What it is
Cryopen delivers a very fine, high-pressure jet of nitrous oxide accurate to about a millimetre. The narrow jet is designed to limit treatment to the selected area, but temporary redness, crusting, pigment change, scarring or the need for further treatment are possible.
The treatment itself takes a few minutes. The appointment is 30 minutes because the assessment and aftercare explanation matter as much as the freezing, and it’s carried out by one of our NVQ Level 3 qualified therapists.
One thing worth clearing up before you book: Cryopen treats individual lesions, skin tags, warts, age spots and the like. It is not a cryo facial or a whole-face cold treatment, so if that’s what you were after, this isn’t it. It’s also different from resurfacing treatments like dermaplaning, which work across the whole face rather than freezing one specific spot.
What it removes
Cryopen is used on a wide range of benign lesions.
Skin tags
The small, soft growths that form where skin rubs against skin: neck, underarms, eyelids, groin. Cryopen freezes the base in seconds. Most blacken and drop off within one to six weeks, and larger ones over 3mm sometimes need a second freeze.
Warts and verrucas
Hardened, raised patches caused by a virus in the skin, usually on the hands or the soles of the feet. These respond well to the deeper freeze Cryopen delivers, though a second treatment four weeks later is common if the lesion is still visible.
Age spots and sun damage
Flat brown marks that build up on the face, chest and backs of the hands after years in the sun. Cryopen fades them by freezing the pigmented cells so they flake away over the following days. For sun damage spread across a wider area rather than one or two isolated spots, IPL pigmentation removal is usually the better fit.
Cherry angiomas
The small, bright red or purple dots, sometimes called Campbell de Morgan spots, that tend to appear on the torso from midlife onwards. They may be suitable for treatment after assessment, but your practitioner will explain the expected result and risks.
Milia
The tiny, hard white bumps that sit just under the skin’s surface, most often around the eyes. Milia may be suitable for treatment after assessment. Do not pick or squeeze them, and ask your practitioner about the expected result and risks.
Please see your GP first
Before you book, have the lesion checked by your GP and ask them directly: is it safe for me to have this removed for cosmetic purposes?
We are removing something for appearance, not diagnosing it. That distinction matters, and no reputable clinic should skip past it.
The NHS treats skin tag and wart removal as cosmetic rather than medically necessary in almost all cases, so a GP won’t usually remove one on the NHS even where they’re happy for it to go ahead privately. That’s exactly why the check matters: it’s about safety, not funding. It’s the step that comes before any of ours.
What skin tag removal costs in Bristol
Once your GP has confirmed a lesion is safe to remove, £100 covers your consultation and the first lesion here. Each additional lesion is £26. That’s the whole price: no hidden extras, and nothing added once you’re in the chair.
Clinic prices for lesion removal in Bristol commonly run several times that once a private consultation fee is added on top. £100 including the consultation is one of the more transparent prices you’ll find locally for this kind of treatment.
What happens afterwards
The lesion frosts over during treatment, and you may feel a sting similar to a nettle, plus an itch for ten minutes or so afterwards. Both are normal.
Over the next day the area darkens and forms a crust. Do not pick it. When it falls away naturally, usually after 10 to 14 days, the new skin underneath is shiny and pink, and re-pigments over the following weeks or months.
Skin tags typically blacken at the base and drop off within one to six weeks. Larger ones over 3mm sometimes need a second freeze, and warts and verrucas are usually re-treated four weeks later if still present.
Before a wart or verruca appointment
Soak the area in warm soapy water for 20 minutes, then gently roughen the surface with a pumice stone or emery board. Do not scrub hard enough to make it sore or bleed.
This lets the jet penetrate deeper and improves the chance of clearing it in one treatment.
Book at Westbury on Trym
Cryopen runs at our Westbury on Trym salon only. Book online, or get in touch first if you’re not sure whether a lesion is a good candidate. We’d rather talk it through than have you turn up for something we can’t treat. And if you’re dealing with hair as well as a lesion, electrolysis runs from the same salon.