What is Cryosurgery with a Cryopen, and how does it work on skin tags?
Cryosurgery, sometimes referred to as lesion Cryotherapy, is a procedure for the removal of skin imperfections using nitrous oxide freezing. This is a safe and quick solution for removing those pesky lesions such as skin tags that can appear on our skin as we age.
While you could get this done with the traditional nitrous oxide method using cotton tips, the Cryopen uses a very high precision applicator tip, ensuring safe targeted treatment of just the lesion, without damaging skin tissue surrounding it.
This helps to greatly reduce the risk of post-treatment hypo-pigmentation and makes it safe and effective for use on the face, even near the eyes, and very small skin imperfections. This also ensures the treatment is relatively painless and comfortable, as you won’t have the healthy surrounding skin affected.
How does Cryopen work, and what is the recovery time?
Cryotherapy works by using a thin jet of extreme cold (nitrous oxide) from a pen-like device to freeze and destroy lesions. The inter-cellular fluid is frozen, forming ice crystals, which subsequently destroy the cell. Depending on the size of the lesion, this will sometimes create a scab or crust which will fall off within a week or two.
The Cryopen does not rely on contact with the skin to be effective, meaning it is a quick, safe, hygienic and easy treatment which won’t damage the skin.
You may feel a bit of stinging while the lesion is frozen, depending on how thin or close to your skin it is, but this will just be for a few seconds. It may also be a bit sensitive for half an hour or so after the treatment. It’s best to keep the area uncovered rather than use a plaster, and it should heal within a week or so. Some larger lesions may require two or three treatments.
