Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is used to freeze and destroy cells with liquid nitrogen. This is most helpful for small skin masses. As with any tool, there are some considerations:

Benefits:

• May not require sedation or even local anesthetic, depending on the patient's temperament, location of the lesion, size of the lesion, and initial discomfort
• May be able to address lesion that is in a location that is relatively difficult to cut
  
• Brief procedure, might only take 2-3 minutes for the freeze/thaw cycles
• Healing is relatively quick. The lesion dries up and scabs over. There is minimal, if any, bleeding.

Drawbacks:

• There is a mild stinging sensation as the area is frozen
  
• In some cases, additional cryotherapy sessions may be necessary to fully treat the lesion
  
• There can be some mild scarring or pigment changes
• The lesion is not being submitted to a pathologist. If the lesion is concerning for cancer and/or if there is rapid regrowth after freezing, then biopsy should be considered.

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