Cryotherapy is the latest trendy way for weight loss. Many elite athletes and Hollywood actors have been through cryotherapy. Though many may say that cryotherapy helps burn fat, several questions arose with its popularity.
From generation to generation, different techniques have been used to lose weight. But for every legitimate weight loss method, there are countless fake pills and diet plans. Cryotherapy weight loss involves extreme cold exposure, which is a fat-freezing process.
Cryotherapy involves cold-induced thermogenesis that leads to the browning of white fat, resulting in weight loss. Many doctors have approved cryotherapy treatment for fat loss. It is deemed safe, but much research is still needed to bring a tick mark next to it.
Let’s find out what cryotherapy is and how it helps burn calories.
What Is Cryotherapy?
Cryotherapy treatment is when your body comes in contact with low temperatures, such as an ice pack or ice bath. Cryotherapy treatments are of two types, whole-body cryotherapy treatment or localized cryotherapy treatment.
Coming in contact with extremely high temperatures not only freezes fat but also promotes the skin’s appearance.
It is to be noted that there are two types of fats in our bodies. One is visceral fat, and the other is subcutaneous fat.
Cryotherapy treatment only helps in losing subcutaneous fat. It is hard for the machine to penetrate visceral fat as it is stored deep in the body. Visceral fats surround internal organs and protect them from trauma.
On the other hand, high amounts of visceral fat is what causes diabetes and heart diseases. On the other hand, subcutaneous fat is lined under the skin, and cryotherapy targets that fat.
How Does Cryotherapy Work?
The cryotherapy session starts with spreading liquid nitrogen on the body. It can be a targeted area for localized treatment or over the entire body for whole-body cryotherapy treatment.
You are required to wear protective gear and sit in a cryo chamber whose temperature is as low as -300 degrees. Usually, a session lasts for 4-6 minutes.
Cryotherapy helps relieve pain, tightens skin pores, and contracts blood vessels. It also increases blood flow to your entire body.
Extremely cold temperatures stimulate brown fat loss, and energy consumption will increase. Hence your body will use fat to produce energy to increase overall body temperature.
Is Cryotherapy Effective?
When it comes to your weight loss journey, calories are only one of the things you need to look into. Cryotherapy is effective, but you need to take other measures along with it to help you lose weight and stay slim.
For example, around 3,500 calories are in a pound of fat. Researchers found that a single session of cryotherapy burns around 500-800 calories. So you need to take regular sessions to maintain your weight loss streak.
Cryotherapy using sub-zero temperatures helps increase your metabolism, which in turn increases your body’s temperature. This increases your blood pressure, and your body starts burning fat. But you need to keep up with exercise and a healthy diet to make cryotherapy effective.
Cryotherapy Sessions
How Many Sessions are Needed?
When asked how many sessions of cryotherapy are required to see results? The answer depends from person to person.
As the age and body mass index (BMI) of every individual differ, the results also vary depending on your health conditions and age. But in general, you should take 3 to 5 sessions per week for at least three weeks.
Combine these sessions with general exercises and a good diet, and you will see the best results. You can lose 20% to 80% of body fat cells in your targeted area.
How Much Does Each Session Cost?
Regarding the cost, cryotherapy sessions cost around $50 to $150 per session. This takes your total cost to quite a handsome amount of money. So, losing weight by relying on these sessions alone will drain your wallet fast.
Is Cryotherapy Safe?
Mainstream believes cryotherapy is safe, but there are some exceptions. Exposure to extremely cold temperatures can cause complications for some.
That, too, more than once a week is not safe because there have been reports of people suffering from frostbite or rashes due to staying in sub-zero temperatures.
Who Should Not Undergo Cryotherapy
People with High Blood Pressure
Doctors don’t recommend people with high blood pressure and those suffering from heart conditions to try cryotherapy. That’s because it causes increased blood pressure and a decreased heart rate. Additionally, this can cause more complications for them.
Pregnant Women
Furthermore, pregnant women should also avoid cryotherapy. This is because it is a very extreme process that can affect the fetus’s growth. Reports have been received from pregnant women that cryotherapy provoked their fetal growth and preterm birth. Moreover, it also caused a lot of other complications, including nerve damage.
Children and Teenagers
Children and teens are also advised to stay away from cryotherapy. If you want your child to lose weight, start with diet and exercise.
Pros of Cryotherapy
Depending upon the type of cryotherapy treatment, there are a lot of benefits people get from it.
- Reduces inflammation
- Heals muscle cramps and spasms
- Provides pain relief
- Increases metabolism
- Provides a healthy blood flow
- Harmonizes insulin sensitivity
- Freezes the brown adipose fat ( BAT)
- Eases rheumatoid arthritis
- Helps in a lot of autoimmune diseases
Cryotherapy is gaining popularity for its properties of burning fat and reducing weight with each passing day. Localized treatments target areas like thighs, bra fat, back, the underside of buttocks, and chin. Furthermore, many believe that this method is more effective than whole-body cryotherapy treatments.
Cons of Cryotherapy
Some people do not support cryotherapy as a liable weight loss source. Clinical researchers have found that cryotherapy is just a fad and has not been effective in reaching the desired weight goals of people who use it as the only source of weight loss. With every invention come some cons of it. Some of the cons of cryotherapy include:
- Not budget-friendly
- Not for people suffering from heart disease
- Pregnant women can suffer from complications
- Causes health issues for some
- It isn’t effective in losing weight on its own
Cryotherapy has caused people to put on weight in some cases. This is because, after every session, a huge amount of energy goes to waste. Hence, people tend to eat more calories for their bodies to come back to normal temperatures.
It may also leave burn marks on the body. So, for the safe side, it is better to consult your doctor before getting a cryotherapy treatment.
Conclusion
After a few months of cryotherapy treatment, the body ejects the dead fat cells. Cryotherapy has been effective in weight loss but depending upon the person taking the treatment.
However, you need to include a healthy diet and physical exercise in your routine. Cryotherapy alone is not enough for weight loss. And if you look forward to long-term weight loss, it is better to get the treatment on a regular basis.
Moreover, cryotherapy is expensive, and each session will cost you a sum of money. Hence, there are more cost-effective ways to lose weight.
To wrap up, if you are considering getting a cryotherapy treatment, you should talk to your doctor. Your doctor knows your medical history and can decide whether or not you should go for it.
