Removal of warts with liquid nitrogen (cryodestruction): an easy solution to the problem

Removing warts with liquid nitrogen: the essence

Cryodestruction is the removal of warts, papillomas and other formations on the skin with low-temperature liquid nitrogen (can reach -320 F). This approach is widely used in dermatology and is an alternative to surgical intervention.

The advantage is that after such a procedure there are no traces left, and there is no bleeding.

Cryodestruction does not require anesthesia, since freezing replaces it.

Dermatologist Michael Rogers

As a result of such an effect on tissue, the liquid inside the cells freezes and metabolic processes are inhibited.

Due to impaired microcirculation in problem areas, tissue destruction and subsequent rejection occurs. Over time, a new one grows.

There are several ways to remove warts:

• using a cryogenic freezing apparatus;
• a cotton swab soaked in liquid nitrogen;
• special spray.

Cauterization of the wart is carried out in stages. First, the skin is treated, a softening gel is applied, and only then liquid nitrogen is applied.

There are such warts: common (localized most often on the hands), flat (found on the face), genital (appear on the genitals, they are also called condylomas), plantar (localized on the feet), periungual (formed in the nail area).

Dermatovenerologist Sandra Zemvalde

Why does molluscum contagiosum recur?

Not all nodules with molluscum contagiosum appear on the skin at once. Some form earlier, others later.

Molluscum contagiosum has a fairly variable incubation period. Immunity to it develops extremely slowly. Therefore, rashes may appear several months after infection.

The process of removing nodules with liquid nitrogen leads to the disappearance of existing rashes on the skin. But the virus remains in the skin.

Over time, other morphological elements are formed. Therefore, it is important not only to carry out the procedure for removing nodules.

The patient should also receive antiviral and immunomodulatory therapy. Its goal is to reduce the risk of relapse.

Preparations after removal of molluscum contagiosum are selected individually. Medicines that stimulate the immune system are usually prescribed.

General antiviral drugs are also used. Since specific therapy against molluscum contagiosum has not yet been developed.

Why do you need to remove warts?

Women are especially concerned about warts that suddenly appear on the body, as it spoils the appearance. But this is not the main reason why you need to get rid of them.

If you ignore the problem, then there is a high risk of transformation of such neoplasms into malignant ones. In addition, warts cause a lot of unpleasant sensations when they rub and cling to clothing. If such a misfortune comes out on the sole, then pain occurs when walking.

Even when a wart that appears does not cause any particular inconvenience, you still do not delay a visit to the doctor. Especially if it begins to increase in size or changes color.

Dermatologist Karin Grossman

It is important to remember that it is unacceptable to take any action to get rid of warts yourself, use traditional and non-traditional methods, or go to simple beauty salons.

Unprofessional intervention can lead to negative consequences: inflammation, injury, bleeding, infection of the wound.

Where and how can you get infected?

There are several reasons for the appearance of growths, but all of them are in one way or another related to the instability of the human body’s immunity or disturbances in its functioning.

Significant factors provoking neoplasms are:

• constant overexertion, stressful situations and chronic fatigue;
• hormonal imbalance in the body;
• increased sweating;
• various injuries to the skin (scratches, cuts, injections).

How the procedure works

Removal of warts with liquid nitrogen should only be done by a dermatologist. Local anesthesia may first be applied to the problem area (at the client’s request). As soon as the drug begins to act, the procedure begins.

Standard procedure for cauterization:

1. First, wipe the area where the wart is located with alcohol.
2. Using a special skewer with a cotton tip or a device attachment (cryoprobe), the active composition is applied to the required area. Doctors sometimes remove dead skin with a blade before treatment.

One touch with the applicator lasts about 30 seconds. There may be several of them if the formation is voluminous.

Initially, it feels as if ice is being touched to the skin. Further numbness may be present.

Dermatologist Jennifer Trent

The number of procedures depends on the degree of damage. If the wart is too large, then up to 6-7 visits may be required at certain intervals. Sometimes it takes up to six months to undergo treatment. But only the doctor decides this.

As the tumor freezes, the person will feel slight discomfort.

The wart gradually turns pale, becomes dense, and then turns red and increases in size. A few hours after the procedure, it will transform into a bubble, which will resolve within 7-8 days.

In its place a crust forms, which also disappears after a week or a little more. As a result, a pinkish spot remains.

In order for the procedure to be successful and without any complications, you must choose a professional clinic. You should first read reviews on the Internet and view permitting documentation on the websites of such institutions. Only an experienced specialist will be able to carry out this procedure correctly.

