I would’ve never thought about using wart freeze-off kits on my DSAP. Just like I would have never thought to cut open a pineapple if I didn’t already know about the sweet fruit hiding inside. Just goes to show that through trial and error we eventually find a sweet solution.
Using these kits really is an awesome trick for us DSAP’ers because it’s really for wart removal, plus it’s convenient. You get the same result as going to the doctor and getting them frozen off, but from the comfort of your own home, none of the attitude from the doctor, or the expense (if you don’t have insurance).
It would take a long time and a lot of money to get rid of all of my spots with this trick, BUT, it’s perfect for stubborn spots on hands and feet that really bother you.
What it is:
A small canister of liquid nitrogen. It comes with long Q tips which you insert into the canister for a few seconds, withdraw and then press onto the DSAP lesion you want to remove.
Next let’s get the record straight on what products you should and should NOT be using.
DO USE
WART FREEZE KITS (the operative word being FREEZE). The most popular one is Dr. Scholl Freeze Away Wart Remover. Compound W and Wartner also make Freeze Kits as well although I can’t comment on them as I haven’t tried them. If you have please leave your thoughts in the comments section. You can get all of them at the drug store or on Amazon.
DO NOT USE
Traditional wart medications (like gels) that do no explicitly have the word FREEZE on them. So, do NOT buy: Compound W Wart Remover Fast-Acting Gel. You won’t be happy. Repeat after me, do NOT buy: Compound W Wart Remover Fast-Acting Gel!
What it Does/ What to Expect
After putting the tip on the spot, it takes just a few seconds and then the entire spot turns white. Depending on the area of the spot keep the tip pressed to the spot anywhere from 5-15 seconds. After you see it turn white keep it there for a few more seconds. Different areas of the body may need different applicator contact time. For me. the lower legs need a little longer than the thighs. But of course this is all trial and error and everyone is different.
Unfortunately you will get blisters but BEWARE! Although the temptation will be to pop them, DON’T. The skin is still healing below. The blisters stay blistery for 3-5 days and then they firm up, and scab away. Again the temptation will be to pick the scab. Don’t pick! Let the scab fall off by itself. The whole process may take about 10-14 days or so.
My advice-Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. My favorite by far for the face is the one by ELTA MD , I use it everyday rain or shine. It’s a great moisturizer, also contains hyaluronic acid and is available in tinted as well!
I have a DSAP spot on my foot. A single spot that’s been there forever. When my feet are cold it turns purple. This is going to be my next project. The lone spot on my left foot. I’ll keep you posted.
Please share your experience with Wart Removal Freeze kits. Did they work for you? Give us the low down!
DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor and this is only my experience. Please consult your dermatologist if you have questions (although likely he or she will tell you not to try this because it’s less business for them!)
I have tried this too with success. I have done some on my hands, feet and thighs so far. I am tempted to do some on my arms but am afraid that if I “overdo” them I will end up with hypo-pigmentation areas that are very noticeable. I do have one of these areas on my thigh; it was the first DSAP spot that I tried with this treatment and kept the product on too long. My dermatologist has said that you should keep the product on for 5-7 seconds after the white “bubble” has formed. This is what I do now and so far, I have had no problems. I have posted some photos on the DSAP Yahoo site of before and after using the home freezing kits.
Jo (UK)
Thanks Joanna!
So I’ve been brave and have been trying this. I first did 12 spots on my legs — I figured summer was drawing to a close and I could do it. But then I had a pool party and someone noticed the spots — almost with horror. So keep them hidden while they heal. The spots get very dark for a while.
I’m pretty thrilled with the results so far. All the scabs have come off and the ones that I have not scratched have healed nicely. I need to leave the rest alone. There is no sign of the lesions except for one that I didn’t do deep enough. In my experience, I had to do 20-25 seconds to get a good blister and it’s only with the blister that I seem to get rid of the lesion. This is similar to five lesions that my dermatologist froze off over the years — none grew back and none caused pigmentation issues.
I’ve now gotten more adventurous and have a further three underway on my legs and 12 on my arms. I’ve been picking the worst ones and going from there. The scabs are off two and both look quite good. I’ve so far avoided the most tanned areas of my arms — I’ll work my way in with caution.
I’m hoping to get rid of the most noticable and/or most itchy lesions now and then slowly, over time, work away at the rest until what’s left aren’t worth going after or the tradeoff between possible pigmentation issues and lesions doesn’t rule in their favor.
