A Complete Guide to Skin Icing: Is It Good for Your Face?

Co-authored by Joanna Kula and Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: October 25, 2022 References

From TikTok videos to beauty trends, you’ve probably heard lots of beauty gurus rave about the seemingly endless benefits of skin icing. Could this DIY beauty hack be the ultimate skincare solution for you? We’ve got the inside scoop. Read on to learn how to safely ice your face, as well as the benefits that you should (and shouldn’t!) expect from this simple at-home treatment.

Things You Should Know

Rub a wrapped ice cube all around your face to give yourself an ice facial. You can also dip your face in a bowl of ice water for 10-15 second increments.
Prevent major acne flare-ups by applying ice to problem spots for 5-10 minutes.
Rest an ice pack or compress over your under-eye bags for a couple of minutes to make them look less obvious.
Avoid skin icing if you have broken capillaries or thin/sensitive skin.

Section 1 of 7:

What is skin icing?

Skin icing is a facial treatment where you apply ice directly to your skin. Some ice facials involve rubbing an ice cube on your skin, while others involve dipping your face into a bowl of ice water. Some treatments offer general skincare benefits, while others are meant to target specific areas, like acne.^{[1]
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Section 2 of 7:

Benefits of Skin Icing

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It can help your skin look less puffy. After a major injury, people often use an ice pack to help scale down the pain, swelling, and inflammation.^{[2]
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Research source} The same logic applies to facial icing, which can help your skin look a little less puffy after you wake up in the morning.^{[3]
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- Ice packs can also help with under-eye bags.^{[4]
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  Trustworthy Source
  Johns Hopkins Medicine
  Official resource database of the world-leading Johns Hopkins Hospital
  Go to source}
- Skin icing constricts the blood vessels in your face, which helps your pores look smaller. However, these pore-shrinking effects won’t last after you take the ice off your skin.^{[5]
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It can help prevent full-blown acne breakouts. Research shows that cold treatments (not ice facials specifically) can help lower the amount of oil your skin produces, which helps prevent major acne breakouts.^{[6]
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Trustworthy Source
PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source} It can also help acne feel less painful and swollen.^{[7]
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American Academy of Dermatology
Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists
Go to source}
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It can help skincare products soak into your skin better. Facial icing damages the skin a tiny bit, which makes the skin better able to soak up skincare products (like moisturizers).^{[8]
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Section 3 of 7:

How to Safely Ice Your Skin

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Wash your face before you start icing your skin. Dip your fingers in a gentle facial cleanser and lightly massage the product into your skin. Then, rinse off all of the cleanser with a bit of lukewarm water and blot your skin dry with a towel.^{[9]
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Trustworthy Source
American Academy of Dermatology
Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists
Go to source}
- Washing your face ahead of time helps your ice facial be more effective.^{[10]
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Apply skincare products beforehand if you have dry skin. Take a few minutes to apply your go-to serums, moisturizers, and creams before icing your skin. This gives your skin’s barrier a boost and helps prevent any redness and irritation from popping up during your ice facial.^{[11]
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- If you don’t have dry skin, ice your skin before applying any products (like moisturizer). The cold temperature of the ice damages your skin barrier a little bit, which helps your skincare products soak into your skin more deeply.^{[12]
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Wrap an ice cube in a rag and rub it over your face for 20-30 minutes. Freeze a batch of ice in an ice cube tray and wrap up a single cube in a thin washcloth or rag—this way, the ice won’t touch your skin directly. Move the ice in small circles around your face, applying it for only 10-15 seconds in each section. Keep rubbing and moving the ice around for 20-30 minutes before towel-drying your skin (or letting your skin air-dry).^{[13]
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- Always clean out your ice cube tray before using it for facial icing.
- Swap out traditional ice cubes with frozen aloe vera gel, rose hydrosol, green tea, or cucumber water to make your ice treatment extra nourishing.
- Be sure to go over your cheeks, chin, jawline, forehead, lips, and nose.
4
Dip your face in a bowl of ice water for 10-15 seconds as an alternative treatment. Dump a filled ice cube tray into a large bowl before adding enough cold water to fill the bowl halfway. Then, take a deep breath and stick your face in the cold water for 10-15 seconds. Pull yourself out of the water for another 10-15 seconds, and then submerge your face again. Keep sinking and lifting your face out of the water bowl in 10-15 second increments for another 5-10 cycles.^{[14]
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Target problem areas like acne with ice. For painful blemishes like acne, slip a single ice cube into a sealable plastic bag and press it directly on the forming pimple. Leave the ice cube in place for 5-10 minutes before taking it off your skin. Then, give your skin a 10-minute breather before applying the ice for another 5-10 minutes.^{[15]
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Trustworthy Source
American Academy of Dermatology
Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists
Go to source}
- Have under-eye bags? Grab an ice pack and rest it directly on top of the skin. Leave the pack in place for a few minutes before lifting it off.^{[16]
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  Trustworthy Source
  Johns Hopkins Medicine
  Official resource database of the world-leading Johns Hopkins Hospital
  Go to source}
- Never keep ice on your skin for extended periods of time—this can lead to redness and irritation (and in severe cases, frostbite).^{[17]
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  Cleveland Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}

Section 4 of 7:

How often should you ice your face?

