Cryosurgery isn’t really “surgery” at all. Instead, it involves using extreme cold to kill living tissue. Here at Parkview Pet Hospital, we use this treatment to remove skin tags. It works well in areas where traditional surgery would be difficult and is an excellent option for pets who aren’t healthy enough for anesthesia. While the procedure may cause temporary discomfort, there is usually no need for sedation or anesthesia.

During treatment, we apply liquid nitrogen to a skin tag using a specialized device. The vet places the device’s probe against the skin tag and pulls the trigger. This instantly delivers extreme cold directly to the lesion. The probe remains in place until a small halo of frozen skin appears around the bump. Then, the veterinarian releases the trigger and waits for the probe to thaw so they can remove it from the skin. This freeze-thaw procedure is repeated up to three times to ensure the skin tag is killed.