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 Spas and gyms advertise cryotherapy as a way to treat sore muscles,
back pain, and skin problems. But a report in the Journal of the
American Academy of Dermatology highlights a danger.
In the report, a 71-year-old man using whole-body cryotherapy was
severely burned when a nozzle malfunctioned and sprayed liquid
nitrogen directly on his back for less than a minute. He had
stinging, pain and redness, which developed into blisters with a
yellow pus.
"With the rise of cryotherapy facilities and the ease that consumers
can be treated, it's important to spread awareness of the harmful
side effects," said coauthor Dr. Jordan Wang of Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital, where the patient was treated.
Cryotherapy chambers engulf the body from the neck down in a liquid
nitrogen mist at temperatures between minus-150 to minus 220 degrees
Fahrenheit (minus-100 to minus-140 Celsius) for several minutes. The
head stays above the top of the chamber.
"Most consumers are unaware of the potential side effects and the
lack of data behind how useful treatments are," Wang told Reuters
Health by email.
"Cryotherapy is increasing in popularity, but it's not an
FDA-approved treatment, and there's not good regulation of the
safety of these devices," said Dr. Lisa Chipps, a dermatologist in
Beverly Hills, California. Chipps, who wasn't involved with this
case, is president-elect of the American Board of Facial Cosmetic
Surgery.
"When patients are undergoing non-FDA-approved treatments, they need
to be aware of the potential risks of that device or service," she
told Reuters Health by phone.
Traditionally, dermatologists use cryotherapy to treat skin lesions
such as viral warts, some skin cancers, and precancerous sun spots.
Applied in very small areas by a trained physician, the liquid
nitrogen freezes the skin and lesion.
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Whole-body cryotherapy was originally given to patients with
multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis for anti-inflammation
effects. In recent years, it's become popular for a wider audience.
Proponents say the extreme cold helps muscle recovery after
strenuous activity better than ice packs or cold water immersion.
However, the FDA hasn't approved any cryotherapy chambers and warns
about potential harmful effects including asphyxiation, frostbite,
burns and eye injuries. A 2015 Cochrane review of previously
published studies found insufficient evidence to support the
benefits of muscle recovery for active young men, and no data exist
for women or elite athletes.
"If the burn had happened on the patient's face in this case, that
would have been disfiguring," said Dr. Anthony Rossi, a
dermatological surgeon at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in
New York City, who wasn't involved with this case.
"Most of these cryotherapy chambers shield the fingers and toes, but
what about his genitals or other areas?" Rossi told Reuters Health
by phone. "People are going into this thinking they'll receive a
medical benefit, but it's a cool trend that lacks evidence."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2QhjiPF Journal of the American Academy of
Dermatology, online December 4, 2018.
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