Please Don’t Freeze Brand Yourself, Doctors Beg

In a world where people are rubbing hemorrhoid cream under their eyes and tracing their lips with Sharpies, it probably shouldn’t be surprising that “freeze branding” is now a thing. But even by TikTok standards, this one’s a stretch.

Freeze branding, like…the thing used on livestock, is gaining traction as a DIY body art trend. It involves pressing a cryogenically cooled metal shape, often soaked in liquid nitrogen, directly onto bare skin. The cold destroys pigment cells and hair follicles, leaving a long-lasting scar that looks vaguely tattoo-adjacent. On animals, it’s meant to be a permanent ID. On humans, it’s…an identity crisis.

“Friendly reminder, you are not a horse,” said Dr. Andrea Suarez, a Houston-based dermatologist who’s watched this trend unfold from behind her fingers. In a video shared with her nearly 600,000 TikTok followers, Suarez explains how even a few seconds of exposure can lead to a full-thickness burn and a deep bacterial infection known as cellulitis.

Don’t Freeze Brand Yourself—Seriously

That’s not just a little redness and swelling we’re talking about. According to the National Library of Medicine, untreated cellulitis can escalate into sepsis, bone inflammation, or a heart lining infection. Suarez noted that complications depend on how cold the branding iron is, how long it stays on the skin, and where it’s applied, but none of those variables make this safe.

“After six weeks of intensive wound care, this is what you might be left with,” Suarez said, pointing to the raw, inflamed skin of one freeze branding enthusiast who lasted just ten seconds under the iron.

This isn’t an isolated case of one reckless trend. Freeze branding joins a growing roster of internet-born DIY treatments doctors are begging people to stop. Dermatologists have already spoken out about the Sharpie lip-liner trend, warning that marker ink near the mouth could leach toxins into the bloodstream. Same with hemorrhoid cream under the eyes—a bizarre beauty hack that can lead to glaucoma.

Freeze branding may leave a crisp white mark that trends for about a week, but it also invites infections, scarring, and possibly a trip to the ER. As Suarez put it plainly: “Don’t do this.” Please. Don’t.