You may feel surprised when you hear about the existence of a kind of technology that exposes you to cold at very low temperatures to treat some diseases! Cryotherapy It has become very popular and circulated around the world and has become a technology that many people resort to these days, so what is it? What diseases does it treat specifically? Does it have health risks? Follow us.

What is cryotherapy?

It is a technique that uses very low temperatures close to freezing and the body is exposed to it for several minutes, and the whole body can be exposed to this cold or a specific area of ​​the body can be targeted, and this technique can be considered a relatively safe modern medicine technique that can help treat several diseases during a session one or more sessions.

Types of cryotherapy

There are actually several types of this treatment, but they follow the same mechanism of action, and these types include the following:

Whole body cooling

It is the latest technology where a closed room is used such as sauna rooms (this type is also called an ice sauna), where this room is cooled using liquid nitrogen Its negative temperature ranges from 93 to 143 degrees below zero, and the patient is placed in this room for 2 to 4 minutes.

In order to protect the patient from frostbite, he must wear gloves, swimwear, socks, and ear and mouth covers. This type is more common among athletes to help relieve muscle spasm and maintain active blood circulation.

Partial cooling

This type uses a device called cold sauna or ice saunawhich is a device that looks like a small closed room with an opening at the top that allows the head to remain outside the device, this type differs from whole-body cryogenics in that it uses liquid nitrogen vapor.

Internal cryotherapy

This type is used by surgeons to target the internal parts of the body and is common for the treatment of some types of cancer, and body organs that can be used cryotherapy are the heart, lungs, prostate and ovaries.

Topical cryotherapy

In this type, a spray containing liquid nitrogen is used that targets external parts of the body. It is the most common type recently to treat benign superficial tumors on the skin, such as benign moles or skin growths. It is also called Cool ironing.

Benefits of cryotherapy

There is a lot of research that has been done on this technique and there are still many studies going on as well to discuss the benefits of cryotherapy, and these are some of the suggested benefits:

• Muscle treatment and pain relief.
• Weight loss.
• Reducing inflammation in the body.
• Prevention of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
• Cancer prevention and treatment.
• Some research has suggested its benefits for preventing and treating depression and anxiety and improving mood.
• Improve the symptoms of eczema.
• Migraine treatment.
• Neuropathic pain treatment.
• Relieving joint pain.
• Treating less serious cancerous tumors.
• Treating atopic dermatitis and other skin problems.
• Improve the performance of athletes.

Read more about the benefits of cryotherapy in detail and the diseases it treats

Cryotherapy caveats

Some people who should never try cryotherapy are those who have:

Side effects of cryotherapy

So far, this technique is generally considered safe, but it may include some temporary side effects after treatment, which are supposed to disappear within 24 hours. These effects include tingling, numbness, redness, and skin irritation.

However, you must adhere to the specific sessions and their duration determined by the doctor, and you must look for a reliable center that follows international recommendations in applying this type of treatment.

Risks of cryotherapy

These suggested risks can be divided into 3 types: acute or immediate complications including headache, pain and blisters on the skin, late complications including bleeding and infection, and long-term complications including small cyst-like bumps under the skin, hyperpigmentation of the skin, and changes in sensation.

Finally, what you should know is that cryotherapy is a relatively new technology, especially the whole body treatment technique. So far, no problems or risks have been reported for healthy people, but there is still a lot of research and studies that must be done to prove the effectiveness of this technique and its complete success. For the treatment of some diseases, and we remind you of the need to consult a doctor before trying this technique.