Limit yourself to 1 ice facial per day. Skin icing definitely has its benefits, but it can also lead to redness and irritation. Stick to just one treatment in the morning or evening to keep your skin happy and healthy!^{[18]
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Trustworthy Source
Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}

Section 5 of 7:

Debunked Myths

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Ice facials don’t permanently shrink your pores. When you apply the ice to your skin, the cold temperature narrows your blood vessels—this helps your pores look smaller and less visible to the naked eye. However, your pores will expand back to their usual size as soon as you finish the ice treatment.^{[19]
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- Tip: Developing a good skincare routine, applying sunscreen regularly, and getting a chemical peel are all expert-approved ways to make your pores look smaller.^{[20]
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  Cleveland Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}
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Skin icing specifically doesn’t have long-term anti-aging benefits. Research does show that cold therapy can help make fine lines and wrinkles look less obvious.^{[21]
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Trustworthy Source
PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source} However, this research doesn’t pertain to skin icing specifically. You can try facial icing and see if you notice a difference in your own skin, though, but keep in mind that the effects will likely be temporary.^{[22]
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- Tip: Look for skincare products with retinoids, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), hydroxy acids (like AHAs), peptides, and/or coenzyme Q10 to help reduce your wrinkles.^{[23]
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  Trustworthy Source
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}

Section 6 of 7:

When to Avoid Skin Icing

Avoid skin icing if you have thin/sensitive skin or broken capillaries. This DIY treatment can make your skin red and irritated, and it isn’t a good option if your skin is thin or sensitive to begin with. It’s also not a good option for people with broken capillaries (blood vessels that expand like a web beneath your skin).^{[24]
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Trustworthy Source
Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
- Skin icing also isn’t the best option if you have rosacea, since cold temperatures sometimes lead to flare-ups.^{[25]
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- Avoid skin icing if you’ve just had a professional facial treatment, too (like a chemical peel). Instead, let your skin heal up on its own.^{[26]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  Cleveland Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}

Section 7 of 7:

Key Takeaway

Skin icing helps with redness and puffiness, but that's about it. Some TikTok creators and YouTubers love to tout skin icing as this magical treatment that can cure every skin issue in the book, but this simply isn’t the truth. Skin icing can be a helpful way to reduce redness and inflammation, but that’s all it does—it won’t make your skin less oily or anything like that.^{[27]
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- Good skincare habits are the best, most foolproof way to keep your skin looking vibrant and beautiful. Choosing the right skincare products, cleansing your face regularly, and applying sunscreen consistently are all invaluable ways to keep your skin looking great.^{[28]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  American Academy of Dermatology
  Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists
  Go to source}

Expert Q&A
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Question

Is ice good for your skin?

Joanna Kula
Licensed Esthetician
Joanna Kula is a Licensed Esthetician, Owner and Founder of Skin Devotee Facial Studio in Philadelphia. With over 10 years of experience in skincare, Joanna specializes in transformative facial treatments to help clients achieve a lifetime of healthy, beautiful, and radiant skin. She is also a contributing author for the prestigious Les Nouvelles Esthetiques & Spa magazine and has been featured in a number of magazines including InStyle.

Joanna Kula

Licensed Esthetician

Expert Answer

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Because ice soothes irritation, skin icing can also reduce acne and blemishes. Furthermore, it can treat inflammation associated with sprains, strains, and injuries.
Question

What are the benefits of an ice cube facial on your face?

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Ice (and cold temperatures in general) can help reduce puffiness in your face (similar to how ice helps after a bad injury). It can also help with acne breakouts.
Question

Could it help with wrinkles?

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There's no hard evidence that links skin icing with any wrinkle-reducing or anti-aging benefits. However, a lot of the evidence supporting facial icing is anecdotal to begin with, so feel free to give it a try and see if you notice any results!

Warnings

Always wrap up the ice before applying it to your skin. Frostbite can start setting in if your skin temperature drops beneath 32 °F (0 °C).^{[29]
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