What is Cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy is the use of extreme cold produced by liquid nitrous oxide for the fast, effective and safe solution for the controlled destruction of unwanted skin imperfections.

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The CryoPen™ is a FDA and CE registered advanced cryotherapy innovation. It is a pen-like instrument which delivers a fine pinpoint spray of liquid nitrous oxide at a constant temperature of minus-127 degrees under high pressure which allows the therapist to work with millimetre precision. This means the nitrous oxide is delivered directly to the treated area and not to the healthy surrounding tissue.

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CryoPen™ offers the ideal treatment for:

Age/sun spots, freckles and sun damaged, pigmented areas

For the removal of any pigmented areas, only one treatment is typically required using the CryoPen™.

Age/sun spots are caused by an excess production of melanin due to skin aging and sun exposure or other forms of ultraviolet light exposure, such as tanning beds. They are most likely to develop on the areas of your skin that receive the most sun exposure, including the face, back of hands, chest, shoulders and forearms.

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Milia

Small, raised, pearly-white or yellowish bumps on the skin. They are most often seen on the skin around the cheeks, nose, eyes and eyelids, forehead and chest but they can occur anywhere on the body.

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Sebhorroeic Warts

A common skin disorder that is characterized by benign, painless, often wart-like skin lesions that appears to be “stuck” on the skin. The rough, raised spots are usually yellow or brown.

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Cherry Angioma- Blood Spots – Campbell de Morgan

These are common skin growths which can grow on most areas of your body and are usually found on people aged 30 and older. The broken blood vessels inside a cherry angioma give them a reddish appearance. They are no cause for concern, unless they bleed or change shape or colour. Cause is unknown, possibly a genetic factor, linked to pregnancy, chemicals or climate change and age. The CryoPen removes the lesions in one procedure with no risk of infection and no post care required. Larger ones will reduce in size but may dry out and take on a scab. When healed the scab will disappear or reduce in size and may need a further treatment.

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Warts – (hands and feet) and Verrucae (Plantar Warts)

Warts are highly contagious and occur when a virus comes in contact with the skin and causes infection. Verrucae take on the appearance of warts but are flatter because they tend to be found on the feet, where the dermis is thicker.

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Skin tags

A Skin Tag is a small flap of tissue that hangs off the skin by a connecting stalk. Skin tags are not dangerous.

They appear most often in women, especially with weight gain and in elderly people. Irritation can occur if the skin tag frequency rubs against clothing or jewelry.

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FAQS

Q: Is there pain with the procedure?

A: There will be a mild sensation similar to a stinging nettle on the skin when the nitrous oxide reaches the bottom of the area. There might be a little residual stinging for a few minutes after treatment and the area can be slightly itchy for about 10 minutes after the procedure. Most patients get an anaesthetic effect from the extreme freezing temperatures.

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Q: What does the area look like after treatment?

A: During the procedure, the area freezes and turns white. After this white area thaws, a flushing occurs and the area will turn red and a weal will form. After 2-24 hours after being frozen the weal may turn into a blister which may take several days to dissolve, however this is very rare. A crust will form over the lesion, which typically, after about 10 to 14 days, will fall off and the skin will then be healed. The skin may appear lighter in colour or pink, which then returns to its normal colour over a period of a few weeks. Lesions treated on the legs often take a little more time to heal.For larger and deeper lesions a second crust may form making the healing time slightly longer. Although it is best to try to leave the treated area uncovered, a plaster or simple dressing may be applied if it is in an area which may lead to rubbing and aggravation. It is important not to pick at the crust as this may lead to scarring.

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Q:Will there be scarring?

A. Rarely. Both hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin) and hypopigmentation (lightening of the skin) may occur temporarily after cryotherapy. Both generally last for a maximum of a few months. Pigment change is more common in darker skin types.

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Q: What areas can be treated?

A: Many different superficial skin lesions can be treated with cryotherapy including viral warts, seborrhoeic keratosis, actinic keratosis and other benign lesions. It is essential that a correct diagnosis is made before treatment as we do not treat any cancerous lesions as these are more appropriately managed and followed up on the NHS. If a lesion looks suspicious of skin cancer, you will be advised to seek advice from your General Practitioner.

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Q: What are the benefits of the Cryopen treatment?

• The treatment is very quick, usually taking a few minutes

• Sterile procedure – No incision, no bleeding, no risk of infection

• There is virtually no down time

• The treatment is virtually painless

• Cryopen uses state of the art cooling technology that doesn’t need dangerous cryogenic gases

• No anaesthetic is needed

 

Q: How permanent is the cure?

A: For most lesions, cryosurgery is a permanent removal. Some lesions are harder to remove than others. In more delicate places eg the eye area, a shorter freeze time with a repeat procedure may be required to get a final result with the least damage to the surrounding skin. In other instances a deep lesion eg a verruca or a wart may take several aggressive treatments to get final results.

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Q: What types of lesions should not be frozen?

A: All melanomas and recurrent basal cell carcinomas. Melanoma can spread by any of several means including local, lymphatic and blood. Additionally, Melanoma will change to a much more aggressive form if part of the lesion is left behind undetected. Basil cell carcinoma is typically spread by local extension and you may need more extensive surgery if recurrence is suspected.

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Q: Can anyone have cryosurgery?

A: Yes, however, cautions about skin type and location should be considered prior to deciding on freeze times. People with high levels of cryo globulins should be treated with caution.

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Q: What if I have darker skin?

A: Repeated short freezing cycles of 3 to 6 seconds at two week intervals are recommended if you have a darker skin type. For very dark skinned people, you may not want to have cryosurgery, as it will kill the melanocytes around the treated area, making the skin in that area lighter.

 

Q: Can I have the treatment in the Summer months?

A: The treatment can be performed at any time of the year. During the Summer months, a sun protection factor 50 (SPF50) must be applied at least 30 before sun exposure and reapplied every 4 hours.

 

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