 1/2 more hours, hearing many of the same people saying the same thing.

I left both meetings with more admiration for Heather. I called her a few days after the first round of chaos, inquired about her health and wished her a speedy recovery — for her sake and mine.