Cryotherapy for Skin Lesions (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take skin to heal from liquid nitrogen? ›

If the freezing was extensive enough, a blister (or bloodblister) may develop. If blistering is severe, the area may weep for several days. Total healing varies between one and three weeks, depending on which area of the body was treated.

Cryotherapy is a minimally-invasive treatment that freezes skin surface lesions using extremely cold liquid or instruments (cryogen). Cryotherapy, also known as cryosurgery or cryoablation, can be delivered with various cryogens.

Cryosurgery has a number of indications for both malignant and benign lesions. Benign lesions that can be treated with cryosurgery include seborrheic keratosis, verruca, skin tags, molluscum contagiosum, solar lentigo and hypertrophic/keloid scars.

A simple antiseptic cream such as Savlon™ may be used if the blister bursts. The blisters will form scabs that will fall off after about 2 - 3 weeks. Sometimes swelling may develop in the surrounding skin, particularly if you have an area around your eyes treated.

How To Care for Yourself After Cryotherapy. Starting the day after your procedure, wash the treated area gently with fragrance-free soap and water every day. Put Vaseline® or Aquaphor® on the treated area every day for 2 weeks. This will help the area heal and will keep it from crusting.

It is ok to bathe normally after your treatment. Gently clean the area in the shower or bath with warm water and mild soap, then pat dry. Apply Vaseline or Aquaphor to the area 1-2x daily. You do not have to keep the area covered with a Band-Aid, but certainly can if you prefer.

► Do not soak treated area (ie, wash dishes, swim, etc) during the first 24 hours. ► You should gently cleanse the treated area daily with mild soap and water. ► If the area is excessively uncomfortable, you may take an over-the-counter pain reliever such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or ibuprofen (Advil®).

At °degree Wellness, we recommend seven to ten sessions either a few days apart or over a two to three week spread if you want to maximize and maintain your benefits.

During treatment, the pain of cryotherapy is an extremely cold, sharp, stinging sensation. This settles almost immediately to a milder pain which usually lasts a few minutes, but may persist for some hours. The treated area sometimes feels mildly irritated or itchy after this.

The following conditions are contraindications to whole body cryotherapy: Pregnancy, severe Hypertension (BP> 180/100), acute or recent myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris, arrhythmia, symptomatic cardiovascular disease, cardiac pacemaker, peripheral arterial occlusive disease, venous thrombosis, acute or ...

What happens when you freeze a skin lesion? ›

The liquid nitrogen needs to be applied long enough to freeze the affected skin. By freezing the skin, a blister is created underneath the lesion. Ideally, as the new skin forms underneath the blister, the abnormal skin on the roof of the blister peels off.

Besides changes in vital signs, whole-body cryotherapy can have other serious risks. These include major skin damage, such as frostbite, burns, and frozen limbs. Frozen limb is a severe type of frostbite. It causes skin blisters, swelling, and third-degree burns after warming back up.

Swelling and/or blistering often develop within a couple of hours after treatment. 2-3 days after treatment a scab will probably form which should then take 7-10 days to fall off, leaving a pink smooth area. Occasionally there may be a slight scar left after treatment.

A sore or scab may form at the site, which should heal within 1-3 weeks. The area may be pink for several weeks and for the next few months the area may be lighter or darker than the surrounding skin. Rarely there is a permanent change to the skin color.

The appearance of the skin after cryotherapy is usually very good. After the scab has fallen off, the fresh skin underneath will usually look slightly pink/red. This is normal, and will quite quickly blend with your natural skin tone. Rarely, hyper-pigmentation may develop over the treated area.

It is normal for the blister to open up and bleed slightly and ooze a clear, slightly red or yellow fluid and be seen on the open blister or band aid until it is HEALED or scabbed up. The blister usually takes 2-4 weeks to heal.

The skin around the area that was frozen may appear “puffy” and reddened for several days. You may-experience a blister or even a blood blister over the area that was frozen. The blister may last for a period of 1 to 2 weeks, and then slowly heal with crusting.

Swelling and/or blistering often develop within a couple of hours after treatment. 2-3 days after treatment a scab will probably form which should then take 7-10 days to fall off, leaving a pink smooth area.