Lesion Treatment · Kensington, London
Cryotherapy in London for Warts, Skin Tags and Sun Damage
Cryotherapy is the freezing of an unwanted skin lesion with liquid nitrogen, so that the frozen tissue dies and the body sheds it as the skin heals. At Faciem it is used on benign, diagnosed lesions — sun damage, warts, skin tags and molluscum — and Dr Prasad, a GMC-registered doctor with 20 years’ experience, performs it herself. A session takes around 15 minutes and starts from £150.
Freezing destroys tissue, and destroyed tissue cannot be sent to a laboratory. Every lesion is therefore examined and diagnosed at a face-to-face consultation before any decision to treat it, and anything that does not look clearly benign is biopsied or referred instead of frozen.
- Diagnosed before treated
- Doctor-led throughout
- Medical liquid nitrogen device
- Kensington, London
96%
Patient satisfaction
- Medically reviewed by Dr Prasad
This page sets out how cryotherapy is assessed, planned and carried out at Faciem, and it is checked for clinical accuracy.
Last reviewed: 14 July 2026.
Patient information only. Cryotherapy destroys the tissue it freezes, so treatment follows examination and diagnosis at a face-to-face consultation with Dr Prasad.
Patients since 2019
Procedures
Satisfaction
TL;DR
Cryotherapy at Faciem freezes benign skin lesions — warts, skin tags, molluscum and sun-damaged patches — using liquid nitrogen from a medical canister device, not a pharmacy freeze kit. Dr Prasad, a GMC-registered doctor, examines and diagnoses the lesion at a face-to-face consultation first. Treatment takes around 15 minutes and starts from £150 a session, a fee that also covers any further lesions frozen at that same visit; one to three sessions are commonly needed. The skin usually settles over one to two weeks, and the result is judged at around four to six weeks.
- Liquid nitrogen freezes the lesion precisely
- Diagnosis always comes before freezing
- Pigment change more likely in deeper skin tones
Treatment at a Glance
What to Expect from Cryotherapy
Procedure time
15 minutes
The appointment runs longer than the freeze, because the lesion is examined first.
Treatment price
From £150
A starting figure for one session, including further lesions frozen at that visit.
Results visible
4–6 weeks
The skin heals first; the lesion clears over the weeks that follow.
Results last
Varies by lesion
Warts and molluscum are viral and can return, and sun-exposed skin can grow new patches.
Downtime
1–2 weeks
The area may be red and sore before the skin starts to heal.
Back to work
Straight after
No time away from work is needed, though the treated spot stays visible while it heals.
*The £150 is a starting figure for a single session and moves with what is being frozen and how much of it, so ring the clinic for detail; your own cost is confirmed in writing at consultation. No cryotherapy is carried out without a face-to-face medical assessment first.
About the Treatment
What Is Cryotherapy and How Does It Work?
How freezing removes a lesion, why the diagnosis has to come first, and what the treatment is actually like.
Cryotherapy treats a skin lesion by freezing it with liquid nitrogen. At Faciem the nitrogen comes from a medical canister device fitted with a nozzle tip, so the freeze is controlled and precise, and the frozen tissue then blisters, crusts and separates as new skin heals underneath. Cryotherapy is available at Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic on Kensington Church St, London, led by Dr Prasad.
How freezing removes a skin lesion
Liquid nitrogen is applied through a canister fitted with a nozzle tip, producing what is often called a freeze ball: a controlled zone of frozen tissue that reaches the root of the lesion, not the surface alone. Freezing ruptures the cells inside that zone, and the treated tissue is then broken down and shed as the skin repairs itself.
What you see afterwards is a cold burn. The area reddens and crusts, that crust usually heals over three to seven days, and the wider settling takes one to two weeks. Repeated exposure to liquid nitrogen is often needed to clear a wart virus or to remove damaged cells completely, which is why one to three sessions are commonly required.
Why the lesion is diagnosed before it is frozen
Freezing destroys tissue, and tissue that has been destroyed cannot be examined under a microscope. That is why cryotherapy at Faciem follows a face-to-face examination and diagnosis, never a description over the phone or a photograph sent in advance. Dr Prasad, a GMC-registered doctor with 20 years’ experience, looks at the lesion, establishes what it is, and only then decides whether freezing is the right way to remove it.
