Have I been sleeping on this hack?
- karenthandiwe
- Jul 9, 2022
- 4 min read
I well and truly believe that our knowledge of the benefits of hot and cold applied pressure comes from trends or hacks because my mind has drastically changed on the topic at hand within the space of less than a year. I used to be a slight hot water junkie, a steam fanatic, until I started to sit down and really assess the true benefit that such regimes were granting to my skin. Of course, we all have different skin types and problems that formulate the basis of the implementation of these viral routines but I seem to feel very strongly in favour of the fact that new trending regimes that are receiving more and more recognition are here to stay. Why is that, you ask? I’m not entirely sure but what I know for certain is that autonomy is at the centre of it, guiding individuals, professionals and companies to offer people more power on what they wish to do with their skin and body, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Now, I will debate the benefits of both hot water and cold water treatments for the skin and body, advocating massively for more attention to be paid to and research to be done into that which is an apparent new phenomenon in the skincare world, cold water treatments.
-What are some of the biggest differences between cold water and hot water treatments in general?
It is definitely the case that one of the biggest advocates for cold water treatments come from those who regularly partake in ice baths for the purpose of soothing sore muscles. Many researchers have conducted actual studies into the impact of such strongly recommended treatments for athletes and found that there is indeed some benefit in regard to stimulating less constriction on blood vessels where tightness and soreness is paramount for an individual. However, it is still important within this, to be able to separate a targeted injury area from general soreness after a strenuous training session, requiring such treatments (Dr. King).
1.From developed research, there appears to be a very strong indication and suggestion that both heat and ice treatments are a step up from over the counter medications that aim to quickly target the pain relief for acute injuries to one’s joints and muscles. The point raised here is definitely an indication of cold water’s mirrored ability to be able to cool an individual down and also be a pleasant shock to the system in most cases to help one to feel more alert and awake – but this should still be done in moderation which will be explained further below.
2.It does also appear to massively be the case that ice treatments are very highly effective for the purposes and intentions of reducing inflammation whereas heat treatments aim to target better blood flow and less restrictive muscles. This point is reflected very well in the cases of the usages of cold water on the skin where, in contrast to hotter/warm water being more likely to open up your pores overall, cold water is more beneficial in the sense that it doesn’t strip away the natural oils on your skin when doing so, which could ultimately lead to having either drier or oilier skin because the sebum levels instead becoming incredibly unbalanced. There is an identified caveat, however, which found that those who utilised cold water in their skincare regime as opposed to hotter water tended to have less wrinkles and blemishes overall as they aged – to me, this doesn’t take into account absolutely all different types of skincare problems which face a higher likelihood of causing further irritation and breakouts if anything other than cold water is used as well as climate and diet which has a profound impact on your skin’s reaction to sebum production, but nonetheless, it is still very much a valid point.
-What do I do if my daily regime and activities don’t align with those who are most proficient in implementing such routines into their good skin and body regulations?
Example: Ice baths frequently taken by athletes to allegedly ‘relieve’ their muscles – In this example, I would say that stereotyping probably leads to a deficient understanding here. This is due to the fact that just because a person is proficient at playing a sport does not mean that they may not be at risk of worsening any health conditions if they decide to implement such a commonality into their physical ritual. Thus, yes, whilst it is very much the case that ice baths are definitely undertaken my athletes more in comparison to non-athletes, medical problems pertaining mainly to the heart and blood pressure levels will steer you away from participating in these regimes (Cleveland Clinic), and this is worth discussing with your GP.
On a day-to-day basis, it is abundantly clear that utilising warm water for longer periods of time is much safer than utilising extreme hot and cold water and its various treatments across the board for long periods of time. This is not to case that one cannot dedicated themselves toward a generated cold water skincare regime, but that the impacts to one’s skin need to be thoroughly identified and considered before it becomes part of your go-to regime. There has been many requests from the skincare community as well as other healthcare professionals for a lot less pressure to be being put on adhering to absolutely all treatments available for an individual to avoid confusion to the skin and the risk of further irritations/breakouts etc., but rather working well with a regimen that is the best suited to your skin type and needs, which hopefully this blog will help you to consider.
Thank you so much for reading my blog and I really do hope that you found it informative and enjoyable to dive into. Please read my other blogs for more details on skincare, health, nutrition, lifestyle tips (you name it!), follow me on Instagram and Tiktok: @ldxbootique, and sign up to the mailing list if you so wish; to be the first notified every single time Lifestyleaddxct has new blogs and events
Until next time….Stay blessed…x
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