Cryotherapy is a safe procedure that uses liquid nitrogen (-196 °) or argon gas in order to destroy lesions or diseased tissues.
To destroy these tissues outside the body, several techniques are used to apply liquid nitrogen:
- a cotton swab
- by spraying
- clamp application
One of the most common is to use a cotton swab or spray bottle to directly apply liquid nitrogen to the patient’s injury. To completely eliminate the lesion, at least 3 to 6 sessions will be needed (more than 10 are not recommended) since an adverse effect can be generated and each session must be separated by 3 to 4 weeks.
Each session lasts about 4 minutes and during this the patient may feel a slight discomfort due to the cold, but that disappears almost immediately. It is important to note that cold is applied only to skin lesions, without penetrating the inner layers of the skin and taking care of the healthy tissue around the lesion.
In the aesthetic field, this treatment is widely used to combat wrinkles, remove skin blemishes and blemishes.
In the event that the patient has to treat a tumor under the surface of the skin :
The specialist doctor, which is commonly a radiologist, who will be guided through images to perform the percutaneous intervention. To do this, the patient is sedated (it can be moderate or general sedation) and several very thin applicators or cryoprobes are inserted until they reach the tumor. Liquid nitrogen or gas is then expelled through the cryoprobes, creating a kind of “ice ball” (for some larger tumors, several applications must be made until the tissues freeze). At the end if the applicators or cryoprobes are removed and it is covered with a bandage. The entire procedure typically takes about 3 hours, the experts at
How is the recovery?
Recovery will depend on the type of treatment the patient underwent . In the case of treating a superficial skin lesion, the patient will observe some of the following symptoms:
- The treated area turns reddish.
- Presence of an edema that disappears after 12-24 hours.
- On more rare occasions, a blister appears that breaks without scarring after 48 hours.
- Then a scab forms that falls off naturally as days go by.
- The new skin appears.
Dermik specialists also recommend that the patient apply alcohol or povidone iodine on the treated area for as long as necessary until the scab falls off. It is also advisable to cover the area with a dressing and they should not be exposed to the sun.
In the event that the patient has undergone surgery to treat a tumor in an internal organ, the patient must remain at rest for 7-10 days after the intervention, without exercise or physical activity .
Possible complications
Despite being a fairly safe and effective treatment, it is not exempt from possible complications, among which we can highlight:
- presence of blisters
- fever
- a possible infection
- edema
- possible burn due to mishandling of the equipment
- depigmentation
How are the results?
- The skin tissues are regenerated.
- Skin lesions are removed.
- Long-term effects.
- Results in a few days.
- Feeling of relaxation
- The metabolism is improved.
- Reduces or eliminates spots on face and body.
- Patients regain self-esteem.
- Happier patients with a better quality of life
Frequent questions
- Can a person with an intolerance to cold undergo this treatment? It can be used to eliminate skin lesions, but it is not recommended for a patient who has an intolerance to cold to undergo this treatment in the case of wanting to use it as a way to relieve some muscle pain, or improve metabolism, using the cold cabin, they explain from Cryosense .
- Is cryotherapy useful to treat psoriasis? According to several studies, the outbreaks of this disease would be substantially improved with cryotherapy, but the psychological side of the patient should not be neglected, since psoriasis develops largely due to this problem and to combat it successfully, it would be necessary to work with a multidisciplinary team , they mention from Cipsa .
- Is this treatment for cellulite effective? It is a procedure that can cool areas with fatty accumulations, so it is useful, since the body produces heat in the area to counteract the cold and increase metabolism, detail the specialists of Body’s Estheti
- Can I undergo this treatment if I have anemia? There would be no problem for a patient with moderate anemia to undergo this treatment, what should be adapted is tolerance to intense cold, explains
- Does cryotherapy leave scars or stains? Any tissue removal treatment can leave a small mark, smaller than the original, this can happen with multiple treatments, not just cryotherapy, adds