A lesion that is pigmented, changing, bleeding, growing or simply not typical of anything benign is not treated cosmetically. It is biopsied or referred instead, because a skin cancer that has been frozen away leaves nothing to send to the laboratory and no way of confirming what it was. If a mole or a pigmented mark is what concerns you, book a dermoscopic mole check before any thought of removal.
What cryotherapy feels like
Cryotherapy is brief. The nitrogen is applied for a few seconds at a time, and most people describe an intense cold followed by a stinging or burning sensation that eases within minutes of the freeze finishing. Treatment takes around 15 minutes for a straightforward lesion; examination, explanation and consent occupy most of the rest of the appointment.
Afterwards the area is usually sore for a few days and may look red and angry before it starts to improve. That appearance is expected, not a complication. Comfort measures vary with the site and the lesion, and what suits your treatment is discussed with you before anything begins.
The liquid nitrogen and the device used
Faciem uses liquid nitrogen from a medical canister device with a nozzle tip, not a freeze kit bought over the counter. The distinction matters more than it sounds. Pharmacy kits use a gas mixture that never reaches the temperature of liquid nitrogen, and they apply it through a foam applicator that is difficult to aim, so they often clear a lesion only partly or damage the skin around it.
A medical canister lets the doctor control both where the freeze lands and how long it is held there, so the treated zone can be matched to the lesion in front of her. That control is what allows a small lesion to be frozen firmly enough to work while leaving as much surrounding skin as possible untouched.
Cryotherapy for sun-related skin damage
Sun-related damage is the commonest reason liquid nitrogen comes out during an appointment at Faciem: sun spots, general sun damage, and the rough, hardened patches called actinic keratoses. Alongside those sit viral lesions such as warts and molluscum, and benign skin tags. The British Association of Dermatologists publishes a patient information leaflet on cryotherapy if you would like to read around the subject before your appointment.
Sun damage rarely arrives as a single spot. Skin that has had years of exposure tends to produce more than one rough patch, and new ones can appear long after the first was treated, so the plan covers the whole affected area, with review and sun protection built into it. A patch that keeps coming back in the same place is a reason to look again at what it is.
Suitable Lesions
What Does Cryotherapy Treat?
Cryotherapy at Faciem treats benign, diagnosed skin lesions in three broad groups: sun-related changes such as actinic keratoses and sun spots, viral lesions such as warts and molluscum, and benign lumps such as skin tags. What is suitable is decided after examination, never from a photograph or a description.
ZONE I
Sun-Related Skin Changes
The commonest reason liquid nitrogen is used during an appointment here.
Actinic keratoses
Rough, hardened patches that build up on skin exposed to years of sunlight. They often need more than one freeze, and new ones can appear on the same sun-exposed area over time.
Sun spots
Flat, discoloured marks left by cumulative sun exposure. Not every brown mark is a sun spot, so the diagnosis is confirmed first — our guide to telling brown spots from freckles explains the differences.
Sun damage
Wider changes from long-term sun exposure across areas such as the face, scalp and backs of the hands. Treatment is planned around the whole affected area, one area at a time.
Anything that is not clearly benign
Sun-damaged skin can also carry early skin cancers, and some look very similar to a harmless patch. A lesion that is changing, bleeding, growing or atypical is biopsied or referred, never frozen.
ZONE II
Viral Lesions
Lesions caused by a virus, where repeated freezing is often needed.
Warts
Cryotherapy is used to clear warts, though repeated exposure to liquid nitrogen is usually necessary to kill the wart virus, so a short course of treatments is more realistic than a single visit.
Molluscum
Molluscum contagiosum produces small, firm, dome-shaped bumps that spread easily. Suitability depends on the number of lesions, their site and who has them, and is assessed individually.
ZONE III
Benign Lumps and Practical Points
Everyday lumps and bumps, and the things to know before a lesion is frozen.
