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ACTIVE BEAUTY Part 2 :CRYOTHERAPY


Athletes from the pros to weekend warriors-know the benefits of an ice pack-placed just so...which is why the whole body deep freeze treatment aka CRYOTHERAPY -a purported anti-inflammatory and anti-aging technology- is somewhat going mainstream. 

Intriguing?  

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One practitioner who offers this is Chicago area based -Dr. Jessie Cheung, Director, Jessie Cheung MD Dermatology & Laser Center -who has a  Whole Body Cryotherapy cryochamber installed in her office. 


The 411:

Blanket ready-one stands in undergarments...in a temperature regulated chamber for typically three minutes -while being bathed in very cold, dry air of liquid nitrogen—temperatures are -140 to -180 degrees Celsius! In response to the frigid air, one's body directs blood flow to the essential core. 

“When you step out of the machine, circulation rushes back to your extremities, which cleans out inflammation, kick-starts wound healing, boosts collagen growth, and releases endorphins,” explains Dr. Cheung. 

Added plus: it burns 500 to 800 calories per session.




It makes sense to us that inflammatory skin ailments like psoriasis, eczema, and maybe arthritis might also benefit from this treatment too. 

As perpetually cold types without a lot of body fat---we asked about length of treatments relative to body type- and working out post treatment...Dr. Cheung noted in an email:

Treatment time does tend to vary by body size and lean body massThe 3 minutes is just the maximum allotted amount of time for a cryo session.  Our cryo chamber has different temperature settings, and we recommend to starting at the beginner level for just 2 minutes to get acclimated. Going forward, we adjust the level and treatment time that works best for each individual. We find that very muscular bodies prefer the colder temperatures. 

Post Treatment  Anything that helps to promote blood flow can be a good ancillary service to cryotherapy. Many people enjoy light stretching or jogging
 immediately after a session - they love feeling how much looser their muscles are, and it really helps to expedite the benefits from the cryo.


Some facilities-actually have a workout room available post treatment and  provide a facial freeze (sort of speak CryoCure, Frotox...)for those who want to try this in baby steps... versus the whole body treatment.

For the record-personally not tried-but it's not like we are not game on...maybe just a tad claustrophobic....