Cryotherapy: A Cool Approach to Preventing Hair Loss and Onycholysis

Cryotherapy, the therapeutic use of extreme cold, was first studied for cancer care in 1919, when Temple Sedgwick Fay, MD, discovered that higher-temperature body areas were more prone to metastasis and demonstrated that hypothermia reduced swelling and inflammation—two oncogenic drivers. Today, we understand that cellular proliferation slows under the influence of cryotherapy, which can be used internally (e.g., cryoablative surgery) or externally (e.g., ice bags, specially designed devices).