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How to Freeze Flat Warts on Your Face

Flat warts are the result of an infection by one of the many types of human papilloma virus. Flat warts usually present as a cluster of small, skin-colored warts and are common on the face as well as the legs, arms and any shaving area. Removing warts by freezing is called cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is performed by applying a very cold substance, usually liquid nitrogen, to freeze the wart. As the wart freezes, the water inside the skin becomes ice and the expanding ice crystals destroy the skin cells infected with the virus.

Things You'll Need

  • Cryotherapy applicator
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Instructions

  1. Removing Flat Warts From the Face

    • 1

      Clean the area to be treated with soap and water and then dry the area completely. Inspect each wart by looking at it closely and feeling it with your finger. Pinch or squeeze the wart lightly to determine how deep it penetrates into the skin and where the borders are. This step is important because the entire wart, including what cannot be seen, must be frozen for cryotherapy to be effective

    • 2

      Center the cryotherapy applicator over the wart and push down with moderate pressure for 15 to 20 seconds. Take care to freeze as little uninfected skin as possible. It is very clear where tissue is being frozen because the tissue will turn white with frost. About one minute after the applicator is removed, the treated area will turn red and have a very clean, clear border against the untreated skin. This red area can be used as a guide to what skin has been treated. Do not freeze the same tissue twice in one treatment.

    • 3

      Monitor the wart for changes daily. As the redness recedes over the next two to three weeks, the wart should become smaller or even disappear altogether. Many warts will require two to three treatments to resolve completely, especially if you are treating a cluster of warts. If multiple treatments are necessary, the treated tissue must heal completely before any additional cryotherapy treatment can be performed. Two to three weeks is a sufficient amount of time for the tissue to heal between treatments.

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