Skin tags
Small, soft, benign tags of skin, often where clothing or skin rubs, and among the commonest benign lumps and bumps people ask about. Freezing is one way to remove them; hyfrecation is the other, and which suits you depends on the tag and where it sits.
How the treated spot looks while it heals
Freezing leaves what is best described as a cold burn: the spot reddens, crusts and heals underneath, usually over three to seven days, with the area settling across one to two weeks. That is the treatment working, not a sign of trouble.
Deeper skin tones and test patching
In Asian and Afro-Caribbean skin, freezing carries a greater chance of disturbing the pigment cells, so alternatives may be discussed or a test patch carried out first.
More than one lesion in a visit
Several small lesions can often be dealt with in the same appointment, and the from-£150 session fee covers the further ones frozen while you are there. Because the final figure follows what is actually being treated, ring us for detail; it is confirmed in writing before anything is frozen.
Choosing the Right Treatment
Cryotherapy vs Hyfrecation: What’s the Difference?
Cryotherapy and hyfrecation both remove benign lesions, but they work in opposite directions: one freezes the tissue, the other passes an electrical current through it. Cryotherapy suits sun-related and viral lesions; hyfrecation for small raised lesions suits milia, sebaceous hyperplasia and similar bumps that benefit from precise removal under local anaesthetic. Which one fits depends on what the lesion is, where it sits and how your skin heals, and that is decided at consultation.
| Cryotherapy | Hyfrecation | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Liquid nitrogen is applied through a canister nozzle, freezing the lesion so that it is destroyed by cold and shed as the skin heals. | A fine needle carrying an electrical current acts as a diathermy, removing the lesion by heat as the tip touches the skin. |
| Best for | Sun damage, sun spots, actinic keratoses, warts, molluscum and skin tags. | Small raised lesions such as milia, skin tags, sebaceous hyperplasia and syringomas. |
| Results appear | Around four to six weeks, once the skin has healed and the lesion has cleared. | The lesion is removed during the appointment; the skin then heals over the following weeks. |
| Results last | Varies by lesion. Warts and molluscum are viral and can return, and sun-exposed skin can grow new patches. | Varies with the lesion. Some types can recur and need re-treating. |
| Downtime | One to two weeks, with the area red and sore before it heals. | A small scab to look after while the skin closes. |
| Ideal candidate | Someone with a diagnosed, benign, sun-related or viral lesion that suits freezing. | Someone with a small, raised, benign lesion that suits precise removal under local anaesthetic. |
Results vary between individuals, and neither treatment suits every lesion. Dr Prasad will tell you directly when freezing is the wrong choice, when another removal method fits better, and when a lesion should be biopsied or referred instead of treated.
Fees & What Affects Them
How Much Does Cryotherapy Cost at Faciem?
Cryotherapy at Faciem starts from £150 for a session, and that session fee covers the further lesions frozen while you are in the chair; it is not charged per spot. What you actually pay depends on how large and how thick those lesions are, and on whether the plan needs one visit or a short course — one to three sessions are commonly required. Sun damage spread across an area is a different job from a single skin tag, and the quote reflects that, so ring us and we will talk through what your own treatment is likely to come to.
Prices for lesion removal in London vary widely, and the cheapest option is rarely the one that ends well. The better question is not what a freeze costs, but who examines the lesion first, what they are qualified to recognise, and what happens if something that looks like a wart turns out to be something else. A treatment that removes an undiagnosed lesion has also removed the chance to find out what it was.
Your cost is confirmed in writing before anything is treated, and you are free to take the plan away and think about it. If Dr Prasad believes cryotherapy is not the right approach, she will say so and set out what she would do instead, including where that means a biopsy, a referral or no treatment at all.
| Treatment | Price |
|---|---|
| Cryotherapy, one treatment session | From £150 |
| Additional lesions treated at the same appointment | Covered by the session fee |
| Repeat session where a lesion needs freezing again | Quoted at review |
| Consultation and skin assessment | Confirmed when you book |
Why Faciem
Cryotherapy from a Doctor Who Examines First
Freezing a lesion is quick. Knowing which lesions should be frozen, which need a biopsy and which should be left alone is the part that takes 20 years’ experience, and it is the part that decides whether the treatment was a good idea.
