How to Use Dry Ice to Remove Skin Cancers & Warts

Freezing cold therapy (called cryotherapy) has long been used as a way to remove skin cancers and warts. The process is relatively painless and can be done in an outpatient setting, which lets the patient leave right after the procedure. Using dry ice to remove skin cancers and warts from your skin at home can be an effective method, but is not something to be done casually. It will require patience and a steady hand in order to be done correctly.

Put some newspaper down on a work surface. Put on the work gloves.

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Wrap a piece of dry ice in some newspaper and put it down on the work surface. Beat the dry ice with a hammer until the pieces inside of the newspaper are very small.

Expose the section of skin that has the skin cancer or wart on it. Open the newspaper and take out a very small piece of dry ice, using your work glove.

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Place appendage with the skin cancer or wart down on the work surface. If it is in a difficult to reach area, you may need to lie on the surface and have a helper apply the dry ice.

Look at the wristwatch’s second hand as you carefully apply the tip of the dry ice to the skin cancer or wart 1. Do so for no more than 30 seconds. If your watch doesn't have a second hand, any timer that counts one-second increments will work.

Flex the body part that you applied the dry ice to until the cancer or wart drops off 1.

Dispose of the dry ice and throw the newspaper away. Dry ice can be washed down the sink or left to melt, but do not leave it unattended where others might touch it.

Repeat the process of applying the dry ice to the skin cancer or wart a week later if some of it is still visible on the skin 1.

Tips

Wart removal dry ice can be bought from a local ice store and is less painful to use than regular dry ice. It is not as strong as regular dry ice and might require additional applications in order to accomplish the task of removing the skin cancer or wart.

Warnings

See a doctor if you think there is a chance that the skin defect you have been treating could be malignant.