Does cryotherapy cause weight loss?

In recent years, cryotherapy has become not only very popular as a beauty treatment, but also in-demand and widespread. At the beginning of its rise in popularity, it was reserved solely to Hollywood stars and professional athletes. However, a session in the cryotherapy chamber today is accessible to everyone. A few minutes in a cryotherapy chamber (with only one’s head outside) at -180°C ensures many benefits for the body and the well-being of the skin.

It seems that cryotherapy is also perfect for weight control. How can the action of cold help us lose weight? Is this type of treatment safe for our health? Science comes to our aid answering these questions.

Losing weight with cryolipolysis

One of the assumptions on which the scientific community agrees is that losing weight with miracle pills is not possible: if this were the case, no one would exercise or follow a healthy diet. The only way not to gain weight while staying fit (and healthy, most importantly) is to burn the calories you take in.

While it is true that technology comes to our rescue (with smartwatches, devices that can calculate vital parameters, daily calorie intake), the only way to lose weight is to burn calories before they turn into fatty tissue. This principle is one of the mainstays on which cryotherapy weight loss is based.

The freezing of fat cells, also known as cryolipolysis or coolsculpting, is based on the concept that adipocytes, meaning, the cells in our body that contain fat, are more susceptible to damage from cold than other cells. By freezing these cells, brown fatty tissue located under the skin is subjected to local inflammation. Fat cells, now dead, are removed by the action of macrophages, cells that can be traced to the immune system.

In order for cryolipolysis to produce results, several sessions must be carried out, which should be agreed upon with the expert in charge of using the treatment properly. The results are already visible after a couple of sessions.

Cryolipolysis is completely painless and does not require any kind of incision on the skin. The fat cells are permanently eliminated, reducing the body mass index.

Summarising, we could define this method as being the same as liposuction, but without being invasive: the results can be the same.

Cryotherapy: pros and cons

Science teaches that the human body, when exposed to extremely cold temperatures, tends to use fat as a source of energy for survival. The theory that claims that the use of extreme cold can make people with the goal of slimming lose weight is based on this scientific certainty.

According to experts, a cryotherapy session of just 3 minutes can burn up to 800 calories – the equivalent of an hour of jogging. Too good to be true? It’s the truth; believe us!

The action of cold can contribute to weight loss, but it is also important to know the contraindications of excessive exposure to such low temperatures and liquid nitrogen. It is must also be added that cryotherapy alone does not cause weight loss. A healthy diet and exercise must be combined with these treatments.

Always rely on trained and qualified medical personnel for your cryotherapy sessions. Remember that if you have health problems such as hypertension, diabetes, have neurological diseases, or have had a myocardial infarction, you cannot undergo cryotherapy.

Always seek advice from your physician before starting.

Would you like to know more about the benefits of ice? Contact us; write Dispotech.