Cryopen Pre & Post Advice Reference

This is a student reference guide to contraindications, pre and post treatment advice. Have a good read through all my pre and post advice to check if this treatment is right for your client.

CONTRAINDICATIONS Unfortunately not all treatments are for everyone. Please check our contraindications list to make sure you avoid disappointment.

• Impaired sensation or circulation

• Open wound (treatment area)

• Skin Cancer (treatment area)

• Hypersensitivity to cold

• Recent scar tissue (treatment area)

• Raynaud disease (for digit cryotherapy)

• Prone to Keloid Scarring

AFTERCARE ADVICE​

Side Effects

CryoPen Therapy is relatively low risk and side effects and complications are usually minimal. Some side effects may occur as a result of the treatment.

These may include:

• Headaches: Not uncommon when freezing on the forehead, scalp and temples. Can last for 2 hours.

• Pigment Changes: Both hypo (lightening of the skin and hyper (darkening of the skin) pigmentation. Can last a few months or longer.

• Nerve Damage: Although rare, damage to nerves is possible especially where the nerves are close to the skin surface (fingers, wrist, behind the ear). Reports suggest that symptoms disappear after several months.

• Blisters: These may appear on the treated area but usually disappear after a few hours.

• Shards of Ice: The CryoPen delivers a high pressure jet of nitrous oxide. This jet can cause shards of ice to be thrown into the air to a distance of up to 30cm. They will thaw quickly and will not damage healthy skin.

• Damage to hair follicles: Hair follicles are easily damaged by cryosurgery and permanent alopecia to the treated area is not uncommon.

Specific pre-treatment information for verrucae and warts:

• In the days leading up to your appointment, it is a good idea to give a wart or verrucae a bit of TLC!

• The treatment works best when the skin covering these lesions is soft and slightly opened. Follow the steps below to allow the treatment to work effectively:

• Soak the lesion in a bowl of warm, soapy water for 20 minutes

• With a pumice stone or emery board (nail file), gently scrub the lesion until the skin becomes rough.

• Please do not scrub so hard that you make the area sore. Discontinue these steps if bleeding occurs. You are not trying to open a wound or cause discomfort. However, the more deeply the jet of nitrous oxide can penetrate, the better the chances of removal after one treatment are.

​​Post Treatment Information: If you have had a treatment to remove a skin lesion, you might like to know what to expect in the coming days. While there is very little aftercare required, there are a few things you should be aware of. ​

Blisters: Blistering can happen with any cryotherapy treatment and is indiscriminate. The Cryopen is the most effective way of avoiding blisters as we are only treating the affected area and not healthy tissue. If a blister does appear, please don’t pop it. It will go down on its own. If it pops, weeping may occur. If so use a smear of Savlon or Germolene cream twice a day. An adhesive dressing such as a plaster can be used to cover the area to protect it.

Skin Tags: These turn black at the base and drop off over a period of one to six weeks. Larger skin tags of 3mm+ may need a second freeze. Please contact us after six weeks if they need to be retreated. If the area does become tender you can use use Savlon or Germolene twice a day. A plaster can be used to cover the area to stop the treated area being irritated by clothing rubbing on it.

Warts and Verrucae: It is recommended if they are still there, warts and verrucae should be re-treated 4 weeks after your first treatment. There is no aftercare apart from if the treated area develops a blister.

Milia: These are superficial keratin filled epidermal cysts and normally flatten and disappear with Cryotherapy quite quickly. There is no need to do anything other than follow the blister advice if one appears

Pigmentation and cherry Angiomas: The treated area may raise and look like a bee-sting. Do not worry this is perfectly normal. The redness will subside in a few hours. ​

General advice for all skin lesions In the case of all lesions, over the next 24 hours the area will go darker and develop a crust on the surface. Do not pick this off. When it naturally falls away you will see new skin which is a shiny pink colour. This is not scarring. It will re pigment over the following weeks and could take several months.

• The histamine in the area which was treated will create an itchy sensation for between ten and sixty minutes, do not worry this is perfectly normal.

• Do not pick the treated area at any time after treatment otherwise the area will take longer to heal. If a wheel/scab is knocked off accidentally it will also take longer to heal, but you should still have the same outcome of a successful treatment.

• Please use a sunblock factor 50 on any pigmentation removal until it has re-pigmented, this may take up to eight weeks.

• You can continue to use make up, deodorant or perfumes on treated areas but try and leave for as long as you can on the day of treatment.

• If the small crust has not fallen off after four weeks please wait until it has done so before contacting the clinic. Skin sometimes takes several weeks and even months to regenerate.

• If the skin being treated is tanned please remember the healing skin will no longer be tanned. It will eventually re-pigment as it matures.

• Permanent alopecia can occur in a treated area which is usually covered with hair.

• Treatments that do not heal after six weeks should be reviewed by your doctor or dermatologist. Please contact us to tell us if this happens