- Every lesion examined and diagnosed before any decision to treat it
- Treatment carried out by Dr Prasad, a GMC-registered doctor, never delegated
- Liquid nitrogen from a medical canister device, not a pharmacy freeze kit
- Anything suspicious biopsied or referred instead of destroyed
- Pigment risk in deeper skin tones discussed before treatment, with a test patch where appropriate
- Written aftercare instructions given after treatment
Experience & Expertise
Why It Matters Who Freezes the Lesion
Cryotherapy is a destructive treatment. Applied for too short a time it does nothing; applied for too long, or over too wide a margin, it takes healthy skin and pigment with the lesion. How firmly to freeze a particular lesion on a particular person’s skin cannot be read off a chart, which is why Dr Prasad performs the treatment herself.
The larger judgement comes earlier. A wart, a seborrhoeic keratosis, an actinic keratosis and an early skin cancer can look alike to an untrained eye, and freezing the wrong one removes both the lesion and the evidence. Dr Prasad examines first, treats only what she is satisfied is benign, and arranges a biopsy or referral for anything she is not. That order — diagnosis, then treatment — is not negotiable here.
- Dr Anamica Prasad — MBChB (1999), Dip Dermatology (2001), MRCGP, DFFP, DRCOG · a GMC-registered doctor
- Member of the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP), British Medical Laser Association (BMLA), Royal Society of Medicine and the Aesthetic Complications Group · ZO Skin Health UK Faculty & Trainer
- Clinic operated by Derma Medical UK Ltd — registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for diagnostic and screening procedures, surgical procedures, and treatment of disease, disorder or injury (Location ID 1-25573003746)
- Face-to-face medical consultation and examination before any lesion is treated
- Liquid nitrogen delivered through a medical canister device, not a pharmacy freeze kit
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Your Journey, Our Promise
What Happens at a Cryotherapy Appointment
A cryotherapy appointment at Faciem runs in four stages: the lesion is examined and identified, a plan and a price are agreed, the freeze is applied in bursts of a few seconds within an appointment of around 15 minutes, and the treated spot is reviewed once it has healed.
STEP 01
Examination & Diagnosis
Dr Prasad examines the lesion and takes your history, including how long it has been there and whether it has changed, bled or grown. The purpose of this stage is diagnosis: deciding what the lesion is before deciding what to do with it.
STEP 02
Plan & Price
If freezing is appropriate, you are told how many visits are likely, how the spot will look as it reddens and crusts over, and what the plan costs, in writing. If freezing is the wrong answer you are told that too, along with what should happen instead — a biopsy, a referral, another removal method, or leaving the lesion alone.
STEP 03
The Freeze
Liquid nitrogen is applied through the canister nozzle in short bursts to the lesion and a small margin around it. The treatment usually takes around 15 minutes, and you can return to work straight afterwards.
STEP 04
Aftercare & Review
You leave with written aftercare instructions for the treated area. The result is judged once the skin has healed, at around four to six weeks, and a lesion that has not cleared fully can be frozen again.
Side Effects & Safety
What Can Go Wrong with Cryotherapy?
Cryotherapy has predictable effects and a small number of less common ones. Most of what happens afterwards — soreness, redness, a crust that takes days to heal — is the treatment working, not a complication. The two risks that matter are pigment change, which is more likely in deeper skin tones, and the risk of freezing a lesion that should have gone to a laboratory instead.
Common, temporary effects
- Soreness in and around the treated area for a few days
- Redness, which may last while the skin repairs
- A cold burn that crusts over and heals in three to seven days
- One to two weeks before the area settles down completely
Uncommon effects
- Blistering and infection are uncommon but do happen, and both are managed rather than ignored — tell the clinic instead of waiting for your review. The effect to understand before you agree to treatment is pigment change. Freezing can disturb the pigment cells in the skin, leaving the treated spot paler or darker than the skin around it. This is more likely in Asian and Afro-Caribbean skin, it can take months to even out, and it does not always resolve completely. Where that risk is significant, other options are discussed or a test patch is carried out first.
