Medical Cryotherapy Skin Tag & Wart Removal, Richmond, BC

No. At RAAC, cryotherapy means localized medical cryotherapy: a doctor applies liquid nitrogen to a single skin growth such as a skin tag, wart or sun spot. We do not offer whole-body cold chambers or cryotherapy for recovery or wellness. If you were searching for a cold chamber, this page is about removing small skin growths after a medical assessment.

Not every spot can be frozen. Cryotherapy is only used on growths Dr. Jiang judges to be benign after examining them; moles, and any spot that is new, changing, bleeding, irregular or dark, need assessment first and may need a biopsy or referral instead. It is also not advised for people with cold urticaria, an active skin infection in the area, or, without medical clearance, during pregnancy or with a weakened immune system.

Most people tolerate it well. You feel a cold shock followed by stinging that lasts a few minutes, and anesthesia is not usually needed. Scarring risk is generally lower than with surgical excision, but a small pale or darker mark can sometimes remain and usually fades over time.

Usually 1 to 2 weeks. Right after freezing the spot turns white, then red and slightly swollen, and a small blister can form within hours. It dries into a scab that falls off by itself, typically in about 7 to 10 days on the face and 10 to 14 days on the body. A pink or pale patch can remain for some weeks and usually fades. Do not pop the blister or pick the scab.

The cost depends on how many growths are treated, their size and type, and whether a repeat treatment is likely, as it often is for warts. We do not publish prices online; Dr. Jiang assesses the spots first and you receive a quote before anything is frozen. Cryotherapy here is private pay and is not billed to MSP, including for warts on the hands or feet. For MSP-covered wart treatment, please see your family doctor or a walk-in clinic.

Most people return to work and normal activities the same day. You can shower and wash gently; pat the area dry, and do not scrub it, pop the blister or pick the scab. A plain moisturizer or petroleum jelly helps if it feels dry, and a small bandage protects spots that rub on clothing or jewellery. Protect healing skin from the sun, and contact the clinic if it becomes very painful, hot or swollen.

Many skin tags and sun spots clear after one treatment. Warts and thicker seborrheic keratoses more often need a second or further treatment, because the freeze has to reach the whole growth while sparing the skin around it. Dr. Jiang reviews the area once it has healed and advises whether to repeat. The outcome depends on the size, type and location of the growth.

The main downsides are short-term: stinging during freezing, then a blister and a scab that take 1 to 2 weeks to heal. A pale or darker mark can remain, more noticeably on darker or Asian skin, and occasionally a small scar. Warts and thicker growths may need more than one treatment and can come back. Freezing also destroys the tissue, so a spot that needs a diagnosis is never frozen first.

RAAC is at Unit 110, 5580 No. 3 Rd, Richmond, BC, about a 3-minute walk from Lansdowne Station on the Canada Line, so it is reachable by transit from Vancouver, Burnaby and across Greater Vancouver; building parking is via Ackroyd Road. We are open daily 9:00-18:00, and consultations are available in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. Tell us at booking roughly how many spots you want assessed.

It is not frozen. Cosmetic cryotherapy is only used on growths Dr. Jiang judges to be benign. If a spot is new, changing, bleeding, irregular or unusually dark, he explains why it needs further assessment. That may mean a biopsy, so the tissue can be examined in a lab, or a referral to a specialist. Freezing a suspicious spot would destroy the tissue needed for a diagnosis.

It can be used, but the doctor discusses one risk first: freezing can leave a pale (lighter) mark, and a pale or darker mark is more noticeable on darker or Asian skin. Careful, targeted application helps limit the risk but cannot remove it entirely. For some spots on darker skin, the doctor may suggest another approach or a test of one spot first.

None of them is better for everyone. Freezing needs no cutting or stitches but heals with a blister and scab, and warts may need repeat treatments. Snipping or excision removes a growth at once and allows it to be sent for testing, but leaves a small wound. Other methods suit some spots. The doctor chooses after examining the growth, its size, its location and your skin type, and several small spots can often be treated in one visit.