Does freezing your body help with aging? Some countries–particularly Scandinavian countries–believe that exposing your body to extreme cold can prevent age related illnesses. Cold therapies for the face such as jade rollers (or ice rollers) have become very popular lately to help with skin tightening. But what is the science behind the source? Can freezing your body make you feel better and look better too?
Why Eskimos Have Less Wrinkles
Eskimos (or the native Inuit People) have less wrinkles for two reasons: genetics and cold. Genetics cannot be changed, but the way that wrinkles appear can change, and cold is one way that happens. Cold temperatures preserve the skin’s ability to produce collagen. As we age our collagen production becomes less and less, resulting in the appearance of wrinkles and droopy skin. What aging research has found is that people who live in climates that have extreme cold seem to have less facial wrinkles. Some dermatologists have come to believe that the unintentional cold therapy of having cold air on the face reduces their appearance of wrinkles.
Don’t Move to the Arctic Circle
The good new is that you DON’T have to be move to Alaska or Sweden for cold therapy. Whole Body Cryotherapy and Cryotherapy Facials (aka “Frotox”) use cold therapy to chill the skin. Your skin temperature at rest is typically 91°F. After cryotherapy your skin temperature goes down to the Recovery Range™ of 45° to 60°F. This causes non-shivering thermogenesis that occurs on a cellular level. Your skin begins to try to generate heat, and in so doing burns calories. There is also the process of vasoconstriction wherein the blood vessels constrict to push the surface blood towards the body’s core. It does this during extreme cold to keep the blood warm. One benefit of vasoconstriction is that during cryotherapy the blood is enriched with oxygen and inflammation healing enzymes. Once the cryotherapy is over the oxygen rich and nutrient dense blood returns and vitalizes the skin.
Cryotherapy for the Whole Body
Wrinkles and collagen production are only some of the benefits of Whole Body Cryotherapy. Cryotherapy was invented to treat arthritis and was found to also benefit:
- Calorie burn – 500 to 800 calories per session
- Joint Pain
- Back Pain
- Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (workout soreness)
- Headaches
- Athletic Recovery
- Overuse Injury Prevention
These results are experienced after a single 3 minute session. Using multiple sessions, such as three times per week, enhances the experience and amplifies the benefits.
