Introduction
Paola Pasquali Cryosurgery
Key features
A minimally invasive surgical technique that utilizes subzero temperatures to destroy benign, premalignant, and malignant lesions
Compared to standard excisional surgery, cryosurgery requires less time to perform but healing time is often more prolonged as it occurs via second intention
Damage to surrounding structures is predictable and can be limited, with the preserved underlying stroma providing a structural framework for wound repair
The preferred and most commonly used cryogen is liquid nitrogen due to its very low boiling point (−196 C) which allows for freezing of skin lesions at temperatures needed for their destruction; this includes malignant cells which require freezing temperatures of at least −50 C
Cryosurgery often leads to an excellent cosmetic result, but in patients with darker skin phototypes, hypopigmentation due to destruction of melanocytes can occur