Cryotherapy
Definition
Cryotherapy is a technique that uses an extremely cold liquid or instruments to freeze and destroy abnormal or cancerous skin cells that require removal. The technique has been in use since the turn of the century, but modern techniques have made it widely available to dermatologists and primary care doctors. Recent advances have also lead to more use of cryotherapy in treating internal cancer. The technique is also called cryosurgery.
Purpose
Cryotherapy can be employed to destroy a variety of benign skin growths, such as warts, precancerous lesions (such as actinic keratoses), and malignant lesions (such as basal cell and squamous cell cancers). It has also found new use in treating internal cancers, such as cancers of the prostate gland and the breast. The goal...
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