So far, this is the best solution I’ve tried. The dozens of lesions left on my legs aren’t noticable so I’m essentially clear there. My arms require much more work with hundreds of lesions, but now I can manage the situation.
Hi Grant,
Great to hear a success story! I tried doing this one my foot– I had a rather big one that was stubborn, wouldn’t budget with the tax/eff routine. But a blister never formed. Not sure if I didn’t use enough, or for long enough. Has that ever happened to you, one that didn’t blister up?
I’ve really gotten carried away with this. After doing about 30 lesions, I decided that it was time to go for the big time. It’s now after summer and, even in San Diego, I can now wear long sleeves. So… throwing caution to the wind, I’ve done another 150 spots — all at once. In some respects this is crazy, but after 30 years of watching these spots slowly invade every inch of my arms and legs, I just want to be rid of these things. I’m now at day 10 of this round and the scabs are starting to flake away. Everything looks good. The spots easily go bright red, but they otherwise look and feel like normal, lesion-free, skin. I’m going to take a few months off from this and let this round heal completely. I figure I can easily find another 150 to attack, but for now I’m just excited at the prospect of not having so many lesions covering me.
I’ve learned a few things:
– The skin on the back of my hands seems really stubborn. For some reason, it’s really hard to get a blister there. So far I haven’t gotten a single one there to blister up. So those results are mixed. The tops of the feet might be the same.
– Picking at the scab is a good way to lengthen the healing process and the result is redder at the outset and darker when they heal. So, if possible, leave the scabs alone.
– When you do this many lesions at once it’s easy to come to see yourself as hideous — and that can take a personal toll. As they heal, they don’t all heal at the same rate and it’s easy to get concerned that perhaps you’ve made a bad situation worse. Just be patient and give the body time to heal. Even if the dark ugly scabs don’t feel like they’ll ever go away, they will. And the bright redness will subside, but that part of the healing can be very slow. I’m expecting the total healing time to be a year or so.
– Keep the skin clean. Infections will slow the healing and could lead to scarring.
– It’s amazing that removing such a thin layer of skin removes a thirty year old lesion. These truly are “superficial’.
– It’s super nice to run my finger over the parts of my arms where the scabs have come off and feel smooth normal skin. I haven’t felt that in over 30 years.
You remind me of me. I have done several on my hand and I agree with your comment. I now freeze them off at an earlier stage where possible and find they also heal faster than anything on my arms or legs, and with good results. Legs take the longest for some reason. Best discovery ever.
Hey , Grant This is so exciting to hear. I also have porokeratosis & it has been devastating at times . I came across tjhis & after I reply , I’m on my way to get this product!!! Hoping it will work for me too. That would be life changing. Crossing finders & thx again for advice👍
I friend requested you a n FB. I have never actually known anyone personally ( other than my family) who has this skin disorder . I’m looking for a support group to exchange experiences & solutions with porokeratosis. Thankyou
Hi Grant and Lorna, thanks so much for your valuable contributions!!! It would be extremely helpful if you could show some before and fate shots (especially after shots!). After having 2 trial lesions frozen off last winter and the redness still being there 6 months on, though roughness of skin is gone, I’d love to see how this has worked in action as I’m getting desperate! Thanks again for your posts.
I’m not sure how to post a photo. Perhaps I could email you one. You do have to be patient with freezing. The long term issue you have to deal with is that redness. I think that it can take up to a year or two for it to totally subside. The lesions I did still have that redness, two and a half months onward. The lesions I picked at are the worst. But, by and large, this is way better than having the lesions. My dermatologist froze off three lesions on my leg about 18 months ago and those spots are now almost all gone, but still faintly visible. Some spots I had done back in 2007, also on that leg, are impossible to find now, but they took their time to disappear. Another thing I’ve found is that the type of light makes a big different in how visible the redness is. Under bright fluorescent light, like in a bathroom, the redness is very visible. In sunlight, especially through glass, the skin instead looks white, a bit paler than my other skin. I’m guessing that’s because it’s new skin and the pigmentation from sun exposure hasn’t had a chance to occur yet.
Hi Grant,
I added a plugin so you could upload images.
thanks,
Lorna
Hi l use Duofilm l find it’s easier to use my sun spots
have faded still doing.l leave on for about 4 hours.
