Cryotherapy Side Effects & Safety: Risks and Who Should Avoid It

Is cryotherapy safe?

Quick answer: For most healthy adults who pass screening, a short, supervised whole body cryotherapy session is unlikely to cause serious harm, though good safety data are limited. Common side effects (redness, tingling, itchiness, a brief blood pressure rise) are mild and temporary. Rare but real risks include cold burns and, in nitrogen cabins, oxygen deprivation.

That is the honest answer we have given since 2013, when we opened as one of Ontario's first dedicated cryotherapy centres, and across more than 15,000 sessions in our North York studio since.

What the research and regulators say

The safety evidence is thinner than the marketing suggests. A 2015 Cochrane review found that none of its four trials actively monitored for predefined adverse events, a gap it called important given the hazard of extreme cold. A 2023 international consortium review found 16 documented adverse events across seven reports, mostly minor and temporary, and judged them largely preventable through screening. It also noted they are probably under-reported.

In 2016 the US Food and Drug Administration published a consumer update stating that no whole body cryotherapy device had been cleared or approved to treat any medical condition. It listed asphyxiation, frostbite, burns and eye injury as potential hazards and advised talking to your doctor first. We agree, and we never present cryotherapy as a treatment for disease.

Why the type of equipment matters

Researchers distinguish refrigerated walk-in chambers, where your head is exposed too, from open-top nitrogen-vapour cabins like ours, sometimes called cryosaunas. The 2023 review stressed that nitrogen cabins demand special care, because directly injected nitrogen vapour carries inherently high risks of cold burns and oxygen deprivation. Those two hazards are what almost every rule in our studio is built to control; we explain the equipment in cryo chamber vs cryosauna.

What are the most common side effects of cryotherapy?

Most of what people feel during and after a whole body cryotherapy session is the body's normal response to brief, intense cold: redness, tingling, itchiness and a short-lived rise in blood pressure.

Good frequency data are scarce. In a small 2023 survey of US college athletes, 8 of 29 respondents reported a skin rash within an hour of WBC and 4 reported itching, while 17 reported no adverse effects in that first hour. The response rate was low, so treat these figures as a rough signal only.

What are the rare but serious risks of cryotherapy?

Cold burns and frostbite

This is the risk we take most seriously. One report describes three patients with frostbite after single cryotherapy sessions, one of whom needed surgical excision and a skin graft. Another describes a 71-year-old man burned on the back when a suspected nozzle fault sprayed liquid nitrogen directly onto his skin.

Moisture is the common enemy. Sweat, damp skin and wet clothing pull heat away far faster than dry air, which is why nobody steps into our cabin damp, and why a 2025 expert consensus lists excessive sweating as a reason to postpone. Over-exposure is the other factor, so our sessions are capped at three minutes.

Oxygen deprivation from nitrogen vapour

Nitrogen is not toxic, but in an enclosed space it displaces oxygen, which can lead to loss of consciousness. A 2018 case report recounts the death of a cryotherapy-centre employee who was reportedly using a chamber alone outside business hours.

That is why your head stays above the rim of our open-top cabin at all times, breathing ordinary room air, and why a trained technician is present for every session. Never duck down into the cabin, even to grab a dropped glove.

Heart, blood vessel and neurological events

The 2023 review also catalogued a handful of serious events after whole body cryotherapy, including a brain bleed, an aortic dissection and transient global amnesia. In several cases reviewers found pre-existing risk factors, such as migraine or high blood pressure, or inappropriate settings like overlong sessions. That is why screening comes first.

Panic and claustrophobia

A few people feel a surge of panic in the first seconds. With your head outside an open-top cabin it feels far less enclosed than a sealed chamber, but severe claustrophobia is still on our list. Tell us beforehand; a session can end the moment you ask.

Does cryotherapy raise blood pressure?

Yes, briefly. Intense cold constricts the blood vessels in your skin, shifting blood toward your core. In a study of 25 healthy young men given 15 daily three-minute sessions at −130°C, systolic pressure rose by an average of 19 mmHg after each session while heart rate fell by about 7 beats per minute, and that response did not fade over the course.

For a healthy person the spike is short-lived. For someone with poorly controlled hypertension it is a different story: the study's authors concluded WBC is not recommended for advanced or uncontrolled high blood pressure. The 2025 expert consensus lists uncontrolled hypertension as a permanent contraindication, and a reading of 160/100 mmHg or higher (or below 100/60 mmHg) with signs of instability as a reason to postpone.

If yours is well controlled on medication, cryotherapy may still be possible; ask your doctor first.

Who should not do cryotherapy? (Contraindications)

Every new client has a health-history review before a first session. If any of the conditions below apply, whole body cryotherapy is not right for you, or not right now. The full list is on our contraindications page.

