Do you suffer from unsightly warts, verrucae, or skin tags? Have basic over-the-counter products failed to work? Does your GP surgery no longer offer lesion removal?
Northern Clinics are now offering easy access to a cryotherapy treatment service in our Craigavon and Holywood (Belfast) Pharmacy Clinics - without the long wait for a dermatology appointment.
Warts and verrucae are common benign skin lesions caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) that affect as many as 7-12% of the population1. Skin tags are soft, small, skin-coloured growths which are usually harmless. Some people choose to get skin tags removed for cosmetic reasons especially if they are in a visible location.
In this blog we discuss how our new cryotherapy service works and what you can expect when you visit our clinic.
What is Cryotherapy?
Cryotherapy works by rapidly freezing the cells of the skin lesion using very cold nitrous oxide. This causes a local inflammatory response and destroys the unwanted cells. In this way the procedure safely and effectively kills and removes the wart, verruca or skin tag in question.
Why choose Cryotherapy?
- Effective: Cryotherapy is very effective with many lesions only requiring one treatment session2.
- Rapid: Cryotherapy is rapid – treatments generally take only a couple of minutes and involve little to no discomfort; the deep freeze can cause an analgesic effect.
- Safe: Cryotherapy is sterile – there is no need to make any cuts into the skin and so the risk of infection is low. Cryotherapy is safe and precise down to the millimetre – with little to no damage to the surrounding skin.
- There is minimal aftercare involved.
What to expect?
When you attend our clinic there will first be a consultation with the pharmacist and an opportunity for you to ask any questions. Your safety is our top priority, so before we proceed with treatment, we will take a thorough medical history. After preparing the area the pharmacist will carefully and precisely use a cryotherapy device to freeze the lesion. Some people may feel a very slight burning sensation but if this becomes too uncomfortable you can ask the pharmacist to stop at any time. After the treatment, the pharmacist will discuss aftercare advice and answer any questions you have and then you are free to go. The session is quick and generally very effective which means most people will not need to return for a repeat treatment. You will find the lesion will disappear or come away on its own within the coming days to weeks.
How can I book an appointment?
If you have any questions about our cryotherapy service, then please don’t hesitate to give us a call. You can book an appointment slot on our website and one of our team members will be in touch to confirm this. We can send you any necessary information ahead of time. We look forward to welcoming you into Northern Clinics soon.
References
- Lynch MD, Cliffe J, Morris-Jones R; Management of cutaneous viral warts. BMJ. 2014 May 27;348:g3339. doi: 10.1136/bmj.g3339
- https://www.pcds.org.uk/patient-info-leaflets/cryotherapy
