Treatment with liquid nitrogen, known as cryotherapy, is a safe and easy procedure. About 80 percent of the air we breathe is made of  nitrogen. We use this same gas, but in its liquid form for our treatments.  Liquid nitrogen is extremely cold and its application to skin results in selective destruction of treated tissue by freezing.

Cryotherapy is a gentle, yet very effective treatment for benign skin spots such as moles, skin tags, dark spots, warts, tattoos, birthmarks, etc..  Cryotherapy first destroys the unwanted skin spot and then triggers the natural healing mechanisms of the skin.  As a result, treated spot dries out and forms a scab that falls off in one to two weeks after treatment.  During this  time, normal skin grows from periphery and underneath of the treated spot and pushes off the dried scab.

what to expect after cryotherapy:

Upon application of liquid nitrogen to small size spots on the skin such as skin tags, moles, warts, you may feel a slight burning sensation that only lasts a few seconds and will subside almost immediately.  Everyone tolerates this minimal  discomfort very well,  including children.  There is never a  need for topical anesthetics, or any other kind of numbing agents.

After completion of  therapy, the treated skin may feel slightly sensitive. The treated skin gently swells up and may even look red and irritated for several hours.  Swelling is a good sign and means that the treatment was successful. The  swelling and skin sensitivity usually subsides in one or two days. Normal skin around the treated area becomes slightly red after the treatment, this will subside within a few hours.

After treatment, some spots may appear more noticeable, or even darker. On some occasions, the treated skin may remain slightly sensitive to the touch for a few days.  When applied to large spots, the swelling will be more noticeable, and at times the spot may ooze a little for two or three days before drying out.  Occasionally, after treating a large spot, a blister may form at the site of treated skin.  All of these are normal after cryotherapy and they will all heal within a couple of weeks.

Two to three days after the treatment, the spots gradually shrink and  become dry and dark.  The treated area develops scab tissue will fall off in one or two weeks. It is very important not to scratch or  irritate the treated skin.  Treated area can be washed as usual.  To avoid unnecessary irritation, shaving blades should not be used over the treated areas.

The time to achieve  normalization of skin varies. Once the scabs falls off, the underlying skin may appear slightly red  or lighter in color.  Skin color will gradually normalize over time. This process may take several weeks to months.  A repeat treatment may be  necessary on some occasions because some spots do not peel off after one treatment or only partially peel off.