Freeze a Wart With Liquid Nitrogen

If you're tired of dealing with an unsightly or uncomfortable wart, you can try to freeze it off. Warts are fed by blood vessels and if you damage the vessels by freezing, the warts will die and eventually fall off. If you visit your dermatologist to have a wart frozen, the dermatologist will use liquid nitrogen, an incredibly cold substance. This method is not approved for home use, since liquid nitrogen can be very painful and cause tissue damage when not used correctly.[1] For home treatment, purchase an over-the-counter (OTC) freeze treatment kit and apply it to your wart.

Steps

Preparing to Freeze a Wart

  1. Understand how to freeze a wart. Over-the-counter cold kits use dimethyl ether and propane to freeze the wart and the tissue around the wart. Realize that the wart will not instantly fall off after treatment. It may take several treatments and up to 3 or 4 weeks before the wart gradually disappears.
    • Warts are caused by a virus that causes the cells in your skin to grow abnormally.[2] Freezing a wart effectively kills the virus.
  2. Identify the type of wart you have. Certain kinds of warts may respond better to freezing treatments than others. Note that if you have warts in the genital region, never attempt to freeze them off at home. They're caused by a virus that your doctor must treat. Other types of warts include:[3]
    • Common warts: These are small, hard bumps that are normally gray or brown. They're typically found on fingers, hands, knees, and elbows and have a rough surface.
    • Planter warts: These are hard warts located on the bottom of the foot. They're very uncomfortable to walk on.
    • Flat Warts: These tiny warts are smooth with flat tops. They can be pink, tan, or yellow. You can find them on the face, arms, knees, or hands. Usually, flat warts show up in clusters.
  3. Know when to see a dermatologist. If you can't get rid of a wart by treating it at home, have several warts increasing in size, or have painful warts, see your doctor or dermatologist. You should also see your doctor if you think the growth isn't a wart, the wart is on your face or genitals, your immune system is weakened, or you are diabetic and have a wart on your foot. Dermatologists will probably be able to diagnose your wart just by looking at it, or may need to run tests. Your dermatologist might do a biopsy where a bit of the tissue is removed from the wart. This allows your dermatologist to study the virus causing your wart.[4]
    • Understand that the virus causing most warts can return. You may notice warts reappear in the same spot or in a new location. If you're having trouble treating recurring warts, don't hesitate to talk with your doctor.[4]
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Freezing a Wart Using an Over-the-Counter Freeze Kit

  1. Prepare the area and your supplies. Take care to wash the wart area and your hands. Most OTC spray kits will come with a canister that contains the cryogen, or very cold compounds. It should also come with a foam applicator. Treatments don't take very long, so make sure you have all the supplies on hand.
    • Always read and follow the specific instructions that came with your kit.
  2. Assemble the spray kit. Take the applicator, usually a stick with a foam tip, into its handle. Set the spray can so that it sits level on a sturdy surface. You'll want to insert the handle into the top of the spray can.[5]
    • Take care not to hold the spray can near your face. The spray compound is very cold, so take precautions to keep it from accidentally spraying.
  3. Charge the canister. Keep the spray can on the table and hold it with one hand. With your other hand, press down on the handle till you hear a hissing sound. Keep pressing it for another 2 to 3 seconds. This will soak the applicator with the cryogen. You can now take out the handle with the applicator. Wait 30 seconds.[5]
    • When you look at the applicator, you should see that it's saturated and looks frosty. You might smell the dimethyl ether.
  4. Apply the freezing compound to your wart. Gently press the applicator against your wart. Don't rub, just press. Most kits recommend pressing the applicator against the wart for 20 seconds or less, depending on the size of the wart. Remove the applicator, taking care not to touch it. Throw it away and wash your hands.[5]
    • If the wart is on the top of your finger or toe, slowly move the finger or toe while you're applying the compound. You'll probably feel aching, itching, or stinging.

