Woman entering a whole body cryotherapy chamber. Whole body cryotherapy (WBC) involves exposing your body to subzero temperatures for 2 to 4 minutes while nearly naked. Temperatures can exceed -200° Fahrenheit.
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If you&#;re wondering why anyone would do this, most people try it for the alleged health benefits. You may have seen claims that WBC can clear acne, eczema, and psoriasis &#; as well as give you younger-looking skin.
Staff at spas, gyms, and other places that offer WBC claim that it can alleviate sore muscles and joints after a workout, allowing you to recover faster. It&#;s even being offered as a way to lose weight and improve your mood.
As more WBC spas open, the list of WBC benefits seems to grow. Fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis are frequently promoted as conditions that WBC can treat.
Despite these claims, research studies have yet to prove that WBC can deliver any of these benefits.
While the benefits of using WBC to treat sore muscles and diseases remain unproven, there&#;s evidence that the extreme cold can injure your skin.
Reported skin injuries due to WBC include:
Frostbite
A frozen limb
Rashes
Frostbite: This is the most common skin injury. American sprinter and Olympic champion Justin Gatlin developed frostbite on both feet during a WBC session, according to ESPN1. He&#;s not the only one. Researchers in Finland reported that 16% of the participants in a WBC research study developed mild frostbite.
Frostbite occurs when your skin (and sometimes the tissue beneath your skin) freezes. This can lead to permanent tissue damage.
Frozen limb: While trying WBC for the first time, one woman finished her 3-minute session with a frozen arm, according to the Dallas Observer. As her arm thawed, she developed painful swelling, blisters, and third-degree burns2. This is a type of severe frostbite.
Cold panniculitis: This rash developed after 8 whole body cryotherapy sessions. Rash (aka cold panniculitis): After having 8 WBC sessions within 2 weeks at a local gym, a 47-year-old man developed a rash. It started on his lower legs and spread to his thighs, belly, and arms. As the rash spread, it became somewhat itchy and painful.
Feeling very concerned, he saw a dermatologist and was diagnosed with cold panniculitis (pah-nick-you-lie-tis). This occurs when cold injures the deepest layer of skin &#; the fatty tissue.
People who develop cold panniculitis often have a rash of:
Tiny, hard bumps
Raised and scaly patches
Deep lumps in their skin
To get rid of this rash, you must stop injuring your skin. This allows the skin to heal on its own. When this man stopped WBC, it took several weeks for his skin to heal.
As the rash fades, some people see darker (or lighter) patches of skin where the rash once was. These patches can last for months before clearing.
Reports of other problems due to WBC include suffocating, sudden and temporary loss of memory, and eye injuries.
One woman who worked at a WBC center in Las Vegas suffocated while inside a chamber. She reportedly used the chamber after business hours when no one was around. The next day, fellow staffers found her body3.
If you&#;ve seen a board-certified dermatologist about a wart, pre-cancerous growth, or other skin condition, you may have had cryosurgery. Dermatologists use cryosurgery to freeze a small area of the skin in order to treat skin conditions and diseases. After one or more treatments, the wart or other lesion falls off.
Unlike WBC, cryosurgery is an accepted medical procedure. When performed by someone skilled in the procedure, such as a board-certified dermatologist, cryosurgery is safe and effective.
While you may see links to studies on websites of businesses that offer WBC, these studies raise doubts among scientists. When scientists from the FDA reviewed the studies, they said, &#;We found very little evidence about its safety or effectiveness in treating the conditions for which it is being promoted.&#;
As a result, the FDA has not cleared or approved WBC as safe or effective to treat any medical condition.
In fact, the FDA is concerned that people using WBC may:
Injure themselves
Have no improvement (or worsening) of their medical conditions
Develop a new medical problem
Dermatologists agree that WBC poses risks. They also understand that claims, such as WBC can clear acne and give you younger-looking skin, can make it tempting to try WBC.
Dermatologists don&#;t recommend that anyone try WBC. If you&#;re tempted, dermatologists say that you should proceed with caution. See your doctor first. Some people have a medical condition, such as nerve damage or heart disease, which can worsen with WBC.
Images
Image 1: Getty Images
Image 2: Used with permission of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology: J Am Acad Dermatol. ;47:608-10.
Image 3: Used with permission of JAAD Case Reports: JAAD Case Reports. ;4:344-5.
References
Andrews MD. &#;Cryosurgery for common skin conditions.&#; Am Fam Physician. ;69(10):-72.
