Cryotherapy is the use of extreme cold to freeze and remove abnormal tissue. Doctors use it to treat many skin conditions (including warts and skin tags) and some cancers, including prostate, cervical and liver cancer. This treatment is also called cryoablation.
What is cryotherapy?
It is a treatment where your healthcare provider applies extreme cold to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue. To create this severe cold, your provider will use a substance like liquid nitrogen or argon gas.
Cryotherapy can be used to treat a variety of skin conditions and some cancers, including prostate and liver cancer. This therapy can treat tissue externally (on the skin) and internally (inside the body).
This treatment can also be called cryoablation.
Why do doctors use cryotherapy?
Cryotherapy is a minimally invasive therapy. This type of treatment removes damaged or diseased tissue that comes from a variety of medical conditions. It is usually done without open surgery. Most people recover quickly from the procedure and with little pain. Your provider might recommend this for:
- Bone cancer.
- Cervical cancer, liver cancer or prostate cancer.
- Precancerous cells in the cervix (lower end of the uterus).
- Precancerous skin conditions and early-stage skin cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma.
- Retinoblastoma (cancer of the retina in children).
- Skin conditions like warts, skin tags or dark spots.
How does cryotherapy work?
During the therapy, the healthcare provider applies extreme cold to abnormal tissue. Cells can’t survive this severe cold and die after treatment.
Your healthcare provider can use a few different substances to create the intense cold used in cryotherapy. These substances can include:
- Liquid nitrogen.
- Liquid nitrous oxide.
- Argon gas.
What cryotherapy method will my healthcare provider use?
There are different cryotherapy methods to freeze tissue. The way your healthcare provider applies the cold depends on the location of the abnormal tissue.
- External: If the tissue is located on your skin, your provider will typically use a spraying device or a cotton swab to apply the freezing agent.
- Internal: To treat conditions inside the body, like precancerous cells or a tumor, your provider will use an instrument called a cryoprobe. This probe is inserted through a small incision (cut) in your skin.
Read more: Everything You Need To Know About Cryotherapy?
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