Cryotherapy And Xanthelasma ?

Xanthelasma liquid nitrogen freezing, or cryotherapy, is a quick clinic option: a dermatologist applies intense cold to each yellow patch for a few seconds, and the skin blisters, crusts and heals over one to three weeks. It can work on small, flat patches, but it can leave paler or darker skin behind. Here’s what to expect, and how it compares with Xanthel® at home.

Does Freezing Xanthelasma Leave Marks?

It can. Freezing affects the cells that give skin its colour, so the spot where a patch was frozen can heal paler than the skin around it, and sometimes darker as it settles. These changes are more noticeable on medium and darker skin and can last a long time. A small scar is possible too, especially if the area blisters badly or the crust is picked.

How likely that is depends on your skin tone, the size of the patch and how long the cold is applied. A good clinic will talk it through with you, may try a small test area first and won’t rush you into a decision.

How Does Liquid Nitrogen Remove Xanthelasma?

Liquid nitrogen is around minus 196°C. When it touches the skin, ice crystals form inside the cells and break them apart, and the tiny blood vessels feeding the patch are affected too. Over the next few days the frozen skin blisters, crusts and comes away, taking the patch with it, and new skin grows underneath.

On the eyelids, clinics use a fine cotton-tipped applicator or a small probe rather than a wide spray, and protect the eye with a shield, so the cold goes only where it’s meant to. It’s one of several clinic routes; if you’re still weighing them up, see how to get rid of xanthelasma every way, at home or at a clinic.

What Happens On The Day?

Most appointments are short. The clinician checks your patches, explains the risks and protects your eye. They then apply the cold to each patch for a few seconds, sometimes in two short freeze-thaw cycles. It stings and aches while it’s being done, and the area may throb for an hour or so.

Within a day the eyelid usually swells, and a blister forms that dries into a crust. Most people go straight home and can carry on with normal life, though you may not want to be seen for a few days. Thicker patches often need another session once the skin has healed.

Who Is Freezing Right For?

Freezing works most predictably on small, flat patches, particularly on fair skin. It’s used with more care on darker skin tones, and it’s less suited to thick or raised patches, which the cold may not reach all the way through. Patches on the lower lid, such as cholesterol spots under eyes, need an especially gentle touch because the skin there is so thin. It’s also worth asking your GP for a cholesterol check before you book, since that’s a sensible step whichever route you choose.

Healing And Aftercare

Keep the area clean and dry, use any ointment you’re given and leave the crust to come away by itself. Skip eye make-up until the skin has closed, and protect it from strong sun while it’s pink, as that helps the colour settle evenly. If the area becomes hot, very swollen or weepy, or the eye itself gets sore or red, contact the clinic straight away.

Freezing Or Another Option?

Freezing is quicker than laser or Xanthel® sessions for very small patches, while thicker patches are often better suited to a tca peel xanthelasma clinic peel or surgery; our guide to xanthelasma before and after surgery shows what an operation involves. If you’d rather not go to a clinic at all, the box below explains the at-home route, with no cold, no clinic and no waiting list.