Who cryotherapy is not for
- Cryotherapy is not used on any lesion that has not been diagnosed, and not on a lesion Dr Prasad considers suspicious — those are biopsied or referred, because freezing removes the ability to examine them. Skin tone is assessed on the Fitzpatrick scale before a freeze time is chosen. Deeper skin tones, Fitzpatrick IV to VI, can be treated, but the freeze is held for a shorter time, the margin around the lesion is kept tighter and a test patch matters more, because the risk being managed is post-inflammatory pigment change rather than the lesion itself; on some sites and some lesions another removal method is the better answer. Some medical histories and some medicines also make freezing less suitable, which is why the assessment covers your health and not only your skin. What that means in your case is confirmed at your consultation, so bring a list of your medicines.
After Your Treatment
Looking After the Treated Area
Cryotherapy aftercare comes down to leaving the frozen spot alone while it works through a predictable arc: red and sore on day one, blistering or crusting over days two to seven, the crust lifting by about day seven, and the area settling within one to two weeks. The blister and the crust are dressings the skin has made for itself, so keep the area dry and let each separate in its own time. The result is judged at four to six weeks.
Do
- Keep the frozen spot dry for the first 24 hours, then pat it dry after washing instead of rubbing
- Leave a blister sealed and let it deflate and crust over the following 3 to 7 days
- Use SPF 50 daily on the healing spot for at least three months, as new skin marks more readily
- Ring the clinic within 24 hours if the area turns increasingly painful, swollen or starts to weep
- Come back for review at 4 to 6 weeks, since a lesion that has not cleared can be frozen again
Avoid
- Bursting, draining or dressing over a blister at any point in the first week
- Lifting the crust before it separates by itself, usually 3 to 7 days after the freeze
- Swimming, saunas, steam rooms and hot yoga for 7 days, until the skin has closed over
- Make-up, fake tan and acid skincare on the frozen spot for 7 days, until the crust has gone
- Judging the result before 4 to 6 weeks, while the area still looks red and raw
This is general guidance. The instructions you are handed on the day are written for the lesion that was frozen and for where it sits, and they come first if the two ever differ.
Common Questions
Your Questions, Answered
Cryotherapy questions that come up most at the clinic, from what the freeze feels like to how the spot looks a week later. Anything not covered here can be raised at your consultation.
Does cryotherapy hurt?
Most patients describe cryotherapy as an intense cold followed by a sting or a burn. Each application of liquid nitrogen lasts only a few seconds, and the sting usually eases within 10 to 15 minutes of the freeze finishing. Injected local anaesthetic is not normally used, because the freeze numbs the skin as it works. The treated spot is then tender for two to three days while it crusts. Discomfort varies between individuals, and comfort measures are discussed before treatment starts.
How much does cryotherapy cost in London?
Cryotherapy at Faciem starts from £150, and that buys a session, not a single spot — further lesions frozen during the same visit come under it. The final figure follows the size and thickness of what is being treated and whether one session or a short course is needed, so ring us for detail. Your price is confirmed in writing at consultation, before anything is treated.
Can I exercise or swim after cryotherapy?
Light activity is fine the same day, and the gym can resume after about 48 hours provided the frozen spot stays dry and is not rubbed by clothing or equipment. Leave swimming pools, saunas, steam rooms and hot yoga for 7 days, until the crust has separated and the skin has closed over. Chlorine, heat and heavy sweating all soften a healing crust and lift it early, which is what leaves a mark.
How many cryotherapy sessions will I need?
One to three cryotherapy sessions are commonly required. Viral lesions such as warts usually need repeated freezing, because a single exposure rarely clears the virus completely. Thicker or more established lesions also tend to need more than one visit. The likely number is estimated at consultation, once Dr Prasad has seen what is being treated.
How long does cryotherapy take to work?
The skin heals first and the result follows. Expect the crust to settle within three to seven days and the area to calm over one to two weeks, with the outcome judged at around four to six weeks. Where a lesion has not cleared fully by then, it can be frozen again at a review appointment.
How soon can I go back to work after cryotherapy?
Straight afterwards. Cryotherapy needs no recovery time away from work. What it does need is patience with how the area looks: the treated spot stays visible while it crusts and heals over one to two weeks, which matters if it sits somewhere obvious such as the face or the backs of the hands.
