Download Treatment by Liquid Nitrogen - East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

Treatment by Liquid Nitrogen
What is it?
The freezing treatment you have received today is a carefully controlled cold burn with liquid
nitrogen to a temperature well below zero.
What to expect
The reaction depends upon the amount of freezing, the site and your own reaction to the
freezing.
 Pain – Stinging or burning starts during treatment and may continue through thawing, but
settles down with a few minutes.
 Redness, swelling or blistering – This can be expected and in a day or two a water (or
blood) blister may form, especially where the skin is thin the sensitive.
 Crusting – The frozen area will form a crust, which may peel or drop off in a week or two.
A further scaly crust may form on the wound. It will then heal.
 Colour Change – When the new skin grows in the treated area it may appear paler or
darker than the surrounding skin.
 Scarring – This is very uncommon with light freezes, but does occur with the longer
freezes needed to treat larger or deeper lesions.
What to do




If you develop mild pain later take a paracetamol in normal doses. If it is severe consult
your doctor.
It is advisable to keep your healing burn as dry as possible.
If you have been prescribed a cream to use, apply it twice daily. Areas which are
weeping can be covered with a clean dry dressing.
If you have not received a prescription you can apply an antiseptic cream twice daily to
avoid the small chance of infection occurring.
After the procedure

The treated area can take 10-14 days to completely heal. If you become concerned
about the wound contact your doctor’s surgery.
Important Information
Please remember that this leaflet is intended as general information only. It is not definitive. We
aim to make the information as up to date and accurate as possible, but please be warned that
it is always subject to change. Please, therefore, always check specific advice on the procedure
or any concerns you may have with your doctor.
Hand Hygiene
In the interests of our patients the trust is committed to maintaining a clean, safe environment.
Hand hygiene is a very important factor in controlling infection. Alcohol gel is widely available
0529/01 Jan 2016 - Dermatology
Page 1 of 2
throughout our hospitals at the patient bedside for staff to use and also at the entrance of each
clinical area for visitors to clean their hands before and after entering.
Your comments
We are always interested to hear your views about our leaflets. If you have any comments,
please contact the Patient Experience Team on 01323 417400 Ext: 5860 or by email at:
[email protected]
Other formats
If you require any of the Trust leaflets in alternative formats, such as large print or
alternative languages, please contact the Equality and Human Rights Department.
Tel: 01424 755255 Ext: 2620
After reading this information are there any questions you would like to ask? Please list below
and ask your nurse or doctor.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Reference
The following clinicians have been consulted and agreed this patient information:
Dr Von Der Werth
Next review Date
Consultant Dermatologist
January 2019
© East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust – www.esht.nhs.uk
Page 2 of 2