Hello,
I have also tried the freezing route. Last Spring I had my derm freeze two of the worst looking spots, one on my calf, the other on my thigh. Both blistered and eventually healed, with no sign of the lesions. The red scars faded to pale pink and no obvious traces left almost six months later. I have very pale Irish skin, so any marks are very evident. With these positive results, I took the plunge last week and had the majority of the spots on my lower legs frozen ( I wanted to be able to wear skirts and cropped pants without embarrassment). All of the spots blistered and these lasted several days. As Grant mentioned above, they begin to look a lot worse before they get better. My concern now, after the 10 days, is the blisters have gone down, and red/brownish spots are left in their place. I can still see the lesion outlines! I am afraid I have made things worse. I know I need to be patient, but I am concerned that the spots will stay this darker color rather than scab up and fall off (taking the lesion with it as hoped!) I wanted to see if anyone had this experience as well? I am prepared for the scaring to take a long time to heal, but I am nervous that perhaps she didn’t go deep enough. I have been photo documenting the process as well and will share shortly on the Yahoo board. I find this group immensely helpful and supportive and thank everyone for their contributions!
Amy
Hi Amy,
I had 2 test spots frozen off mid 2014, one on my arm and one mid way up my calf. With both of them I could still see the lesion outlines and I had the same worry as you. Mine took a good 4-5 weeks before they stopped being so red and dark after the scabbing. The one on my arm is now completely smooth. A few months ago it would still go red when the other spots were red, but I just tried to find it a minute ago (haven’t looked at it in a while) and there is no trace of it.
I don’t think the one on my leg went deep enough, BUT its still completely smooth and I have to really look hard to see it. Its definitely better than it was before the freezing that’s for sure. But I can see where it was and there is a very faint spot there.
Can you tell me how to get to the Yahoo Board? If it has photos I’d love to see them as I love this website and its so helpful, but photos would be great so I can see other people’s experiences and work out if I want to give them a go.
Cheers
Alison
Hi Alison, I just added the ability to upload photos…for some reason it stopped working but now all is well.
Cheers,
Lorna
Brilliant thanks Lorna!
Hi Amy, a few points. I don’t know if it is possible to make things any worse — just my opinion borne out of years of frustration with these darn spots. I do know that after about 10 days, my lesions also looked like I hadn’t actually gotten rid of the outline. In some cases, that was actually true and I must repeat the process. I was cautious and didn’t touch healthy skin. I errored on the side of making the freeze burn too small rather than too big. However, that meant that while I got nice fresh skin in the middle, I frustratingly am left with the outline. But, the skin goes through many stages as it heals and a lot of those stages involve pealing which somewhat looks like the skin with the lesions. After a few weeks things sorted out. You just have to be patient. For me, the hardest part was just before the scabs came off – which led me to pick at them. Picking at the scabs definitely makes the healing time much longer. If you let the scabs come off when they’re ready, the skin underneath will be a bright pink but will subside after about a week. For me, it becomes tolerable to let the world see the result about two weeks after the scabs have come off.
Here is a picture of my arm after I went at it with Dr Scholls. Yikes!
Here is the result, after about 10 weeks.
Do you do the 2nd step in the process and apply the liquid or just strictly the freezing aspect?
Here is the result, after about 10 weeks
Can you tell me how long did the spots remain bright red and scabby after the treatment ? Did you use anything on them to speed the healing process . Do the spits look far worse for a while before they get better ??
Grant,
Thank you so much for the pics.
I was wondering what others’ experience has been with healing after freezing vs. tax/eff treatment. Have you found that one treatment takes longer than the other for the spots to fade? I have done both and I am in the healing phase now so just wondering what I should expect from the 2 different treatments.
I am trying this on a trial spt on my leg but it didn’t cause a blister ? When does the blather come up ? Immediately after the leg is white with the freezing ?? The spot just now looks very red and inflamed but maybe I didn’t freeze for long enough . I really want this to work for me but need to get it right !
A few hours after the freezing and the blister has formed . The blister is hard and whole area looking red . I guess it is just a game if wait and see now . Are there any essential oils that can speed the process or help with healing ?
Hi Grant- I wanted your opinion. I got spots frozen off my arm about 6 weeks ago. I am now left with pink scars where they were. II have white Irish skin but they are still so noticeable. Do you think they will fade? or remain pink? Really bothering me.. Please reply back
So, I’m at it again. After doing about 200 spots last October, I’ve decided to go for the rest before I get too far into spring time. Tonight I’ve done a few dozen more. This time around, it’s a lot harder to choose sites to go after — because the worst ones are gone.
