Manhattan Podiatry Office
930 Fifth Ave., East 74th St.
New York, NY 10021
(212) 570-9300
Brooklyn Podiatry Office
369 93rd Street
Brooklyn, NY 11209
(718) 680-6276
Patient Education: Reference Library and Glossary
Patient Education
Cryotherapy
The staff at Hamilton Foot and Ankle Associates believes that informed patients are better equipped to make decisions regarding their health and well being. For your personal use, we have created an extensive podiatric reference library covering an array of educational topics. Browse through these diagnoses and treatments to learn more about items of interest to you. Or, for a more comprehensive search of our entire web site, enter your term(s) in the search bar provided.
As always, you can contact our office to answer any questions or concerns.
Cryotherapy is a standard treatment for warts that uses a very cold substance (usually liquid nitrogen) to freeze and deaden the tissue. Cryotherapy can be done in a doctor's office and takes less than a minute.
During the procedure, the doctor applies the liquid nitrogen to the wart using a probe or a cotton swab. Liquid nitrogen can also be sprayed directly on the wart. The freezing liquid can cause discomfort or pain, which is why a numbing drug (local anesthetic) is sometimes used.
Most cryotherapy treatment requires return visits to ensure that the wart is completely removed.
Studies show that cryotherapy is successful about two-thirds of the time, and when combined with salicylic acid treatment, up to 78% of the time.