The Treatment

We want you to have a good experience with The Cryo Doctor. An important part of making that experience is knowing what will be involved in your treatment. This page is a description of what you may expect.

Please read this carefully. When you book an appointment, you are expected to have read and understand this information.

If any of this makes you uncomfortable, please get in touch before making an appointment.

What will happen at my appointment?

The doctor will review your medical history and examine your lesion. If appropriate for the treatment, the doctor will go over the information about the treatment. You will have already received this information by email when you booked your appointment. You will have the opportunity to ask questions. If you and the doctor agree to treatment, you will be asked to sign a consent form.

What is cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy involves the application of liquid nitrogen to a skin lesion with a specialised spray gun. Liquid nitrogen is extremely cold (-196C) and freezes the skin. The liquid nitrogen is applied for just a few seconds (around ten seconds), turning it white for a short time before looking normal again. This will feel like a burn or cold nip to the skin and is usually well tolerated.

The treatment aims to remove and renew affected skin at the site of the lesion.

For most people with skin tags, these should fully resolve. For warts, verrucae and seborrhoeic keratoses, depending on the size, one treatment may be enough or you may need a repeat treatment. Most people will have a positive outcome at around two weeks. Repeat treatment may be required if the lesion has not completely cleared or on the rare occasion there may be no apparent difference. A repeat treatment is advised no sooner than two weeks.

Before treatment

Start of treatment

6 seconds into treatment

Treatment complete at 10 seconds

What can happen immediately after the treatment?

After your treatment, the skin may appear red and feel a little uncomfortable, like you would after a burn. Sometimes a swelling may develop and this should settle after a few days. In some people, but not everyone, a blister may form. Should this happen, try to leave it alone. It will resolve by itself, form a scab and then eventually fall off.

Infection of the area is uncommon. If you have worsening pain or pus or both, you should seek medical attention from your GP Surgery.

You should aim to keep the area clean and dry for the first 24 hours after treatment.

What side effects can happen later on?

The majority of people will heal with normal looking skin. Occasionally, depending on your skin type, some people may experience:

Pigmentation change – the skin at the treatment site may lighten or darken

Scarring – rarely, a scar may form. This could be a pale flat scar or raised scar.

Numbness – if a frozen area involves a superficial nerve e.g. a finger, the area may remain numb but almost always returns to normal within a few months.

Before treatment

One week after (scab forms)

Two weeks after (gone)

More information

For more information, The British Association of Dermatologists provides an informative patient information leaflet about cryotherapy. To read it click here.