All in all, I’m now attacking the lesions I didn’t fully get rid of last time and getting rid of much younger and much less noticeable lesions, particularly on my upper arms. In the case where I’m retreating an area, I’m usually dealing with a remnant side of a lesion rather than the whole lesion. I guess it’s just an area I didn’t hit hard enough or I missed the first time around.
As for the earlier treatments, the lesions are still noticeable after almost 5 months, but they’re definitely fading away. Until this last treatment tonight, my arms were looking and feeling way better than they had in years. It’s still possible to see the condition, if someone looks for it, but nobody casually interacting with me notices it anymore. Depending on the lighting conditions, the spots now either look whiter than my normal skin or redder than my normal skin — but by a lesser and lesser amount as time goes by.
I think this is as close to a cure as we’re going to find.
Grant – thank you so much for sharing your experience with the at home freezing. I’m going to try this as well. My lesions on my legs look exactly like the ones on your arms AFTER you froze them. They are bright red, scaly and just plain awful!! In the past, my dermatologist has tried freezing and left white scars on my arms and brown scars on my lower legs – but, I will take the scars over these unsightly lesions.
Lorna – I also thank you SO MUCH for this site and your info on the freezing!! I was starting to think my mother and I were the only people on earth with this unsightly disease!!
Wow!! This gives me hope… I am going out tomorrow to get the Dr. Sholls freeze Wart Remover. I will post before and after pictures.. I just had PDT done on my arms 3 days ago but my legs look bad. I will try a few spots now before the summer hits and see how it goes. It would be wonderful to have something readily available for the most bothersome spots.
Thanks so much for everyone’s suggestions….
I’ve ended up doing another 65 lesions. So, all in all, I’ve frozen off more then 250 lesions now. I have three bothersome ones left that I missed and dozens of smaller one that I can only find with a magnifying glass. While I’m still healing, I’m already way better than I’ve been in decades. My arms still look a bit splotchy, but they’re getting better rather than worse and they feel perfectly normal. No more roughness. I think next fall I will go at what is left. For now, I can enjoy summer without arms that everyone asked me about.
Have you tried using something to fade the spots after they have healed like rosehip oil or tumeric powder? Have you heard of Perrin’s blend for dsap spots?
Hi there,
yes, i have a post in here all about Perrins Blend, check it out!
How many lesions can you do with one can?
How many lesions can you do with one can?
inam looking forward to trying this. Did you use anything on the scabs to help,promote healing?
Iam definitely going to try this,my dermatologist told me I had to live with it!…. Mine is so far confined to my lower legs, and started after my last pregnancy(twins). I have suffered with eczema my entire life, I have been on immune suppressants for the last year for it, along with corrosives and anti histamines and the spots definitely got worse during the last year, so wonder if there is a link. I am scared stiff to have my legs in the sun now, not even in the garden Am I mad?
Hi all I just wanted to chime in on this and report my experience with the home freezing in case it may help someone. Just to introduce myself I am Emily, 32 years old and have had DSAP for around 6 years….I honestly don’t know when I first noticed the scaly lesions because I was in my 20’s and having so much going on all the time and the lesions were never red or noticeable so I just moisturized and never thought about it. I do remember 6 years ago looking it up online to see if I could find out what it was called because my Mom had the same dry patches as I did. As of this Spring I have lots of lesions go red and have seen many new ones come up both colorless and red. I am a redhead with green eyes and freckles. I burn easy but also tan if done carefully. I wanted to try something gradually this Summer so I would know if this would be something to go full force with in the Fall. As of May I have frozen a total of 12 spots on arms and legs. I’ve been trying to get the hang of it and see how well different areas of my arms and legs reacted/healed. What I did was took advice from a lady on the DSAP Yahoo group forum and froze my legs for 5 seconds once the whiteness forms and you feel the sting and I did my arms for 4 seconds (of course just counting in my head so it’s not exact). Here are my findings so far (I will be doing a lot more freezing some Fall):
Legs
Lower legs – The 4 spots I froze on my lower legs all reacted very well and healed to very little pink left within 2-3 weeks of scabs coming off, which takes about 2 weeks for them to fall off. Two spots were especially red before freezing and now they are gone. I’ve done 1 spot on my calf and the pink took longer to fade, about 8 weeks until it was faded to almost skin color – it does get red when I take a hot bath or something still 2.5 months later, but still better than before and fading even more (sometimes I can barely find it). On all of these spots I froze the lesion rings were removed and skin is smoother.