Freezing a Wart with Liquid Nitrogen

  1. Visit your doctor for a liquid nitrogen treatment. Liquid nitrogen should not be used at home, since it can cause tissue damage if you apply it incorrectly. If you want to treat your wart at home, use a different method.
    • Freezing with liquid nitrogen is poorly tolerated in young children due to pain and discomfort.
    • Liquid nitrogen must be used carefully to avoid nerve damage and neuropathy.
    • Never use liquid nitrogen the face. Use it cautiously when treating dark pigmented skin colors so as not to cause discoloration of the skin.
  2. Have the wart frozen. The doctor will pour a small amount of liquid nitrogen into a polystyrene cup. This keeps the liquid nitrogen sanitary, especially if several people are using it. A cotton swab is then soaked in the substance and applied to the wart. The swab should be applied directly to the middle of the wart with light pressure. This is repeated until a frozen zone appears. It should be white in color. The doctor will gradually apply more pressure to finish freezing the wart.
    • EMLA cream may be used to decrease pain and discomfort.
    • The frozen tissue will become hard, and if you pinch from the sides you will feel that there is frozen tissue between your fingers.
  3. Let the wart rest. While the wart should be mostly white, the color will slowly return. If you think it may not have been frozen deeply enough, you can repeat the process. There will be some minor spikes of cold pain.
    • Major pain is a sign that healthy skin has been damaged by the liquid nitrogen.

Monitoring the Wart After Treatment

  1. Use bandages. You may not want or need to cover the treated wart with a bandage if it's not causing you discomfort. But, if you have a planter wart on your foot, you'll probably need a special cushioned bandage to make walking more comfortable.
    • Most bandages for planter's warts are circular and cushioned around the edges. The center of the bandage isn't as cushioned, so it takes pressure off the wart. This is what makes walking more comfortable.
  2. Leave the wart alone. You may notice a blister or blood blister form a few hours after freezing the wart. The area may burn a bit and the wart might look irritated. Healing usually takes four to seven weeks. Don't break the blister or scrape off any dead skin. This can expose the tissue underneath the the virus, making the wart grow back.
  3. Re-treat if needed. If the wart doesn't look like it's getting smaller, you may need to re-apply the freezing compound. Wait 2 to 3 weeks and repeat the freezing process for OTC kits. If you received a liquid nitrogen treatment, make an appointment with your dermatologist to reassess and see if another application is necessary.
    • Warts can be sometimes hard to remove. Sometimes the doctor might want to try a couple of methods at one time in for to facilitate removal.
    • Understand that since OTC compounds don't get as cold as the liquid nitrogen used by doctors to freeze warts. Because of this, it may take several treatments and more time before your wart falls off.[6]

Tips

  • Freezing wart off is just one method for wart removal. There are a number of other methods that can be used to remove warts. These methods include salicylic acid, liquid nitrogen, imiquimod, 5-fluorouracil, as well as bi and tri-chloroacetic acid.

Warnings

  • Some warts are cancerous or can indicate a serious condition which requires additional, sometimes life-saving, treatment. The differences are very nuanced and only a professional dermatologist would be able to notice.
  • The procedure works best for smaller warts, about the size of a pea (4mm) and smaller. In principle, larger warts may be handled by freezing one pea-sized piece at the edge of the wart, then waiting for the skin to heal completely (about two weeks) before attempting a second freezing. Under no circumstances should you freeze wider areas, as this will result in a large, painful blister, with a real risk of infection.
  • Never try to freeze off a wart with ice cubes. The ice cubes won't be cold enough to freeze off the wart.[7]

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://www.tedpella.com/cryo-supplies_html/HandlingLiquidNitrogen.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/health-concerns/skin-care/warts
  3. ↑ http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/skin/wart.html#
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.aad.org/dermatology-a-to-z/diseases-and-treatments/u---w/warts/diganosis-treatment
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 http://compoundw.com/wart-removal-products/cryogenic/freeze-off-wart-removal/
  6. ↑ http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2010/09/give-warts-the-big-freeze/index.htm
  7. ↑ https://www.aad.org/dermatology-a-to-z/for-kids/about-skin/warts/how-to-get-rid-of-warts
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