Cryotherapy for Wart Removal: Benefits, Risks and Costs

Are you dealing with painful, unsightly or annoying warts? Some warts disappear on their own, but it can take months or years — and others won't go away without treatment.¹ If you want to get rid of warts, cryotherapy (freezing) may be an option.¹

Keep reading to learn more about warts and how cryotherapy can help remove them.

What Are Warts?

Warts are noncancerous growths on the upper layer of the skin.² They are typically skin-colored, raised and rough, though they can also be darker-colored, flat and smooth.² Most warts are painless, but some can be itchy and painful — particularly if they're on your feet.¹ Warts can appear on all parts of the body.¹

Causes

Warts are caused by viruses in the human papillomavirus (HPV) family.¹ When skin cells are infected with HPV, they grow faster than normal, causing warts.³ Wart viruses are contagious² and can spread through skin-to-skin contact between two people, and from one place on your body to another.⁴ It's easier to get warts when you have a cut or scrape on your skin, or in an area where you shave.⁴

Types of warts

There are several different types of warts, caused by various strains of HPV:⁵

• Common warts. These typically feel like rough bumps, and they grow on the fingers, around the nails and on the backs of the hands.⁶ Children often get common warts.⁶
• Flat warts. These smooth, small warts can appear anywhere, but they're most often found on the face (children), in the beard area (men) and on the legs (women).⁶ Flat warts tend to grow in large numbers.⁶
• Plantar warts. These typically appear on the soles of the feet, and they can grow in clusters (mosaic warts).⁶ Plantar warts can be painful.⁶
• Genital warts. These appear on the genitals, in the pubic area and between the thighs.¹ Genital warts are very contagious.¹

Who Can Get Warts?

While anyone can get warts, some people are more prone to this infection than others, including:⁴

• Children
• People who bite their nails
• People with a weakened immune system

Most people have frequent contact with HPV, but only some develop warts.³ That may be because some people simply have more natural resistance to HPV viruses.¹

Why Treat Warts?

About half of warts go away on their own within a year and two-thirds go away within two years, but treating warts can help get rid of them more quickly.³ Some warts won't disappear on their own and require treatment.¹

Some experts recommend treating warts immediately to reduce the amount of virus shed into nearby tissue and to potentially lower the risk of recurrence.³ Treating warts can also decrease the chance that they will spread to other people.¹

What Is Cryotherapy for Warts?

Cryotherapy (aka cryosurgery) for warts involves freezing the skin growths. During cryotherapy, dermatologists use cryogens (freezing agents) like liquid nitrogen to target and destroy warts. With a temperature of -320 degrees Fahrenheit (-196 degrees Celsius), liquid nitrogen allows doctors to freeze and remove warts without cutting into the skin.⁷

If over-the-counter treatments like salicylic acid haven't been successful — or you just want to quickly treat your warts — cryotherapy may be a good option.⁸

In addition, you may be a good candidate for cryotherapy if:⁹

• You're an adult or older child. Cryotherapy can be painful, so it's not recommended for young children.
• Your wart is on your face. Cryotherapy is less likely to cause scarring than other methods of wart removal.
• Your wart is on a hairless body part. Cryotherapy can cause permanent hair loss in the treatment area.

Benefits

There are several advantages of treating warts with cryotherapy. Typically, this treatment is:

• Safe. For most healthy people, liquid nitrogen-based wart removal is considered safe — even during pregnancy.⁵
• Effective. Cryotherapy has a 60% to 88% success rate for wart removal.⁵ Cryotherapy may also stimulate your immune system to fight the wart virus.¹⁰
• Minimally invasive. Unlike routine surgical procedures, cryosurgery does not involve cutting into the skin.⁷
• Quick. This treatment typically takes just a few minutes in your doctor's office.⁹
• Affordable. Cryotherapy is relatively inexpensive.⁷

Risks

Though cryotherapy complications are rare, they may include:⁵

• Secondary infection
• Scarring
• Permanent changes in skin color
• Recurring skin lesions
• Ulcers
• Temporary nerve damage near the treatment area

If you develop a secondary infection in the site of cryosurgery, your doctor may prescribe an oral antibiotic or topical antiseptic to treat the new infection.

Limitations of Cryotherapy for Warts

Cryotherapy does not treat the HPV infection that causes warts; it treats the warts themselves.⁵ Since there is no cure for the wart virus, warts can return in the same spot or elsewhere.¹¹

Sometimes, old warts shed virus cells into the skin before treatment, and new warts grow around the old ones.¹¹ To prevent continual recurrence, ask your dermatologist to treat new warts as soon as you see them.¹¹

Preparing for Cryotherapy for Warts

Before performing cryotherapy, your doctor may ask you to treat your wart at home for several days. Specific instructions may include:¹²

• Clean the wart with soap and water.
• Apply a salicylic acid gel, liquid or patch to the wart.
• Leave the salicylic acid on the wart for up to 24 hours.