Thigh – The 2 spots I did on my thigh about 5 inches up from my knee have taken the longest to fade it’s been 7 weeks and they are still slightly pink and go a bit purple when I’m cold or just out of bath, but they still have faded greatly since being frozen and I think look better than before already. The skin is smoother and no rings.
Arms
Upper arms – I did 2 spots near my shoulder that the scabs came off in 1 week and they healed and faded within 2 weeks. They are smooth and have a slight pink to them sometimes but nothing that bothers me. 1 spot I did a little lower down, right where short-sleeves end on most of my shirts, and it reacted well but it wasn’t a bad one to begin with, it’s been a little over 1 week since the scab came off of that one and it’s pink but not that noticeable.
Lower arms – The 3 others spots I did are near my left wrist, 2 of which are covered by my watch I wear everyday. The spot that is not covered by my watch was one of the first spots I froze about 10.5 weeks ago and I don’t think I froze it long enough. The scab peeled away and the skin was smoother and those hair follicle “plugs” were gone but a faint ridge outline remained. I think I now see one hair follicle rising but it looks far better than before I froze it. It’s smoother and not noticeable. The other 2 I did a little deeper and both are smooth, no sign of the lesions but still pink most of the time with a slight whiteness to the skin around it so I’m wondering if this area may be prone to hypo-pigmentation. We’ll see but a slight white scar would be better to me anyway, I’m not seeking perfection by any means.
I have lots of red ones I want to zap in the Fall and cannot wait to do so! I don’t care if it takes months for the pink/red to fade…I just want them gone. I hope others have as much luck as I’ve had with this. Freeze a few areas at first somewhere that can be hidden for a few weeks. Good luck!
Emily
Have you ever thought of having a chemical peel done on your legs? A good peel will take several layers of skin off. I’m thinking this may be a better way for a large area.
Did you ever do the chemical peel? And if so, any success with it?
Yay this is such good news to hear!! Finally something that actually sounds encouraging 🙂
How are you getting on with the frozen off lesions now? Did any ever come back a few years on? Or have they faded away?
Would love to hear any updates 🙂
Love, Kelly
Thank you everyone for your comments and advice, i was diagnosed last year and after my baby 6 weeks ago some lesions came up on my hand they look horrible and ive been beside myself, my dermatologist basically said “theres nothing you can do; get over it”
Ive been so upset lately and have found some comfort reading your messages, i have had 3 spots on my hand frozen off last week and the skin looks so red and yuk that my heart sinks everytime i look at my hand it can be prety distressing, i bought perrins blend but was waiting to see if i need it..anybody had luck with perrins blend?
I thought I would give an update to my somewhat aggressive use of this treatment. For the most part, it has worked and all the lesions have gone and stayed gone for over a year now. So, I’ve eliminated about 250 lesions on my arms and legs. A few, however, have returned and I’ve reapplied the freezing to get rid of them.
The one drawback to this is hypo pigmentation and some hyper pigmentation. If I get too aggressive, the result is hypo pigmentation and that’s permanent. If I don’t stay out of the sun while the skin is healing — about 4 to 6 weeks, I get hyper pigmentation. The result has been splotchy irregular looking skin. It’s a big improvement over the lesions and nobody has asked about it, but I see it.
In an attempt to reduce the hyper pigmentation, I’m doing rounds of IPL light treatment. I did a test spot and the result was very promising. I’ve now had the first of three sessions and am eagerly awaiting the result. My arms are dark and messy looking right now, but I should start seeing a result in a couple days.
As for the hypo pigmentation, I’m hoping getting rid of the darker hyper pigmentation will even things out and make hem less noticeable. But, there’s little that can fix that other than time and luck.
Thanks Grant and Lorna for the great information on freezing.
I hit about four spots on my thigh about three weeks ago. They did not bubble up put the roughness is gone. I just went after about ten pesky ones on my calves. I used the Dr. Scholl’s Freeze Away Wart Kit.
I did see liquid nitrogen cans for sell thru Amazon. People apply it to a Q-tip or spray thru a straw for warts and skin tags. It looked like you could do many more treatments with one can than the small can from Dr. Scholl’s. Have any of you tried any other products for the freezing?
This site is a blessing Lorna. Thank you so much. I do not feel alone and power in numbers to come up with solutions. I will keep the forum informed of the results.
Thanks to all of you fellow DSAPers have commented and offered up their experience.