Heart and circulation

• Uncontrolled high blood pressure
• Heart attack in the previous six months, or recent heart surgery
• Congestive heart failure, unstable angina or valvular heart disease
• Pacemaker or implanted defibrillator
• Peripheral arterial occlusive disease, circulatory dysfunction or deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
• History of stroke, or a clotting disorder

Blood, immune and cold-sensitivity conditions

• Severe anemia or sickle cell anemia
• Cryoglobulinemia or vasculitis
• Cold allergy (cold urticaria) or Raynaud's

Lungs, kidneys, liver and hormones

• COPD or cold-induced asthma
• Acute fever or respiratory infection
• Acute kidney or urinary disease, or chronic liver disease
• Severe hypothyroidism

Nervous system, skin and situational factors

• Seizure disorders or epilepsy; severe claustrophobia
• Open wounds, skin infections or prior frostbite in the area
• Pregnancy
• Under 18 without parental consent and medical clearance
• Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs

Medications and conditions to discuss with your doctor first

• Blood thinners: the conditions they treat, such as DVT or clotting disorders, are on our list.
• Blood pressure or heart medications: your doctor can judge how well controlled things are.
• Ongoing cancer treatment, chronic migraine, glaucoma or a history of melanoma: all appear on the 2025 consensus list.

That 2025 position paper, built on a 28-expert Delphi panel, splits contraindications into temporary ones (such as fever or pregnancy) and permanent ones (such as uncontrolled hypertension or a pacemaker).

Is cryotherapy safe during pregnancy, for teens, older adults or people with diabetes?

Pregnancy

Pregnancy is on our contraindication list and on the 2025 expert consensus, so we do not offer whole body cryotherapy to pregnant clients.

Under-18s

Minors need parental consent plus medical clearance. The 2025 expert panel noted there were no published data on cryotherapy in adolescents, and one of the three frostbite cases in the 2022 burn case series involved a 17-year-old.

Older adults

Retirees are among our regular clients, and our list sets no upper age limit. Still, the 2025 consensus lists age over 80 as a contraindication, citing declining temperature perception with age. If you are older, get your doctor's input first.

Diabetes and neuropathy

Diabetes is not on our list by name, but related problems such as circulatory dysfunction and peripheral arterial disease are. With neuropathy (reduced feeling in your feet or hands), you may not notice a cold injury developing. The 2025 consensus lists type 1 diabetes, poorly controlled or complicated type 2 diabetes and polyneuropathies as contraindications, so speak with your physician before booking.

Are localized cryotherapy and cryofacials safer?

Localized cryotherapy directs cold air at one zone, such as a knee, shoulder or the lower back. You are not standing in a cabin, so the breathing and claustrophobia concerns of whole body sessions do not apply in the same way.

The skin-level risks are similar: redness, numbness and, on damp skin or with too much exposure in one spot, a cold burn. The same rules apply: dry skin, no open wounds or skin infections in the area, and no treatment over a spot that has had frostbite.

A cryofacial uses cold air on the face with no downtime. If you have cold urticaria, Raynaud's, or irritation or infection on your face, mention it first. Published safety research mostly covers whole body sessions, so evidence here is thinner still.

How does our North York studio reduce the risks?

The published reports point to recurring culprits: skipped screening, overlong exposure, equipment faults and unsupervised use. Add damp skin, and that is the list our protocol targets.

• Free one-on-one consultation. Your first visit takes about 30 minutes and includes a health-history review, a contraindication check, a chat about your goals and a personalised plan.
• Dry skin, every time. We do not start a session on damp or sweaty skin.
• Protected extremities. We provide thermal gloves, socks, slippers and ear protection. You wear minimal, dry clothing: underwear, plus a sports bra for women.
• Short, capped exposure. Sessions run 2–3 minutes at between −110°C and −195°C, and never longer than 3 minutes.
• Head above the cabin. You breathe normal room air from start to finish.
• A trained technician at every session. Nobody uses the cabin alone.
• Extra steps for minors. Parental consent and medical clearance are required.

What should you check before your first cryotherapy session?

Run through this checklist before you book or arrive:

1. Read our contraindications list. If anything applies, or might, speak to your doctor first.
2. Know your blood pressure and bring a list of your medications.
3. Reschedule if you have a fever, cold, flu or chest infection.
4. Skip alcohol and recreational drugs beforehand.
5. Arrive with completely dry skin. If you have just trained, towel off and let any sweat dry.
6. Wear or bring dry underwear (and a sports bra for women). We supply gloves, socks, slippers and ear protection.
7. Take off jewellery; metal chills quickly and sits right against your skin.
8. Tell us about claustrophobia, anxiety, cold allergy or Raynaud's, including if Toronto winters turn your fingers white or bring you out in hives.
9. Plan about 30 minutes for your first visit. Questions? See our FAQ or contact the studio.

What is normal after cryotherapy, and when should you call a doctor?

Normal after a session

• Pink or red skin that fades as you warm up
• Mild tingling or itchiness
• Feeling energised, or a little tired

Call a doctor, or 911, if you notice

• Blisters, or skin that stays white, grey, waxy, hard or numb after rewarming: possible cold burn.
• Spreading hives; call 911 for any swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or trouble breathing.
• Tender red bumps appearing days later: a case report describes cold panniculitis after eight sessions in two weeks, which cleared within weeks of stopping.
• Chest pain, a sudden severe headache, confusion, memory loss, one-sided weakness or fainting: call 911.
• Dizziness that does not settle after sitting and rewarming.

Tell us about any reaction too, so we can adjust your plan. For more on normal after-effects, read what to expect after cryotherapy, and for sensible spacing, see how often you should do cryotherapy.