After being first introduced in the 1800s, Cryosurgery has become an important procedure in the field of dermatology today. It is considered a useful alternative to more invasive procedures and is popular due to its quick delivery and outpatient setup. In addition, the non-invasive approach in Cryosurgery has the additional benefit of lesser scarring and superior cosmetic results.

This procedure is conducted using cryogen-like liquid nitrogen, which is used to target the dermatological lesions and cool the tissues to subzero temperatures. Unfortunately, this intense cooling leads to tissue damage via two main mechanisms.

The first mechanism for tissue damage is the induction of ischemia due to the damage to the capillaries and blood supply of the affected area. This cut-off of blood supply leads to tissue ischemia and eventually necrosis of the tissue. The second mechanism through which cell damage occurs involves the disruption of the cell membrane – leading to osmotic injury to the cells. The osmotic injury I caused by the intake of water during the thawing process, which causes the cells to swell up and burst. (1) (2) (3)

The Technique

To understand in more detail how exactly Cryosurgery is able to treat several skin lesions, the procedure may be divided on the basis of the malignancy of the lesion. The benign lesions can often be successfully treated with only one freeze-thaw cycle, keeping the target temperature of -25 degrees Celsius for benign skin tumors and -5 degrees Celsius for pigmented lesions of the skin. In contrast to benign lesions, malignant lesions usually require at least 2-3 cycles, which is a much lower temperature. The target temperature for malignant lesions is usually set at -50 degrees Celsius – which may be achieved in between 40 to 90 seconds. (4)

It is essential to get skin issues checked frequently, because a regular checkup ensures early detection and successful treatment of lesions. In addition, routine skin care may lead to better cosmetic results. According to The American Cancer Society, individuals who are between the ages of 20 and 40 years are recommended to get their skin issues professionally checked every three years. This is particularly recommended to individuals who live in sunny environments. Moreover, individuals above 40 years of age are recommended to get their skin professionally examined yearly. (5)

Cryosurgery is considered a highly safe procedure and leads to excellent results in the majority of cases. However, individuals with skin cancers or abnormal behavior are often contraindicated from opting for a cryosurgery procedure. Moreover, in rare cases, the complications of Cryosurgery may include alopecia, scarring and depigmentation.

Cryosurgery is generally considered a painless procedure. However, some individuals may experience pain lasting from a few seconds to a minute during and soon after the cryosurgery process.. This pain may be followed by slight erythema, edema and vesicle formation at the treated sites for a few days. (6)

You may benefit by visiting Urgent Care + TeleHealth if you want to get your benign, pre-malignant(Actinic keratosis)  and malignant skin lesions treated without invasive procedures. The benign lesions which may be treated effectively by Crysurgery at Urgent Care + TeleHealth include Skin tags, Warts, solar lentigo, Seborrheic keratosis, Keloid scars, Granulomas,  and Molluscum contagiosum. The majority of the benign lesions can be treated with one round of Cryosurgery, but lesions which are larger in size may require repeated cycles.

The pre-malignant lesions which are commonly treated at Urgent Care + TeleHealth through Cryosurgery include basal cell carcinoma, actinic keratosis.

Cryosurgery is conducted at Urgent Care + TeleHealth by using the Cryonize product. Cryonize is a type of Cryosurgery that uses a handheld canister of aerosol. The aerosols produced by this system can freeze a lesion down to -70 degrees Celsius and can be conducted in an outpatient setup. This makes it a quick procedure and does not require you to undergo hours of waiting and paperwork for admission before the procedure. It is now considered one of the most effective alternatives to conventional liquid nitrogen systems.

The Cryonize can treat 21 common forms of benign skin lesions, including common warts, plantar warts, actinic keratosis, seborrheic keratosis, skin tags, and molluscum Contagiosum.

1.     Hoffmann, N. E., & Bischof, J. C. (2002). The cryobiology of cryosurgical injury. Urology, 60(2 Suppl 1), 40–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0090-4295(02)01683-7
2.     Bischof J. C. (2000). Quantitative measurement and prediction of biophysical response during freezing in tissues. Annual review of biomedical engineering, 2, 257–288. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.bioeng.2.1.257
3.     Hoffmann, N. E., & Bischof, J. C. (2001). Cryosurgery of normal and tumor tissue in the dorsal skin flap chamber: Part I–thermal response. Journal of biomechanical engineering, 123(4), 301–309. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1385838
4.     Connolly, M., Bazmi, K., O’Connell, M., Lyons, J. F., & Bourke, J. F. (2001). Cryotherapy of viral warts: a sustained 10-s freeze is more effective than the traditional method. The British journal of dermatology, 145(4), 554–557. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2133.2001.04449.x
5.     Kopf, A. W., Salopek, T. G., Slade, J., Marghoob, A. A., & Bart, R. S. (1995). Techniques of cutaneous examination for the detection of skin cancer. Cancer, 75(2 Suppl), 684–690. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-0142(19950115)75:2+<684::aid-cncr2820751411>3.0.co;2-b