Five days in photo of wart freeze treatment on several pesky spots on leg. Hoping I froze it long enough and not too long. It looks awful right now, but hoping it heals well plus removes the hard scaly spots.
Trying to add photo, but keep getting error that page doesn’t exist.
One more update. After two IPL treatments on my arms, they seem to have done the trick in getting rid of the hypo-pigmentation. It seems that, over the years, pigmentation builds up and you get somewhat of a permanent tan. The IPL got rid of that, so now my arms are much lighter and the irregular coloring from the freezing has gone away.
However, the more severe hypo-pigmentation from a couple biopsies I had done remain. I think that this scraping went much deeper and totally wound the clock back to baby skin without any color whatsoever. At least this is limited to just a couple spots.
Also, there has been another downside. The few remaining lesions I hadn’t treated didn’t like the IPL too much. They appear to have become darker while the rest of my skin became lighter — which wasn’t what I was hoping for.
But, this is easily fixed. I can now see the lesions that remain and so I can target them with one last freezing expedition. I’ve frozen about 40 or so remaining spots, putting me at around 300 in total — and that’s all of them on my arms now done. Some remain on my legs, but they’re barely noticeable.
I bought a three pack of IPL treatments, so I have one left which I will use to finish things up on my arms. Hopefully, once this is done, I will be done with DSAP. I’m trying to make a habit of always wearing sunscreen when I’m outside and avoiding direct sun as much as possible. That sucks in San Diego, but what can I do.
Now I must find a solution for the poikiloderma of civatte on my neck. I wonder why my skin is so troubled.
Grant,
Were your lesions ever red before you started freezing them?
Yes, a lot of the older ones had become quite red over time. It seemed that as the lesion grew, the skin in the center would become thinner and thinner. As the skin got thinner, the more red and the more fragile it would be. I also found that if I ever aggravated an older lesion, as I seemed to do quite often, it would quickly go a bright red and then stay that way for many months.
FWIW, tomorrow marks 30 years exactly since I first noticed this condition. I spent the Saturday helping a friend work in his yard. While driving out on the Sunday morning to continue the project, I noticed the spots on my left arm. All this time and I’ve finally found an apparent way out of it.
Hi, I’m glad to know about the Dr. Scholl’s product. This did not exist when I first researched at-home cryotherapy options. I’ve had some removed by a doc, but I don’t have good insurance and I struggled to get the docs to go along with it. So that’s how I ended up with this product: http://free-of-blemishes.com/. I wasn’t crazy about the directions, but I went for it and the product worked like cryotherapy. However, it’s expensive. My question is about how many spots the Dr. Scholl’s product will treat. Can anyone here give an estimate?
I can get several dozen out of a single canister.
This is the BEST beauty, on-the-cheap, regimen I have EVER tried! I did the right side of 2 sun spots and it took 1 week for the scab to fall off. (I’m a quick healer). Left side had 3 and one was a tricky spot that was lower on my cheek and was not sure it would work as the skin tends to go thinner there. Well, 1 week later – GONE. I’m dealing with post freeze-off now – where the spots are just pink. I apply liberally polysporin to ensure no infection – yet the spot is protected. Skin is healing quite nicely!!! Have spread the word on this miracle remover (and yes, I understand the spots may come back. But for now – I’m a happy camper. Wish this site had a place to put a picture of before and after!!! 🙂
Grant,
Thanks for your response. I guess after the summer I just need to start freezing them, it makes me a little nervous. You are brave to freeze so many ar one time. Did it hurt or just mainly itch as they healed? Have they returned since freezing? Sorry so many questions, just trying to find answers.
No, it didn’t hurt. There was mild discomfort as I froze them, but I wouldn’t call it pain. I found minor tenderness for a couple days after freezing. Then, about 10 days into healing, itching would start which inevitably lead me to scratch off the scabs which only prolongs the healing.
I few didn’t go away after healing and I had to repeat the process. There is definitely a right amount of freezing necessary to get rid them. I generally put the freezing pad on the lesion and waited for it to go “poof” and then freeze all the skin. At that point everything goes white and then there is a bit of a crackling noise. I worked the freeze in for another 10-20 seconds until the noise stopped. That seemed to be the right amount of freeze to do the job. The most successful freezes would blister up soon afterwards — making it so hard to leave alone and let it just heal. But that is very important.
