What is cryotherapy and why is it used
Miscellaneous / / February 01, 2022
Freezing helps to get rid of warts, keloid scars and various tumors. But it is important how it is carried out.
What is cryotherapy
CryotherapyCryotherapy / Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) is a method of treatment with extreme cooling (up to -196 ° C).
There are two types of cryotherapy. It can be general, when a person is placed in a cryochamber and cold gas envelops his entire body, or local, when using liquid nitrogen or argon, a small pathological focus located on the skin or inside is frozen organs.
General cryotherapy can be attributed to physiotherapy. She is credited with the ability to accelerate tissue regeneration, enhance the synthesis of vitamin D, reduce pain, and more. But there are no large-scale studies that prove this yet. There are only a few scientific papers involving small groups of people. Lifehacker already wrote about it in detail.
Unlike general cryotherapy, the mechanism of local action is detailed. studiedCryotherapy / Medscape. This method of treatment is very common in dermatology and surgery. Let's stop on it.
How topical cryotherapy works
After applying liquid nitrogen or argon to the pathological focus, due to the large temperature difference, the solution boils and evaporates. At the same time, it enhances the heat transfer of tissues, freezes them, so that ice microcrystals.
After a few minutes, the place of freezing begins to thaw, the cell membranes are damaged and their destruction occurs. In response to this, an inflammatory reaction develops in the focus and the body itself removes the remnants of tissues.
When is topical cryotherapy used?
Treatment with liquid nitrogen or argon applyCryotherapy / Medscape:
- With hyperpigmentation of the skin. For example, with lentigo (small age spots), melasma, and even for tattoos.
- With benign skin lesions. These include warts, keloid scars, hyperkeratosis, nevi, Kaposi's sarcoma.
- For some types of skin cancer. For example, in the case of basalioma. But cryotherapy is not recommended for melanoma, an aggressive type of tumor.
- At tumorsCryotherapy / Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) internal organs. Liquid nitrogen is used for various neoplasms in the liver, prostate, cervix, kidneys, and lungs.
- With fibroadenoma. This is what is called a benign breast tumor.
- With bone cancer.
- With vascular pathologies. With the help of cryotherapy, heart rhythm disorders are treated, as well as hemangioma - a benign formation from skin microvessels.
- At retinoblastomaCryotherapy / Cleveland Clinic. This is a retinal cancer that is common in children.
Who is contraindicated in local cryotherapy
In no case it is forbiddenCryotherapy / Medscape use a coolant on the skin at the edge of the eyes. In addition, in some conditions, cryotherapy may be prescribed only if other treatments are not suitable. We are talking about circumstances such as:
- cold intolerance;
- cold urticaria;
- cryoglobulinemia - a disease in which, due to the cold, antibody complexes are formed that can damage the kidneys;
- transferred gangrenous inflammation of the skin;
- Raynaud's disease - due to it, a person develops a persistent spasm vessels skin.
How is local cryotherapy performed?
Depending on the pathology, the doctor may choose one of the freezing methods. Among themCryotherapy / Medscape :
- Spray on the surface of the skin.
- Apply liquid with a cotton swab.
- Cauterization with tongs. They are cooled in liquid nitrogen or argon, and then they pinch small growths on the skin.
- Use of a cryoprobe. This is a thin metal rod through which liquid nitrogen or argon enters the pathological formation.
How to Prepare for Local Cryotherapy
Some doctors adviseCryotherapy / Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) drink an over-the-counter pain reliever based on ibuprofen 30 minutes before the procedure. Sometimes antibiotics are prescribed if there is a risk of infectious complications after cryotherapy.
If a person is taking drugs that reduce blood clotting, the physician recommends that you stop drinking the pills a few days before treatment.
What to Expect During Local Cryotherapy
If cauterizeCryotherapy / Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) a lump on the skin that usually doesn't hurt. The procedure lasts 15-20 minutes, after which you can go home.
If during cryotherapy it is necessary to insert a probe into the body, then the skin is first anesthetized with a local anesthetic. And in order to accurately insert the needle into the pathological focus, the doctor will use ultrasound, X-ray or MRI. This will take 30-40 minutes. After such treatment, they are also allowed to go home, but in case of serious illnesses, a person is left under medical supervision.
What happens after local cryotherapy
If the skin was treated with liquid nitrogen or argon, then at the site of exposure it may hurt or will appearCryotherapy / Cleveland Clinic redness and swelling. Sometimes, as in burn, even a blister swells. But it passes in a few days by itself, and a crust remains on the treated area. She will fall off later.
After cryotherapy of the cervix in a woman, liquid transparent discharge may flow from the vagina, which also disappear after a few days.
And when freezing tumors in other internal organs and, for example, in the mammary gland, sometimes a little pain or discomfort worries. Unpleasant sensations are removed with the help of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Cryotherapy rarely leads to complications. But doctors admit that there may be some side effects. Here theyCryotherapy / Cleveland Clinic :
- nerve damage;
- bleeding;
- painful spasm cervix;
- swelling or scarring at the treatment site;
- infectious inflammation of the wound;
- bone fractures.
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