The doctor may ask you to prepare for the procedure: for 2 weeks, pay attention to the wart, cleaning it with soap and using products with salicylic acid.

Dermatologist Sanusi Umar

Types of neoplasms on the human body

The wart has several varieties, which differ in location on the body, depend on the age of the person, or differ in external signs.

• Ordinary. Externally, such growths look like dense keratinized bumps. Most often located on the limbs, face and neck. On his own growth harmless, does not cause much trouble, does not itch or hurt. However, it can merge with other growths and form ugly plaques, which are already much more troublesome and require burning.

• Plantar. This is one of the subspecies of common warts. Most often they form in those places of the sole where the greatest pressure from the shoe occurs. Often observed in people with profuse sweating. They can cause inconvenience when moving and even pain. Removing plantar warts with liquid nitrogen is the most common way to combat this disease.
• Juvenile. Flat warts are very small in size, only about 3 mm. Flesh-colored with a dense shell. Formed on the face of young people. The main cause of such formations is microtrauma of the skin, for example, scratches when shaving.
• Senile. Externally, such warts look like brown spots and feel loose to the touch. Observed on the body of older people.

This is interesting: Pull out a wart by the roots

Important : if warts do not bother you, this does not mean that you do not need to see a dermatologist. This will eliminate the possibility of a benign tumor degenerating into a malignant one.

If the growth interferes with normal life activities, for example, it hurts and itches when it comes into contact with clothing, and also if the wart is located in a visible place on the person’s body and disrupts aesthetics, you should definitely think about removing the warts with nitrogen or other methods.

Aftercare

In order for the treatment to end successfully, it is necessary to properly care for the treated area after cauterization of the wart. What is prohibited regarding the place of nitrogen treatment:

• touching with hands and piercing a bubble with liquid;
• wetting with water;
• tearing off the formed crust;
• use of any cosmetics (if facial tumors were removed);
• prolonged exposure to sunlight.

Treat the blister at least twice a day with any disinfectant liquid (for example, salicylic alcohol or fucorcin).

Please note that you may experience headaches if you have a wart removed on your forehead.

Dermatologist Jennifer Trent

If you do everything as the doctor prescribed, then the cauterization site will heal in literally 10-12 days. Moreover, practically no traces remain. If the bubble begins to fester and darken, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Question answer

Often there are no traces after cryodestruction, although in some cases a scar may remain. After healing, the skin in the treatment area may be slightly different - lighter.

No, this method does not remove warts in the genital area. In principle, cryodestruction can be performed in this area, but the formation will appear again. The most effective way to remove warts is with liquid nitrogen on the hand.

Cryotherapy, during which liquid nitrogen is used, should only be performed by a specialist. There are products intended for home use. They can be used, but they will help with the formation of small warts. Cryopharma (costs about 500 rubles), Wartner Cryo (price is about 700 rubles) are popular.

Methodology for cryodestruction of papillomas and warts

Cryodestruction can be carried out using a hardware method - using a cryoprobe (see photo below), or manually - using cotton wool on a stick (described below).

It is the manual method that is most often used in many cosmetology clinics and offices.

Exposure of skin to nitrogen through a cryoprobe

Methodology

1) Pain relief is carried out if:

• large wart,
• located in areas with sensitive skin,
• The procedure is performed for children.

Anesthesia is performed with novocaine or lidocaine.

If the papilloma is small, then there is no need to anesthetize it, since the exposure time will be limited.

Important: after anesthesia, at least 10 minutes must pass so that novocaine has time to be absorbed into the skin, so that it does not remain in it in large quantities, otherwise it will also freeze and the area of ​​frostbite will become larger.

2) Exposure to nitrogen

The doctor or nurse dips a wooden stick with cotton wool or gauze wrapped around it into a container of liquid nitrogen and touches the wart with light pressure.

Cauterization of papilloma with liquid nitrogen

Exposure time is usually from 5 to 30 seconds. It all depends on the size of the education. For example, large plantar warts require more exposure time so that the freezing process affects all layers of the skin. This is necessary to ensure that cryodestruction of papilloma cells occurs.

3) Pause

After the first “cauterization”, there is usually a short pause – 1-2 minutes. This time is necessary to understand how effective the impact was. Usually, after the first cauterization of the wart with liquid nitrogen, the skin turns white.

Skin turned white after exposure to liquid nitrogen

But after a couple of minutes it thaws and then you can roughly determine how deeply and widely the nitrogen affected the skin. Usually the doctor knows whether it needs to be cauterized again or whether it’s already done.

4) Result

After freezing, the skin in the area of ​​the papilloma becomes whitish-pink. This is the result of skin cell death. Remember a burn - there is approximately the same mechanism of death, only the temperature is high.

