Information Leaflets - Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy refers to a treatment in which superficial lesions of the skin are frozen with liquid nitrogen.

Liquid nitrogen is at a very low temperature and when applied to the skin produces a burn, which will be responsible for the destruction of the lesion.

Lesions that are normally treated with this procedure include: seborrhoeic warts, actinic keratoses and viral warts. Sometimes initial cancerous conditions can be treated with this approach as well.

The freezing spray is applied onto the skin for several seconds and normally two cycles of freezing-thawing are necessary.

The procedure may be painful but more frequently patients refer itching, stinging or a burning sensation. Pain is more often reported when applied onto the tip of the fingers or to certain areas of the face, such as the nose.

Your Dermatologist will recommend you an antiseptic cream/liquid once treatment has finished. This is to reduce the possibility of an infection as the area will be inflamed.

Immediately after the application of cryotherapy, it is fairly common to observe some swelling and redness on the site and sometimes a blister comes up. This is an expected event and you should not get worried. The blister will subside and a crust will form.

The removal of the crust is not recommended as it may leave some scarring. The crust will eventually fall off and in the majority of cases no marks or pigmentation will be left. A small percentage of patients experience these side-effects and in some instances they are permanent. Avoid sun exposure for several weeks after the treatment as otherwise pigmentation may be left.

When the pain produced by the treatment is uncomfortable, Paracetamol is recommended for a few days.

Some consideration is necessary when certain areas of the body are treated. On the eyelids cryotherapy may produce important puffiness. This will gradually resolve over the next following days.

On the legs, especially in older ladies with venous impairment or diabetes, the area may transform into an ulcer and can take some weeks to heal up.

It is not contraindicated to wash the area carefully with soap and water. Once it has been dried up, the antiseptic cream must be applied. This routine should be done on a daily basis.

If trauma is likely to occur on the area, it is advisable to use a plaster or a dressing to keep it covered.

When the area becomes increasingly painful, red and oozes it may be infected. Check with your doctor and if necessary antibiotics will be prescribed.

Finally, sensory damage to a superficial nerve can appear as a very unusual complication of the procedure, producing numbness and or pain on the area. This normally resolves within weeks or months and very rarely it is permanent.

Should you have any further questions, do not hesitate to discuss them with your Dermatologist.