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Associated Press. &#;Justin Gatlin dealing with frostbite.&#; ESPN. August 24, .
Greenwald E, Christman M, et al. &#;Cold panniculitis: Adverse cutaneous effect of whole-body cryotherapy. JAAD Case Reports ;4:344-5.
Klimenko T, Ahvenainen S, et al. &#;Research letter: Whole-body cryotherapy in atopic dermatitis.&#; Arch Dermatol. ;144(6):806-8.
Nicholson E. &#;A Dallas cryotherapy center accidentally froze a woman's arm, lawsuit says.&#; Dallas Observer, December 2, .
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). &#;Whole body cryotherapy (WBC): A &#;cool&#; trend that lacks evidence, poses risks.&#; July 5, . Last accessed May 30, .
1 Associated Press. &#;Justin Gatlin dealing with frostbite.&#; ESPN. August 24, .
2 Nicholson E. &#;A Dallas cryotherapy center accidentally froze a woman's arm, lawsuit says.&#; Dallas Observer, December 2, .
Last updated: 7/17/23
In this article, we look at some of the possible benefits of cryotherapy healing and other facts a person may need to know before considering it.
These medical treatments are highly targeted. However, whole-body treatments are also available. These may include ice baths, cold chambers that use dry ice, or entire cold rooms. People claim that extreme cold can improve mental and physical health and even prolong life. So what does the science say?
Targeted cryotherapy treatments are common for removing warts, skin tags, and other small skin tissues. Doctors may also recommend it for internal use to kill and remove abnormal tissues.
Several treatments fall under the umbrella term of &#;cryotherapy&#;. These can range from targeted therapies like cryoablation to more general cold therapies such as using cold plunges or cold chambers.
Cryotherapy involves treatments that use freezing or near-freezing temperatures. There are various potential physical and mental health benefits.
Pregnant women, children, people with severe high blood pressure , and people with heart conditions should not try cryotherapy.
Neither dermatologists nor the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommend WBC.
Some people use the term cryotherapy to refer to whole-body cryotherapy. This is non-medical treatment in a spa or similar setting. This may involve sitting in a temperature-controlled room, pool, or pod for 2 to 4 minutes at temperatures that may go as low as -200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Targeted cryotherapy for the removal of skin tags, warts, and other masses will occur either in a doctor&#;s office or hospital, depending on the procedure. These treatments are typically well tolerated , and will only be recommended if the patient is a suitable candidate.
It is important to note that while many studies report positive results for cryotherapy as an adjunct treatment for various means, further research is necessary to properly assess its efficacy.
Alternative therapies should never replace traditional treatment plans.
Targeted cryotherapy is a typically effective method of removing lesions on the skin. Lesions that cryotherapy can aid in removing include:
Doctors may also recommend cryosurgery for the removal of some forms of cancer, including:
However, it is not yet clear how effective cryotherapy is in treating cancer lesions in the long term.
Cryotherapy may help with muscle pain and post-exercise recovery. Doctors have long recommended using ice packs on injured and painful muscles. Doing so may increase blood circulation after the ice pack is removed, promoting healing and pain relief.
A review found multiple reports of whole-body cryotherapy having a positive impact on muscular inflammatory markers and post-exercise recovery. However, there is no scientific consensus on the efficacy of cryotherapy for athletic recovery.
One small study found that regular whole-body cryotherapy across a four-week period did not have any positive impact on physical performance in male athletes. A further small study from assessed the use of cryotherapy for recovery in judo practitioners similarly found no conclusive performance benefit but did discover a considerable positive impact on muscular growth factors.
A controlled trial found that regular whole-body cryotherapy treatments had a positive effect on certain cognitive markers. Researchers suggest that whole-body cryotherapy may help manage mild cognitive impairment as part of a broader treatment plan.
A trial similarly found that whole-body cryotherapy may have a positive effect on memory retention, making it a potentially effective preventive therapy for mild cognitive impairment.
Whole-body cryotherapy may also have a positive effect on mental wellbeing. A limited study found that people undergoing whole-body cryotherapy reported more positive quality of life, mood, and depression symptoms scores than a control group.
The chronic inflammatory skin condition known as eczema can cause intensely itchy patches of dry skin. A study similarly that cryotherapy may aid in reducing itching symptoms associated with eczema.
However, the study involved small samples and is not enough to draw definitive conclusions.
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