5) What's next

Then all processes proceed in the same way. The skin turns red, which means there is an effect. The next day, in 90% of cases, a larger or smaller bubble appears. Don't be afraid of this - it's normal!!! This is how everything should proceed!!!

The bubble can be filled with a colorless or reddish liquid - it depends on the depth of exposure. If cryodestruction has reached the deep layers of the skin where blood vessels pass, then the bubble is reddish. If not, then it is whitish.

It must be said that the second option is best, when the vesical fluid is colorless, then even after healing there will be no scar left on the skin. The upper part of the bubble is just the wart.

What can and cannot be done with a bubble after freezing with nitrogen?

• Do not stick an adhesive plaster onto the bubble itself (it may stick and damage the bubble).
• You can put a gauze pad on the bubble, and then an adhesive plaster on top.
• You can wash it with water and bathe in a bath, shower, or bathhouse from the first day, but be careful not to damage it.
• You can bandage it with a simple bandage to simply protect this place from external influences.
• You can take a tablet of “Analgin”, “Nurofen” or “Ketorol” (if this place hurts a lot).

To open or not?

If the bubble is small in size, if it does not bother you, then there is no need to open the bubble - new young skin appears and grows inside it under a layer of liquid.

It often happens that the bladder is large and contains high fluid pressure, leading to severe pain. In such cases, you can open the bubble yourself:

• heat the needle on fire (so that it is sterile),
• pierce the bubble in two places,
• release liquid
• treat the top with miramistin or aqueous chlorhexidine,
• apply a sterile napkin and wrap it with a bandage.

After 5-6 days, the bubble will open on its own (in your sleep or when working with your hands); you just need to blot the liquid and apply a bandage from a simple bandage.

If there is no inflammation, then there is no need to apply any ointments. But under no circumstances should you cut off the skin of the bladder, otherwise the young new skin will be exposed to rough environmental influences, will crack and take longer to heal.

After another 5-7 days, the new skin will strengthen, become more elastic, and the crust from its surface will gradually peel off by itself, or you can remove it painlessly.

6) What if there is no bubble?

Sometimes a bubble does not form on the skin at the site of cauterization with nitrogen. This is because the exposure time was short - 1-2 seconds. The skin is not frozen to the full depth, but only to the thickness of the surface layers. This situation often occurs when treating small papillomas and small warts.

However, you need to know that there was still an impact on the formation, that it froze, as evidenced by the pain in this place. If the wart was small, then healing occurs. If the formation on the skin was large, then repeated treatment with nitrogen is necessary!

Read detailed material about what types of papilloma do humans have?

7) Repeated cryodestruction

If you cannot remove the wart with liquid nitrogen the first time (and this happens not so rarely), then three weeks after the first treatment you will have to come to the cosmetic clinic again, where you will again have to cauterize the wart with nitrogen. Most often, after this time everything ends in a complete cure.

What complications can there be (3 options)

The disadvantage of this method is that during the cauterization process it is not possible to take part of the biomaterial for biopsy (oncology diagnosis). Therefore, the doctor is not able to say for sure whether the formation is benign or malignant. Therefore, it is better to make a diagnosis before the procedure.

In general, removing warts with liquid nitrogen is safe. However, some complications cannot be ruled out:

1. The appearance of inflammation.
2. Swelling of the treatment site.
3. Tissue death.

It is important to choose the right temperature and intensity of exposure. If the impulse is too powerful, a scar may remain on the epidermis.

Dermatologist Deborah Longwill

Cryodestruction occurs without pain, even if the patient is not given anesthesia. The only sensations are a slight burning and tingling sensation.

Subsequently, when a crust appears, slight itching may occur. The person no longer experiences any unpleasant sensations.

If after the session the cauterization site becomes very inflamed and there is persistent pain, then you should immediately visit a doctor. Analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs are usually prescribed. In such cases, treatment may be delayed.

Other effects of nitrogen treatment (no bubble)

At the site of cauterization with nitrogen, a bubble may not appear on the skin. As mentioned earlier, the appearance of the bubble depends on the depth of exposure. So if the impact is too superficial, then the bubble does not appear at all. This situation occurs when removing small and single warts. Too superficial treatment sometimes requires repeating the procedure. In this case, the symptoms of the procedure are the same as when a bubble appears (only the bubble itself is absent). Repeated treatment is carried out if the wart is not completely removed. A new session is held three weeks later. Most often, after such treatment, the formation is completely destroyed.

