Before booking a spa appointment for a body wrap, you may want to assess the risks and benefits. While body wraps provide a quick way to lose a few inches for a big event and claim to purge toxins from the body, they also come with risks. Always consult with your physician before undergoing any type of potential weight loss or cleansing procedure to ensure your safety.
Dehydration
During a weight loss wrap, a person is wrapped tightly with bandages that are soaked with numerous mineral or herbal ingredients and then asked to exercise for a set period of time to induce sweating. The rapid loss of water weight experienced during these wraps may lead to dehydration, particularly if adequate fluids weren't consumed prior to the wrap. Dr. Victor Herbert of Mt. Sinai Veterans Research Center in an interview with ABC News stated that dehydration from weight loss wraps can potentially result in hypovolemic shock, or shock from having a low blood volume due to dehydration. This emergency medical condition can lead to organ damage or even death if not recognized and reversed immediately.
Overheating
Body wraps have the potential to cause overheating, or hyperthermia, in addition to dehydration. This is particularly a risk during body wraps that involve sitting in a sauna or exercising while wearing the wrap. During hyperthermia, the body takes in more heat than it can release, causing body temperatures to rise. A body temperature above 104 degrees F may be life-threatening. Hyperthermia symptoms include an absence of sweating, confusion, dizziness, fainting, nausea and a fast heart rate.
Circulatory Compression
Body wraps are typically done very tight around all areas of the body. What is thought by some to be loss of inches may actually be compression of tissues in the body. According to American Fitness Professionals and Associates, during a body wrap, small blood vessels called capillaries may become compressed leading to circulatory problems. There is an increased risk of circulatory effects in people who have existing cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension. Tissue compression also forces fluids inwards around the internal organs, leading to possible complications.
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