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Cryotherapy Treatments: Dermatology & Skin Health

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Dermatology & Skin Health provides the highest level of service and cares to its patients. Our team of medical professionals strives to assess and look for signs of cancerous cells or abnormal skin tissue among our patients through our skin checks and biopsies. With our state-of-the-art facilities, we can remove your abnormal tissue in a safe and sterile environment and prevent your skin condition from progressing. 

One option is cryotherapy, a safe procedure that can be used to treat various skin conditions. Whole-body cryotherapy is a much more minimally invasive treatment compared to other surgical solutions, making it ideal for those who want to avoid surgical procedures and extensive recovery periods. 

What is cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy (also known as cryosurgery or cryoablation) is the use of liquid nitrogen, an extremely cold substance, to freeze, destroy, and remove abnormal skin tissue. Your skin cells can’t survive in extremely cold temperatures, so it dies and sheds away. This can be used on a number of skin conditions that affect both the outer and inner layers of the skin.  

Depending on the type of skin condition you have, it can take one or more cryotherapy sessions. After the procedure, the frozen tissue thaws and has a tendency to scab before your skin condition improves. In place of your old and diseased skin, your body will grow newer and healthier cells free of cancer or any lesion. During treatment, we ask that patients keep the treated areas moist with an unmedicated ointment to speed up healing time.

Schedule Your Consultation Now at Dermatology & Skin Health

At Dermatology & Skin Health, we offer world-class services done by award-winning doctors who have proven their knowledge and skills in this field. Start your journey towards achieving your best skin by contacting us today.

What can cryotherapy treat?

Some of the skin conditions that cryotherapy can treat include:

  • Basal cell carcinoma – a form of skin cancer that looks like a brown or black bump. Cryotherapy for these is best for small skin samples on certain areas like the nose, ears, eyelids, scalp, and legs. 
  • Squamous cell carcinoma – cryotherapy can be used on precancerous skin conditions or the earlier stages of squamous cell carcinoma before it spreads. 
  • Actinic keratosis – a rough scaly patch on skin that can develop after years of frequent sun exposure. Cryotherapy is a common treatment and can remove damaged skin, especially in its precancerous stage.
  • Moles, warts, and skin tags – cryotherapy can be used to freeze and destroy growths. 
  • Molluscum contagiosum – although benign, molluscum contagiosum can take several cryotherapy treatments to remove until the bumps are fully cleared. 
  • External tumors – for external tumors, liquid nitrogen is applied directly to the cancer cells with a cotton swab or spraying device.

To learn if you can benefit from cryotherapy treatments, schedule an appointment with one of our highly-qualified dermatologists in the nearest Dermatology & Skin Health location in your area. 

Our cryotherapy process

Prior to receiving cold therapy treatment, you’ll need to consult with one of our dermatologists. If you’ve done a skin check and found an abnormal spot or a skin lesion, you should have a professional take a look at it. If a physical exam isn’t enough to diagnose your condition, you may be asked to perform laboratory exams like a biopsy to confirm your skin condition. From the results, your doctor can recommend possible treatment options like cryotherapy. 

If your doctor recommends cryotherapy, you will be asked to proceed with treatment. For some skin conditions and skin cancers in their earlier stage, our medical professionals will use external cryotherapy to remove the abnormal skin tissue. Cryotherapy is an outpatient procedure that doesn’t need special preparation prior to your treatment. 

After preparing you for your cryotherapy, we’ll spray liquid nitrogen over the treatment area. This will freeze the treated area and kill the abnormal skin cells. Eventually, the treated area will blister and peel off as the tissue gets removed from your body. Your body will then produce newer and healthier skin cells that can replace your old tissue. 

Depending on the depth and severity of your skin condition, you may need more than one cryotherapy session to remove the diseased tissue. Following your cryotherapy treatment, you may feel minor symptoms like mild pain and discomfort. Your healthcare provider can guide you through pain management using home remedies like an ice pack or pain relief medication. 

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Dermatology & Skin Health

At Dermatology & Skin Health, our excellent dermatology services are guaranteed to be safe and effective, performed by the top doctors in their respective fields. Treat your skin problems by contacting us today.