Pros and cons of using liquid nitrogen

Before resorting to this method of removing warts, it is recommended to compare the positive and negative aspects.

They are presented in the table:

You can remove warts with liquid nitrogen from any part of the body. The effectiveness of the procedure depends on the qualifications of the doctor and the medical institution. Therefore, you must approach your choice responsibly so as not to harm your health.

Mechanism of action

Freezing causes the formation of ice crystals in the extracellular and intracellular spaces and blood stasis, leading to anoxia and tissue necrosis. The most effective methods include rapid freezing and slow warming. Repeated, faster freezing procedures damage tissue more than prolonged freezing. The easiest way to imagine cryodestruction is in the form of controlled frostbite. Mild frostbite causes mild pain, redness, swelling of the skin and the appearance of mild peeling after a few days. When using cryodestruction methods, certain areas of the body are subject to necrosis, the level of which is controlled.

Prices in different cities

The price for removing warts with liquid nitrogen varies depending on the severity of the lesion. The regional factor also influences. So, in Moscow this procedure will cost 700-1200 rubles.

For comparison, the table shows the cost in other cities:

Accurate information on this service should be obtained directly from the medical institution. This applies to different cities (St. Petersburg, Minsk, etc.).

Expert opinion

• Cosmetologist
• Surgeon

Anna Avaliani

practicing cosmetologist

After the session, the treatment area may hurt. Usually the discomfort lasts about 3 days. It will take about 2 weeks for the skin to fully recover. Of course, there is a risk that a scar will remain. A blister also often appears. If it bursts, you should treat this area with an antiseptic wipe.

Aisha Baron

plastic surgeon

Typically, the blister disappears after 2-3 days. If it continues to hurt or holds fluid longer, go to the doctor. But there are cases when cryotherapy is not effective. Warts are successfully removed in 60% of cases, as practice shows.

Reviews

To fully understand whether it is worth removing warts with liquid nitrogen or not, it is recommended that you read several reviews.

ANASTASIA:

“I once removed warts with a laser, but I didn’t like it.
When this problem arose again, I decided to try liquid nitrogen. After the examination, the dermatologist advised me not to touch the tumor at all. But since it was spring and I was soon planning to go on vacation at the seaside, such a defect in the décolleté area did not suit me at all. So I made up my mind. The session lasted only a few seconds. We sprayed it a couple of times from a special can and that was all. At first the wart turned white, then it regained its previous color.

The doctor warned that a second visit would be required if necessary. The first few days nothing happened, and I was already starting to get upset. But after 2 weeks, while changing clothes, I was surprised when I didn’t find the wart in the same place. There wasn't even a trace left. I recommend it to everyone - the method is really effective.”

OLGA:

“The procedure turned out to be quite painful and sometimes several approaches are required to achieve the desired result.
So, we recently removed a wart that appeared on my daughter’s foot using liquid nitrogen. Most likely she acquired the infection while visiting the pool. I started scouring the Internet to find a way to get rid of this scourge. I found a lot of advice using folk methods, but they don’t help everyone.

Most doctors speak well of the technique using liquid nitrogen. I decided to try it and I don’t regret it. The wart was removed in one go and without any consequences.”

GALINA:

“My son (he is 6 years old) has had a wart on his finger since he was three years old.
We consulted a dermatologist, and he assured that in children they go away on their own and there is no need to do anything. However, a miracle did not happen; on the contrary, several more appeared in the neighborhood. No matter what we tried to remove them, nothing worked. We completed a course of treatment with Duofilm. As a result, the warts disappeared, but after some time they reappeared.

We decided to look for another option, and the pediatrician recommended removal with liquid nitrogen. The procedure was done in a skin and venereal disease clinic. It lasted only a couple of minutes, and the baby did not feel anything. After the session, the skin did not even turn red. The doctor advised me to come again in 6-7 days to consolidate the result.

Already in the evening the warts turned pale, and after two days they completely fell off. But the roots remained, so I had to repeat the procedure. Three more days later, after the bath, all the warts fell off completely and only pink indentations remained. And after a month, the skin was completely restored.”

Prevention of complications after removal of molluscum contagiosum

Our clinic takes all necessary measures to prevent complications.

The removal procedure with liquid nitrogen is carried out in compliance with antiseptic rules. After this, we prescribe daily treatment of the formations with antiseptic solutions. We carry out regular examinations in order to see the first signs of a pathological inflammatory reaction in time and respond to it.

The patient himself must make some efforts.

Care should be taken not to pick off the scab that forms on the skin. You should not take long baths or swim in open water during the first week. You should not stop medications prescribed by your doctor at your own discretion just because you feel well.