Right now, I’m three weeks past my last, and hopefully final, freezing episode. All scabs are off and the skin is mostly healed up, but is still a bit pink. Some lesions have a darker ring around them that will fade mostly. What doesn’t fade will come away with my third and final IPL treatment. The best part is that my arms feel almost totally normal with none of the rough scaliness that they have had for decades.
Today was the first day I didn’t feel uncomfortable being seen in public with my arms bare. They’re still red, but after 30 years of DSAP, I’m used to not having perfect arms to show.
@Grant Vergottini Please tell me what happens if it does not form the blister… One spot is much darker now but it didn’t blister. Will this most likely peel anyways or will I need to re-freeze ? Thanks!
In my experience, if it doesn’t blister, it will also peel. I’ve had more mixed results with ones that didn’t blister. In some cases, those ones have come back after a few months. I’ve redone the procedure and they seem to have finally gone away.
Ellie,
How many did you freeze? Is it healing nicely? I’ve been wanting to try the freezing but afraid I will make it worse.
Thanks so much
Have any of you tried this on lesions of the face? I have a couple of very persistent–but small–scaly spots on my cheeks. I have a bit of time where I’m not too worried about being seen in public, and I thought I might give the freezing a try on one of the spots. I have used the same treatment on my hands and arms with great success. What do you think?
Jenny,
How long did it take your arms to heal? Do you have before and after photos? Have you tried your legs? I want it try it but am very nervous as to the procedure at home
Hi,
I’m new to this site, can someone please tell me if you can use the Freeze Off tip on multiple spots/lesions? It states that it can only be used on one wart and I’m not using it for warts. Any instructions on how you reuse the tip would be helpful and how many you can get, and do you put it in the canister for more solution before hitting the next spot? If I get one spot per tip, it will cost alot of money. I’m so excited to try this!
thanks so much,
Nancy
I use a single tip for many lesions — dozens actually.
Yet another update. I’ve now healed from my latest round. There is still some mild discoloration around the few lesions that had been on the underside of my arm where the skin is much lighter. This improving as time goes by though. Overall, I’m thrilled. What’s left now is nothing anyone would ever notice or ask me about. As before, the skin is slightly mottled in appearance, but that seems about average for someone in their 50’s anyway. I might do one more IPL treatment to clear that up. We will see. It’s not really necessary.
Frustratingly, there are still lesions. If the lighting is right, I’m wearing reading glasses, and I look very carefully I can see that there are still plenty of lesions, but it really takes close examination to find them. I think that, after thirty years of DSAP, there are so many lesions that it’s impossible to completely rid yourself of them. But, on the positive side, I have a low-cost and reliable solution to take out any lesions should they become troublesome or visible.
So I wish I had seen your post prior to another post that said to use compound w gel! I used it and the spot on my face turned very dark, but it never scabbed off. Now I just have a dark spot. Do you have any idea if it will eventually heal and go back to being lighter? Should I used the freeze off on that same spot?
Thanks!!
I find that spots go dark if you irritate the skin and then let it get some sun. It’s really important to avoid the sun while the skin is healing – usually for a month or more. I’ve used IPL treatments to reduce the darkness of spots that have turned dark due to premature exposure to the sun. But, it’s a pricey solution.
I read a blog that said the fast acting gel worked for her. Why did you say not to use it? It seems easier than the freeze tip procedure. And you say you use one tip for many spots. Do you reload it with nitrogen for each spot? Thanks
No one said if you can do the face? If you did sorry i must have missed it.
Grant could you tell me if you move the tip around or leave it in the center of spot? Have you treated your forehead? I have one spot on my forehead Id like to remove..and can you reuse tip in one session on more than one spot?
Anyone try milkweed sap/cream yet? I have some being shipped.
Has anyone tried this product on your face? For obvious reasons, I’ve hesitated.
It works on your face Susan. What I did that pinpoints the spots is trim the cotton applicator tips to various sizes with scissors to fit the size of the spot. That way you don’t over damage surrounding healthy skin. If you have very small spots on the face I found a narrow thinner tip does the trick quite nicely..this is the best way to do this. and much less noticeable afterward, just a mark right at the spot. As Mr. Grant has said though stay out of the sun as much as possible throughout the healing process or wear sunscreen.
It’s now been four years since I started treating my lesions this way. In those four years, absolutely nobody has noticed my skin condition — whereas previously people were often asking me what was going on, not realizing it was a chronic condition. Unless you look very closely and in very good light, you won’t notice anything.
