Most skin cancers do not appear out of nowhere. Many begin as solar keratoses — the rough, scaly pre-cancer patches that come from years of accumulated sun, often easier to feel than to see. Cryotherapy is an non-invasive method to treat these pre-cancers.

Liquid nitrogen is applied to the surface of the lesion, bringing the skin to around −50°C. The abnormal cells do not survive the freeze. The controlled inflammation that follows clears them, and normal skin grows back in their place.

When we find pre-cancerous sun spots during a full skin check, we treat them at the same appointment, at no additional gap to pay.
Solar keratoses are like early rust spots on steel. Treating them early prevent deeper structural damage later.

Cryotherapy treats pre-cancerous lesions. It is a surface treatment, so it works best on thin ones.
It is not a treatment for an established skin cancer. Freezing a cancer can settle the surface while leaving the cancer beneath it, and the appearance of improvement may delay the diagnosis and the treatment actually needed. This is why every lesion is examined with dermoscopy before it is treated, and why we will not freeze a spot we have not properly assessed. How we examine your skin →

Thin lesions usually resolve with a single treatment. Thicker ones may need more than one. Where the same area is treated repeatedly, the pigment cells can be reduced and the skin may heal a shade lighter than the skin around it.

Seborrhoeic keratoses ("Seb Ks"). The tan, brown or black spots with a stuck-on appearance that most people accumulate with age. They are not cancerous and they do not need treating. We can treat them when they are catching on clothing or otherwise causing symptoms, or at your request. They often need several treatments and they frequently return.
Skin tags. Soft, skin-coloured growths on a small stalk, usually on the neck, underarms or thighs. Also not cancerous.

• Pre-cancerous lesions: covered by a Medicare rebate. We do not charge a gap.
• Seb Ks and skin tags: not covered by Medicare. $50 for up to five, then $10 each. Minimum charge $50.

About solar keratoses →.