Cryotherapy is a method involving cold to heal. It can affect a part of the body or the whole body.

Cryotherapy refers to a treatment that consists of applying cold to an area of ​​the body or to the entire body (this is called whole body cryotherapy or CCE).

Note that the term “cryotherapy” is used for the first time in 1908 by AW Pusey, to describe treatment of lesions of the skin by low temperatures. But the use of cold for healing goes back much further: Ancient Greece.

There are different forms of cryotherapy:

• local treatment with ice packs, cryogenic sprays, gas sprays or compresses;
• more global treatment, with immersion in cold water (we speak of conduction cooling);
• whole body cryotherapy, in which cooling is said to be by convection.

Cryolipolysis (also called coolsculpting) is an aesthetic dermatology technique which consists in destroying fat by cold. This is to reduce excess fat by destroying fat cells. To do this, simply place a kind of suction cup on the fatty area to be eliminated. The device sucks in the area and cools the skin and fat below. The technique is an alternative to liposuction.

Cryotherapy is also offered for weight loss, but it is not aspiration.

The principle would be that by exposing itself to the cold, the body would expend energy… and would burn the famous calories. There is a lack of scientific data to confirm that cryotherapy has a real effect on weight loss, even if the cold actually burns a few calories.

In local treatment:

• destroy cancer cells (cancer of the retina – retinoblastoma -, cancers of the prostate, liver and cervix, but also for tumors in the kidneys, in the bones, the lungs, or even the breasts);
• warts;
• decrease edema or swelling;
• reduce pain;
• relieve inflammation;

In global treatment:

• improve sleep disorders;
• reduce pain and relieve inflammation;
• improves respiratory function;
• reduces anxiety.

In athletes, cryotherapy allows muscle recovery, but is also an asset for training preparation.

As we said above, there are many forms of cryogenic treatment, on a part of the body or on the whole body.

Let us take the example of whole body cryotherapy (CCE) here. It consists of a total immersion of the subject – head included or not:

• at extremely low temperatures (less than -100 ° C);
• for a very short time (2 to 4 minutes);
• in a room – a fair room – or a booth provided for this purpose – we talk about cryosauna;
• the environment inside this space is completely dry.

The goal is to create a thermal shock, that is to say to cause a drop in body temperature quickly and very low, to provoke positive physiological reactions.

Note that whole-body cryotherapy was born in Japan at the end of the 1970s.

Risks and contraindications of cryotherapy

There are contraindications to whole body cryotherapy:

• the body temperature should not drop below 7 ° C, at the risk of nerve damage;
• the technique is not recommended for people suffering from hypertension, asthma, or circulation problems;
• you must not have open wounds, nor wear any metallic object.

Note that whole-body cryotherapy – to lose weight – is not recognized by the medical profession.

Regarding cryotherapy as a local treatment, the technique can damage healthy tissues close to those targeted by the treatment.