Daredevil are always engaging in some kind of wildly dangerous stunt, and now there’s a new one that has doctors alarmed. “Freeze branding” is a new trend that involves tattooing human skin with icy-cold liquid nitrogen. “A friendly reminder — you are not a horse,” warned Dr. Andrea Suarez, a board-certified dermatologist. Typically done to mark livestock, freeze branding — also known as cryo branding — is a technique involving a cryogenic coolant instead of heat to destroy the pigment cells and hair follicles of an animal, leaving a lasting logo. However, Dr. Suarez warns that freeze branding human skin is a very bad idea because it can result in a full-thickness burn that puts you at risk for a deep infection called cellulitis. Cellulitis an acute bacterial infection that causes inflammation of the deep dermis and surrounding subcutaneous tissue. Without proper treatment, cellulitis can lead to complications such as sepsis — a bacterial infection in the blood stream — and infection of the inner lining of the heart. It can also result in osteomyelitis, an inflammation of the bone. Factors that can influence the severity of freeze branding-related consequences include the overall temperature of the iron, how long it’s in contact with the skin, and the overall thickness of the area being imprinted. While a freeze brand tattoo may look cool at first, it’s not worth the risks.
