Cryosurgery is a dermatological procedure that is used to treat a variety of conditions, such as warts, moles, skin tags, solar keratoses, and small skin cancers.
During this procedure, a freezing agent, most commonly liquid nitrogen, is used to freeze skin lesions, which then separate from the dermis.
Cryosurgery has been used for nearly 100 years, but liquid nitrogen has only been available since the 1940s.
Cryosurgery is a safe procedure that even family physicians can use for the removal of benign lesions.
Various techniques are used to treat different conditions.
The delivery method and the amount of liquid nitrogen used depend on the size, depth, and tissue type of the skin lesion.
Liquid nitrogen spray methods for different types and sizes of lesions include the timed spot freeze technique or direct spray technique, the paintbrush method, and the spiral pattern.
Timed spot freezing allows standardized delivery of liquid nitrogen, providing maximum destruction of a lesion with minimal risk.
It is performed using a small spray gun that holds 300 to 500 milliliters of liquid nitrogen.
The gun is positioned one to 1.
5 centimeters from the lesion, and liquid nitrogen is sprayed for five to thirty seconds.
The length of the treatment depends on the size of the target lesion, and endures until the lesion has been encased in an ice field or ice ball.
The timed spot freeze technique can destroy the tissue in a lesion up to two centimeters in diameter.
The rotary pattern and the paintbrush method are variations on the direct spray method.
Their names refer to the technique of motion used during application of liquid nitrogen.
These techniques are best used for large, benign lesions, as they may not provided low enough temperatures to treat malignant growths.
There are some complications and side effects associated with cryosurgery, most of which are mild and temporary.
Immediately after surgery, bleeding or blistering may occur at the surgical site.
When facial lesions are removed, especially from the forehead or temples, headaches may occur for a short time following surgery.
Occasionally, delayed growth of granular tissue in the face or infection may occur.
However, both of these complications are quite rare.
More long term but temporary side effects include alteration of sensation at the site, hyperpigmentation, or scarring.
These complications may be protracted, but ultimately they will fade.
Occasionally, permanent side effects do occur.
These may include permanent loss of hair growth at the site and mild hypopigmentation.
Hypopigmentation is less noticeable in light skinned patients and is likely to improve over several months.
Very occasionally, atrophy can also occur.
Cryosurgery is a proven technique for the treatment of a range of dermatological conditions.
It is a quick, in-and-out office procedure that usually achieves desired results with just one treatment.
From moles to small malignant cancers, liquid nitrogen can be used to freeze and remove a variety of skin lesions for cosmetic and medical purposes.
Side effects are usually mild, making Cryosurgery a popular and highly successful dermatological option.