Intralesional Cryotherapy: The Good, the Bad and the Painful Bits

A quick note before we start:

This isn’t medical advice. I’m only sharing my personal experience. I’ll be describing how the treatment works and what recovery looked like for me. Some of this includes graphic detail and photos of the healing process. If you’d rather skip it, I completely understand and I’ll see you back here in two weeks.

Intralesional Cryotherapy: The Good, the Bad and the Painful Bits

In past newsletters I’ve mentioned the kinds of treatments I’ve had for my keloids and what recovery was like, but I’ve never gone into real detail. This time I want to share my experience with intralesional cryotherapy. For me, it’s been one of the most effective ways to stop keloids growing, but it’s also brought the hardest recoveries I’ve had to go through.

What is intralesional cryotherapy?

I’ve had this treatment a few times now on different keloids across my body. Regular cryotherapy freezes the surface of the scar, but this version is more direct. After about 20 injections to numb the area (not fun), long probes are pushed through the keloid itself. Liquid nitrogen then flows through the probes, freezing the scar tissue from the inside out.

Sometimes the probes have to be removed and reinserted to reach different areas. It’s quite something to see, though I can’t say it’s pleasant to experience.

The recovery process

There’s no way to make this sound easy. As soon as the anaesthetic wears off, usually while we’re still on the motorway heading home, the pain hits. For me it feels like a deep burning sensation that lasts for days.

The treated area swells, leaks, and bleeds. Over the following weeks the pain eases, but the wound weeps constantly. I have to clean it and change dressings every single day.

Then there’s the smell. As the skin blisters and the wound stays open, an odour develops that makes me want to shut myself away. By this stage I’m worn down from lack of sleep, the discomfort, the dressings, and not being able to leave the house. All I want is for the healing to hurry up, but it takes weeks.

Eventually things start to shift. Scabs form, the keloid shrinks, and in some cases parts of it have even fallen off. I can shower and sleep properly again, and slowly return to a normal routine.

Not every outcome has been positive though. On one occasion, the treated keloid became more sensitive and actually grew larger. The pain was constant, and nothing touched it. I had months to wait before another round of treatment, which felt endless.

What made it worthwhile

It’s not all bad news, and I want to be fair about the benefits:

• Less damage to surrounding skin: The freezing is targeted, so it doesn’t affect healthy areas as much.

• Scar size reduced: Once the swelling went down and healing kicked in, the scar looked smaller and flatter than before.

• Pain and itch eased: This was one of the biggest changes. The constant pain and itch I had before was much better afterwards, and that made daily life far easier.

• Realistic results: The scar didn’t vanish. But it was less obvious once removed with laser excision, and the relief from symptoms made it worth it.

• Skin changes: The treated skin became a bit lighter against my darker skin tone. Doctors told me this can happen. Sometimes it fades, sometimes it doesn’t.

Final thoughts

If you’re thinking about intralesional cryotherapy, know that it’s not a magic fix. For me, in conjunction with laser removal, it made my keloids less noticeable and much less painful, but the recovery is tough and results can vary. If you’re considering it, speak with your doctor so they can explain the risks and what recovery might look like for you.

Help us keep sharing real stories, you never know who your advice may help.