What to Expect During Cryotherapy for Warts

Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen should only be done by a healthcare professional.⁸ During cryotherapy, your doctor may:

1. Apply a local anesthetic to numb the wart.⁸
2. Use a scalpel to scrape dead skin cells off the wart.⁵
3. Use a cotton swab, probe or spray to apply liquid nitrogen to the wart for 10 to 20 seconds.⁵
4. Allow the frozen tissue to thaw.¹²
5. Reapply liquid nitrogen if needed.¹²

The whole process typically takes just a few minutes in your doctor's office.⁹ You may feel minor pain during the freezing and a burning sensation when the skin thaws.⁵ Cryotherapy can be uncomfortable, but applying a local anesthetic beforehand may help.¹³

Note that you may need up to four cryotherapy treatments (with about two weeks between each treatment) to completely remove a wart.¹ If these sessions are unsuccessful, your doctor may recommend another type of wart removal.¹

Recovery From Cryotherapy for Warts

Soon after the cryotherapy procedure, the treated area may become red and swollen,¹⁴ and you may experience pain for a few days afterward.¹²

Within about 24 hours, a blister should form around the wart.⁵ Don't break the blister.¹⁴ If the blister breaks on its own, clean the fluid carefully with an antiseptic wipe to minimize viral spread.⁸ The blister should dry up over the next few days, and the wart may fall off in about a week or so.⁹

It takes about seven to 14 days for the skin to heal after cryotherapy.¹³ For genital warts, however, healing takes about one to three weeks.¹⁵

Cryotherapy Aftercare Instructions

You should be able to get back to your regular routine right after your cryotherapy appointment.⁹ Gently wash the treated area with soap and water once or twice a day,⁷ but don't use scented soap or lotion on the area until it's fully healed.¹⁴

To avoid irritation and help the skin heal, apply petroleum jelly to the treated area every day for two weeks.¹⁴ Leave the area uncovered unless there's drainage or it's rubbing against clothing.¹⁴ Once the area has healed, apply an SPF 30+ sunscreen for protection against scarring.¹⁴

If you had cryotherapy for genital warts, it's best to avoid sexual contact until the treated area heals.¹⁵

How Much Does Cryotherapy Treatment for Warts Cost?

Cryotherapy for wart removal costs about $610.¹⁶ This average cost includes the initial doctor's visit and up to four follow-up treatments.¹⁶

Factors affecting the cost of cryotherapy for warts may include the size, number and location of the warts.¹⁶

Note that it can be more expensive to treat multiple warts than just one wart.¹⁶ At a clinic in Connecticut, for example, it costs $200 to remove the first wart and $100 to remove each additional wart.¹⁷

Insurance for cryotherapy

When cryotherapy is medically necessary, it is typically covered by insurance.⁷ Wart removal may be medically necessary to treat pain or infection, or to reduce the risk of cancer or other serious health conditions.¹⁸ Cryotherapy for cosmetic purposes is typically not covered by insurance.⁷

Out-of-pocket costs for cryotherapy may include a copay or coinsurance of 10% to 50%, depending on your health insurance plan.¹⁹

Cost-saving alternatives

Home-based cryotherapy can be a cost-saving alternative to in-office cryotherapy.²⁰ Over-the-counter cryotherapy options include products such as Compound W Freeze Off® Wart Remover (around $16 for a package of eight applications)²¹ and Dr. Scholl's Freeze Away® Wart Remover (around $20 for a package of eight applications).²²

Keep in mind, though, that over-the-counter wart freezing products are less powerful, containing dimethyl ether and propane instead of liquid nitrogen.⁵ Because of this, home-based freezing products may be able to remove small warts but only temporarily reduce the size or appearance of larger warts.⁵

Always talk to your doctor before attempting to remove a facial wart at home,⁹ and never try to treat genital warts at home — these must be treated by a doctor.¹

Additional Alternative Treatments for Warts

Aside from cryotherapy, a couple of common treatment options worth mentioning include:¹

• Salicylic acid. This treatment may be used for warts in places such as the hands, feet or knees.¹ Salicylic acid is available over the counter in patch, liquid and gel forms.³
• Cantharidin. This in-office treatment involves “painting" the chemical cantharidin on warts, which causes a blister to form beneath them.¹¹ In a week or so, your doctor will clip off the dead warts.¹¹

Talk to your dermatologist to see if either of these wart treatments is right for you.¹

Financing Cryotherapy for Warts With the CareCredit Credit Card

When getting cryotherapy for wart removal or another cosmetic procedure, the CareCredit credit card can help you pay for costs not covered by insurance.* Apply today and use our Acceptance Locator to find a doctor or cosmetic specialist near you that accepts CareCredit. Continue your wellness journey by downloading the CareCredit Mobile App to manage your CareCredit account, find a provider on the go and easily access the Well U hub for more great articles, podcasts and videos.

Author Bio

Robyn Tellefsen is a freelance writer and editor with more than 20 years of experience covering health and wellness, finance and more. Her work has appeared on sites such as LoopNet, Beachside Rehab, First Horizon Bank, SoFi, A Place for Mom, American Express, Chase and more.