This information explains what cryotherapy is and how to care for yourself after your cryotherapy procedure.

Cryotherapy is a procedure that uses extreme cold (liquid nitrogen) to destroy tissue. It’s often used to treat skin lesions, which are skin growths or patches that don’t look like the skin around them. The lesions can be:

• Benign (not cancerous)
• Precancerous, such as actinic keratosis. These are scaly patches on your skin that could become cancer in the future.
• Superficial skin cancer (skin cancer that’s on the surface of your skin).

Cryotherapy also aims to save the area around the lesions and to reduce the scarring as much as possible.

You don’t have to do anything to prepare for cryotherapy but you may need to remove makeup, lotion, or powder before your procedure.

Your doctor will then spray liquid nitrogen on the area being treated to freeze it.

After Cryotherapy

• The treated area will become red soon after your procedure. It also may blister and swell. If this happens, don’t break open the blister.
• You may also see clear drainage on the treated area. This is normal.
• The treated area will heal in about 7 to 10 days. It will probably not leave a scar.