Can cryotherapy leave a pale mark or change my skin colour?
It can. Freezing may disturb the pigment cells, leaving the treated spot lighter or darker than the surrounding skin. This is more likely in Asian and Afro-Caribbean skin, which is why alternatives may be discussed or a test patch carried out first. Pigment change can take months to even out and does not always resolve completely.
Can cryotherapy be used to remove a mole?
A mole is not frozen until it has been examined and its diagnosis is not in doubt, and where there is any question it is biopsied or referred instead. Freezing destroys the tissue, so it also destroys the chance to have that tissue analysed. If a mole is your concern, book a mole check with Dr Prasad before considering removal.
Does cryotherapy work on warts?
Cryotherapy is one of the standard ways of clearing warts, though a wart is caused by a virus and repeated freezing is usually needed to deal with it, so plan for a short course. Warts can also return or appear elsewhere on the skin afterwards. Dr Prasad confirms the lesion is a wart before freezing it, since several other lesions look similar.
Is clinic cryotherapy different from a pharmacy freeze kit?
Yes. Faciem uses liquid nitrogen from a medical canister device, while over-the-counter kits use a gas mixture that does not reach the same temperature and is applied through an applicator that is hard to aim. The larger difference is that a doctor establishes what the lesion is before any of it is destroyed.
Will the lesion come back after cryotherapy?
Some lesions can. Warts and molluscum are caused by a virus and may return or appear elsewhere, and new actinic keratoses can develop on skin that has had years of sun exposure. That is why review matters, and why sun protection is part of the plan. How likely your own lesion is to return depends on what it is, and Dr Prasad will tell you at consultation once she has examined it.
Can I wear make-up after cryotherapy?
Keep make-up off the frozen spot for 7 days, until the crust has separated by itself. Foundation, concealer and fake tan settle into a healing wound and are hard to remove without lifting that crust early, which is what leaves a mark on the skin. Make-up elsewhere on the face is fine straight away, including the day of treatment. Once the area has closed over you can cover it as usual, with SPF 50 on top daily.
Cryotherapy in Kensington, London
A Doctor-Led Clinic in the Heart of Kensington
The clinic sits on Kensington Church St, a few minutes’ walk downhill from Notting Hill Gate and about the same from High Street Kensington. People come to have a lesion looked at from across Kensington and Chelsea, Notting Hill, Holland Park and the wider West London area, and there is a Kensington council underground car park close by if you are driving in.
Opening hours are Monday to Saturday, 10am–7pm, and a cryotherapy appointment is short enough for a lunch hour or an early evening. Plan around the healing more than the appointment: the treated spot crusts and stays visible for a week or two, so if it sits on the face you may prefer to book well clear of a wedding or a holiday.
Wherever you have a lesion frozen, ask what the lesion is first — a clinic that treats on sight cannot tell you. Ask who is holding the device and whether they are registered with the GMC, NMC or GDC. Ask what is in it, because a pharmacy-grade gas is not liquid nitrogen; here it is liquid nitrogen from a medical canister device. And ask for the price in writing before treatment begins.
There is no obligation to go ahead. Plenty of people come for an opinion on a lesion, get a diagnosis, and leave without treatment because none is needed. That is a perfectly good outcome, and often the most useful one.
Plan Your Visit
- Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic
- Phone: +44 20 7131 3539
- 7 Kensington Church St, London W8 4LF, United Kingdom
- Tube: High Street Kensington (few minutes’ walk) · Notting Hill Gate (~10 minutes)
- Parking: Kensington council underground car park nearby
- Open Monday–Saturday, 10am–7pm · Sunday closed
- Cryotherapy appointments bookable online; treatment follows examination and diagnosis
- Consultation-first — no treatment without medical assessment
- Serving Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill & Central London
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Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic · Kensington
Have the Lesion Looked at Before It Is Treated
Book a consultation with Dr Prasad to have the lesion examined and diagnosed, and to find out whether cryotherapy is the right way to remove it. If you would like to hear from people treated here first, read our patient reviews.
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