Facial icing comes forward into the limelight once again in the form of a viral social media trend. While this old-fashioned skincare step has been long known to reduce puffiness, its recent rise to fame is credited to several claims aside from puffiness.
Videos of people rubbing ice on their faces to reduce puffiness, among other reasons, have gone viral, with some getting millions of views. Professional skin icing can be done in spas, but you can do it in the comfort of your home; all you need are ice cubes!
When you ice your face, the low temperature reduces blood flow to the skin, constricting blood vessels and reducing redness. As the temperature warms up, your skin brightens.
Aside from this, facial icing has other benefits.
Beauty Benefits
Although facial icing's efficacy has not been proven clinically, anecdotal accounts support some claims of beauty-related benefits.
1. Reduces redness
The most common claim is that rubbing ice cubes on your face can reduce redness, swelling, and tenderness. Experts say this is the same as applying ice to injuries. However, in this case, constricting blood vessels reduces redness, as well as tenderness and swelling.
2. Calms eye bags
Puffy eye bags are part of our lives, whether we like it or not. We hustle, we stay up late, and we binge-watch. But because ice cubes can depuff these dark circles under our eyes, we have nothing to worry about!
Experts explain that icing this area releases fluid buildup, drains toxins, and later tightens the area. Fair warning: ice cubes cannot alter genes, so if your eye bags are genetic, ice isn't the answer.
3. Delivers a free glow up
Constricting blood vessels shrinks pores and blurs lines, making wrinkles temporarily disappear. This gives a lighter and brighter complexion, resulting in glowing radiance.
Although this is a quick fix for anti-aging and firming up wrinkles, it is not permanent. But putting ice on your skin could be a great addition to your anti-aging regimen.
4. Can be done at home
Putting ice on your face doesn't require much and almost doesn't cost anything. You already have a freezer and some ice cubes inside -- that's all you need. Oh, and you'll also need the willpower to follow through with this new step in your skincare regimen. You can do it!
Rubbing Ice on the Skin
Rubbing ice on your skin is simple enough to be done by yourself at home.
Just make sure to wrap the ice in a thin cloth. You don't want the ice sticking to your face or the rough surface to irritate your skin.
Also, remember to keep a consistent circular motion as you go around your mouth, cheeks, chin, forehead, jaw, and nose. Resting ice on one part can cause frostbite, so keep it moving.
Experts advise you to assess your skin in detail. If you have thin or sensitive skin and broken capillaries, and have had facial procedures such as peels, cosmetic surgeries, and laser treatments, facial icing is not for you. This regimen is a temporary fix or a quick pick-me-up for your skin, so don't switch your skincare routine to rubbing ice.
