5 Reasons Why You Should Give Skin Icing A Try

I got to learn that icing one’s skin was a thing while I was on Snapchat some months ago, while viewing an Instagram influencer’s story.

I was mildly piqued after watching the video but I didn’t pay too much mind to it until much later, when while doom scrolling on TikTok, I saw a clip from a movie where a woman obsessed with youthfulness did the wildest beauty regimens to preserve her youth.

In the movie, one of the crazy steps the lady undertook for her beauty routine was to immerse her face in a bowl filled with ice and water for about 30 seconds to 1 minute at a time before coming up for air. Upon seeing this, my curiosity got the better of me and I hopped onto Google, in the quest for an in-depth knowledge on this phenomenon I’d just discovered.

I found out that these examples I’d narrated above were called ‘Ice Water Facials’ and upon further Googling, I learnt that both examples fell under the cryotherapy category.

If you’ve seen a video (or two) where someone holds an ice cube or tool and runs it over their face, that’s cryotherapy too.

Naturally, the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw videos of women icing their skin was: “is this recommended?” followed by “are there any side effects to doing this?”

This article will be answering those queries and more, just stick around. Before I start to list out the benefits of skin icing and its side effects (if any), it is essential to point out that this beauty regimen has long been a common practice among Korean women (the O.Gs of skincare) so, don’t knock it before you try it.

What is Skin Icing anyway?

Skin icing is a cryotherapy treatment where the skin is exposed to very cold temperatures for several minutes.

Ice cubes are usually used for this treatment but there are other ways to ice the skin.

One of the primary techniques behind skin icing is vasoconstriction (the narrowing of blood vessels in response to cold temperatures).

When ice is applied to the skin, the blood vessels constrict and reduces blood flow to the area. This vasoconstriction helps to decrease inflammation, redness, and puffiness, on the face, especially for areas prone to swelling, such as the cheeks and under-eye area.

So, why should you give skin icing a try? Read the benefits to reap from this regimen below:

The Benefits of Skin Icing

1. Decreases Puffiness: Icing one’s skin can help to minimise swelling and puffiness, especially around the eyes and cheeks.
2. Tightens Pores: Ice cubes have a cold temperature proven to be helpful in reducing pores and shrinking their appearance.
3. Improves Circulation: Gently rubbing ice cubes on your skin helps to revitalise blood flow to the which in turn, helps to fade skin discolouration and dark spots.
4. Reduces Inflammation: Individuals suffering from inflammatory skin conditions like acne could try their hands at cryotherapy as it helps to reduce the inflammation of the skin.
5. Soothing to Skin: Skin icing can provide quick relief from inflammation, redness, or irritation in your face and in other body part.

As with most skincare regimen, care and caution are to be exercised when trying a routine out for the first time. Below are some of the side effects to skin icing:

The Downsides of Skin Icing

1. It can damage sensitive skin. Also your skin might get dry and irritated if you ice it.
2. It can compromise the blood flow to the skin.
3. Frostbite may occur if applied to the skin directly for a prolonged time.
4. There’s the danger of the skin becoming extra sensitive to the sun.

Now that you know the pros and cons of skin icing, would you be giving it a try anytime soon?