I still have lots and lots of lesions, but they are so minor as to not be noticeable. Every so often a lesion becomes bothersome and I freeze it off. I just did two on an arm and two on a leg.
As time has worn on, the irregularities in my skin tone have evened out — not totally, but to a good degree. Happily, most of the dark spots from healing lesions getting sun too quickly have completely cleared up. It seems that if you go too deep when freezing off a lesion, the result is too pale, but if you let a healing wound get sun too quickly, the result is too dark. The pale ones remain too pale.
My skin remains rough to the touch. This is because there are still numerous lesions. I use a scrub pad when I shower and it seems to help keep things under control.
I started using gold bond rough and bumpy skin….it is great…i still have the lessons bit they are, and my skin all over is so much smoother. Really recomendcit
Has anyone used the wart removal on their face… I hava a few on my forehead I’d like to remove but wasn’t sure about such a sensitive area..
I did this procedure 6 months ago and I stroll have the discoloration, reddish purplish spots. Very worried that they want disappear and it looks worse than the age spots to begin with. It will be long pants for me this summer and maybe forever. If the redness ever goes away I will be so happy because the age spots did peel off with the scabs but I thought these red spots would go awat
It’s been a while since I last looked at this thread — and that’s a good thing. I no longer spend so much time worrying about my skin. Hopefully the purplish color faded with time — it usually takes it’s time but eventually you can’t see them anymore.
Here’s are my experiences:
I can confirm that the *gel* wart removing products (salicylic acid) are a pain to use and ineffective for permanent removal of sunspots.
I paid a dermatologist $5 each to freeze off two test spots. They both blistered. One spot is completely gone and smooth. The second one remained red for a long time, but appears to be slowly healing.
I also paid him $75 to do 3 laser spots on my cheek. It did not do a thing.
I bought Walmart’s freeze off product (Equate brand) and applied to 3 test spots for 20 seconds each. None of them blistered but they initially turned white for a few minutes. I noticed the sunpots look larger now. Am waiting patiently to see if they eventually fall off. If not, I will have to redo and perhaps freeze off for more than 20 seconds. How fun.
Of course I’m using a lot of SPF30 suntan lotion whenever I go out.
Good luck everyone.
I’m now at five years since I started freezing off these lesions — it’s amazing how time flies.
The lesions have not come back — but slowly new ones have appeared. This year I had quite an outbreak on my legs. It seems that exposure to sun draws them out. Anyway, after the summer was over I did my usual freeze on the new lesions and all have healed. Purple spots are left behind but they’re fading and they don’t itch at all — which is a good thing.
What has been left on my arms is a rough scratchy texture which appears to be remnants of the lesions that I didn’t quite get rid of with freezing. It’s been all over my arms. What I started doing is scraping down the skin with a pocket knife (do this at your own risk — and scrape, don’t cut). I found that by scraping the skin, I could remove a lot of dry loose skin and it would leave the skin feeling quite smooth.
Then, more recently I turned to Gold Bold Rough and Bumpy skin and it’s awesome. It feels like the skin is sloughing off after a few hours and vigorous rubbing will pull up a lot of skin. My skin looks and feels almost normal after a few weeks of doing this daily. (also, there is no hair left on my arms — not that I had a lot to begin with.)
All in all though, I feel I’ve conquered this condition. It’s not gone, but I have ways to tend to it resolve the lesions as they appear.
Thanks Grant for all of your posts. I’ve tried Milkweek sap, electrolysis, PDT, IPL, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Red Light Therapy (recently), and nothing has worked yet. I’ve looked into ozone therapy and am considering, but the only good result for ozone therapy online was from the 10-pass method which worries me about vein issues. I am looking into the 2% cholesterol/2% levostatin creams next. Thanks again for all of the feedback. When I find a great treatment, I will do the same.
I’ve read all this thread, but have not seen Sebhorric Keratoses mentioned. I have several of these on my back I want gone. My Derm froze a couple of them, but wanted to have a go at doing some myself, as well as some age type spots on arms & legs.
Can I try this on my face I have brown spots on my upper cheeks . I have tried all natural products nothing seems to work for me.www.dsapinstitute.org
I have tried all sorts of creams oil nothing makes these dark spot disappearing.
HI MY NAME IS KEVIN FRENCH IM ABOUT TO TRY THE FREEZE OPTION WILL LET YOU KNOW I LIVE IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA AND HAVE HAD DSAP FOR 10 YEARS