CRYOTHERAPY

Overview

Cryotherapy is a treatment that uses extreme temperature to cause cellular destruction with the goal of providing a therapeutic effect for a variety of skin conditions. The most common application is for the treatment of actinic keratosis (pre-cancers) and verruca (warts). The liquid nitrogen used in the procedure is extremely cold at around -195 degrees celsius. This is the same concept used by over the counter wart removers. However, the over the counter variety usually uses liquid CO2 which does not achieve the same temperature (-78 degrees). The liquid nitrogen is delivered to the target tissue as a spray from an insulated container. The extreme temperature change during cryotherapy causes cellular death of the targeted area. As a result the body is forced to heal and replace those damaged cells with new cells that are unaffected by the original problem (DNA mutations in the case of actinic keratosis, or HPV infection in the case of verruca).

Aftercare Instructions 

▪ Clean the treatment with soap and water daily

▪ If a scab or erosion develops, apply vaseline daily. The treated area should heal within 10-14 days. 

▪ As the skin is healing practice strict sun protection to avoid lasting skin discoloration. 

What to Expect 

▪ Common & Normal Symptoms: Stinging, burning, redness, mild swelling, small blister, oozing of clear fluid, scabbing, crusting, itching. 

▪ Skin discoloration: Once the site has healed, the skin may appear pink, lighter or darker at the treatment site. While this usually improves over months, skin discoloration rarely can be permanent. 

*If you experience any of the following symptoms, please call our office. 

▪ Ulceration: Deep bleeding sores at the treatment site. 

▪ Infection: Severe swelling, foul-smelling milky fluid, with or without a fever. 

▪ Persistent or recurrent lesion(s): If the lesion persists or re-grows (“bump”, rough scale, tenderness, or bleeding at the treatment site).