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What are the advantages of cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy is a popular choice among patients seeking treatment for certain types of skin cancers and other skin conditions. Some of the benefits you can get from choosing cold therapy include:

  • Minimally invasive option. Cryotherapy is minimally invasive, involves less pain and bleeding, and has a lower risk of post-treatment complications compared to surgery. This also means that the downtime and recovery period after your cryotherapy sessions is much shorter compared to surgical or more invasive options. 
  • Lower risk of damaging healthy tissue. Alternatives like excisional biopsies also cut away healthy skin tissue around the skin cancer cells and skin lesions. Cryotherapy is more targeted and has a lower risk of damaging healthy skin tissue around the abnormal cells. 
  • Improve inflammation and antioxidant levels. Both localized and whole body cryotherapy can treat skin conditions like atopic dermatitis, which can result in dry and itchy skin and trigger other symptoms like inflammation. Cryotherapy can improve blood flow, which can help with your body’s circulation and manage conditions like chronic inflammation. 
  • Minimize pain and irritation. There’s a reason why cryotherapy is also used in sports medicine and in treating joint pain conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. Cryotherapy can help reduce the pain and irritation caused by nerves around the treated area. 
  • More affordable treatment. Compared to other surgical options, cryotherapy sessions aren’t as expensive. Cryotherapy sessions can range around $500 per session, while the cost of removing a small patch of cancerous skin on the face can reach around $1,600. 
  • Improve skin quality through natural collagen production. On top of replacing damaged skin tissue with newer skin cells, cryotherapy can also stimulate collagen production around the treated area. This can boost the surrounding skin tissue by nourishing existing cells or promoting healthier cell production and giving you a naturally healthy glow. 

Outside of skin conditions, cryotherapy is used in cancer treatment for other types of cancer and can also be used for pain management as well. In the hands of our experienced medical providers, you can expect safe cryotherapy sessions that can gradually remove the abnormal skin tissue without the need for more invasive surgery. 

Many of our patients manage to successfully have their skin cancer, moles, warts, tags, and other skin lesions removed after one or more sessions. Once the abnormal skin is removed, most patients with certain skin conditions won’t require any special care as newer and healthier skin will replace your damaged or diseased skin. Depending on your skin concern, you may be able to resume your regular day-to-day activities after your procedure. 

Who can get cryotherapy treatment?

Your medical provider can best determine if you can benefit from receiving cryotherapy. The ideal candidate for cryotherapy is someone who has a skin condition that’s treatable by removing the abnormal skin tissue. Some forms of skin cancer can be treated through cryosurgery, but usually in the precancerous stages or in the very early stages of development. Skin cancers should also be small and in areas that can be treated with cryotherapy. 

Some patients may not be suitable candidates for targeted or whole body cryotherapy. This includes:

  • Pregnant women
  • Hypertensive patients or any patient with a high blood pressure
  • Patients with certain cardiovascular, venous, and pulmonary diseases
  • Patients with poor blood circulation
  • Patients that experience chronic neuropathy

In case cryotherapy isn’t for you, our doctors may recommend the following alternative treatments. 

  • Mohs Surgery – a surgical procedure where cancerous skin tissue is progressively removed until only cancer-free skin cells remain. Often used for both basal and squamous cell carcinomas in areas where skin tissue needs to be conserved. 
  • Chemotherapy – chemotherapy drugs and topical medicines can be used to treat skin cancer. How your dermatologist will treat you can depend on whether or not the cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body.
  • Photodynamic therapy – your medical provider uses a combination of laser light and drugs that makes cancer cells sensitive to light and destroys them during therapy.
  • Radiation therapy – a treatment often used for different types of cancer treatments. High doses of radiation can be used to kill cancer cells. 

Schedule your appointment with a dermatologist at your nearest Dermatology & Skin Health to discuss more treatment options. 

Schedule Your Consultation Now at Dermatology & Skin Health

At Dermatology & Skin Health, we offer world-class services done by award-winning doctors who have proven their knowledge and skills in this field. Start your journey towards achieving your best skin by contacting us today.

Schedule a Consultation in Seacoast, NH, or North Shore, MA

Whether you want to schedule a skin check or you'd like to discuss cryosurgery treatments, Dermatology & Skin Health can help. We have four office locations in New England: Dover, Newington & Londonderry, NH, and Peabody, MA. From these locations, we can assess your skin conditions & concerns and provide the proper treatment. 

We provide cryotherapy to our patients as a treatment for basal cell carcinoma, actinic keratosis, moles, warts, and molluscum contagiosum. To set up a consultation, please fill out our consultation request form or call us at (603) 742-5556 (Dover & Newington), (978) 525-0100 (Peabody), (603) 965-3551 (Londonderry), (603) 742-5556 (Bedford).

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