Comparing FrostAway™ and Traditional Liquid Nitrogen Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy has been a dermatology workhorse for decades. It’s fast, effective, and trusted by physicians treating everything from stubborn warts to precancerous lesions. For most of that history, liquid nitrogen units have been the standard tool in the exam room. Now, nitrous oxide devices like the FrostAway™ Cryotherapy Pen are giving practices a second option that's purpose-built for precision and patient comfort.
The question isn't really "which one is better." It's "which tool is right for which lesion, which patient, and which moment in your day." Understanding how these two technologies differ, and where they overlap, helps you build a more complete, more efficient cryotherapy protocol.
Both approaches rely on the same basic principle: extreme cold causes ice crystals to form inside targeted cells, cutting off blood supply and triggering cell death. The lesion sloughs off or resolves over the following days to weeks as healthy tissue takes its place. What differs between liquid nitrogen and nitrous oxide is how cold each cryogen gets, how it's delivered, and how that translates into clinical use.
Liquid Nitrogen: The Established Gold Standard
Liquid nitrogen has earned its reputation over more than half a century of clinical use. Delivered through handheld dispensers like the Brymill CRY-AC and CryoPro Maxi/Mini, it remains a first choice for many dermatologists because of what it can reach and its versatility.
Key characteristics:
Extremely cold. Liquid nitrogen boils at roughly -196°C, the coldest cryogen commonly used in dermatology. That depth of cold allows it to reach tissue temperatures of -40°C to -50°C, generally needed to effectively treat premalignant lesions like actinic keratosis and select low-risk malignant lesions when appropriate.
Flexible delivery methods. Open spray, cotton-tip applicator, and closed cryoprobe techniques all give physicians control over freeze depth and field size, useful for treating lesions of very different shapes and sizes.
Interchangeable tip selection. Multiple spray apertures and probes let you fine-tune the treatment based on lesion size and location.
Bulk supply model. Units are filled from a Dewar or storage tank rather than single-use cartridges, which can be cost-efficient for high-volume practices but require ongoing liquid nitrogen supply management, periodic Dewar maintenance, and safe handling protocols for a cryogen that reaches -196°C.
Longer thaw and recovery time. Because it drives tissue temperature down so quickly and deeply, skin treated with liquid nitrogen takes longer to return to baseline temperature after treatment compared to nitrous oxide, which can mean more discomfort during and after the procedure, particularly on sensitive skin.
Liquid nitrogen is, and will likely remain, the tool of choice when a lesion calls for the deepest, most aggressive freeze a practice can deliver in-office.
FrostAway™: Precision Freezing Powered by Nitrous Oxide
FrostAway approaches the same clinical goal, effective tissue destruction, from a different angle: control. Instead of an open spray of ultra-cold liquid, FrostAway delivers a focused, high-pressure jet of nitrous oxide through interchangeable applicator tips.
Key characteristics:
Still very cold, more contained. Nitrous oxide reaches roughly -89°C, cold enough to effectively treat the benign and superficial lesions dermatologists see every day, while concentrating that cold tightly on the lesion itself rather than the surrounding tissue.
Faster thermal recovery. Independent thermal-imaging research comparing the two cryogens found that nitrous oxide-treated skin returns to baseline temperature roughly three times faster than liquid nitrogen-treated skin, which tracks with the reduced discomfort many patients report.
Built for precision. The focused jet and two interchangeable applicators (1–3mm and 2–6mm) minimize overspray and collateral tissue damage, making FrostAway especially well-suited for lesions near the eyes, ears, or other delicate areas, and for pediatric patients.
No tanks, no Dewar. FrostAway runs on long-lasting 16g nitrous oxide cartridges. No bulk cryogen storage, no refill logistics, and each cartridge delivers up to four minutes of continuous flow.
Predictable, low cost per procedure. At roughly $3.50 per treatment in cartridge cost, many practices recoup their investment in the device within 20 to 30 procedures, turning it into a straightforward revenue-generating addition rather than a major capital commitment.
FDA-cleared, low-maintenance. As an FDA-cleared Class II medical device backed by a 5-year warranty, FrostAway is built to be a dependable everyday tool rather than a specialty add-on.
Side-by-Side: Where Each Tool Shines
|
Factor |
Liquid Nitrogen (Traditional-style) |
FrostAway™ (Nitrous Oxide) |
|
Cryogen temperature |
~-196°C |
~-89°C |
|
Best suited for |
Premalignant and select malignant lesions requiring deep freeze |
Benign, superficial, and delicate lesions requiring precision |
|
Precision / overspray control |
Broader field with open spray; more control with probes |
Highly focused jet, minimal overspray |
|
Patient comfort |
More intense cold, longer recovery |
Less painful, faster thermal recovery |
|
Supply / logistics |
Bulk liquid nitrogen, Dewar storage and maintenance |
Single-use 16g cartridges, no bulk storage |
|
Portability |
Tethered to nitrogen supply chain |
Fully portable, cartridge-based |
|
Cost structure |
Ongoing liquid nitrogen supply cost |
~$3.50 per procedure in cartridges |
|
Ideal use case |
High-volume, varied lesion types, deeper freeze needs |
Sensitive areas, pediatric patients, quick in-office procedures |
Why Many Practices Use Both
Rather than one replacing the other, the two technologies tend to complement each other in a well-run dermatology practice. Liquid nitrogen remains the tool many physicians reach for when a lesion needs the deepest, most aggressive freeze available in-office. FrostAway becomes the go-to option for the high volume of everyday benign lesions, skin tags, flat and plantar warts, seborrheic keratosis, molluscum contagiosum, capillary hemangiomas, and granuloma annulare, where precision and patient comfort matter as much as efficacy, and especially for lesions close to the eyes or in pediatric patients, where a gentler, more targeted approach is preferred.
Adding FrostAway to a practice that already offers liquid nitrogen cryosurgery isn't about choosing sides. It's about giving your care team the right tool for each lesion that walks through the door, while opening up a low-cost, high-margin service line that's easy to staff and simple to explain to patients.
Bring Precision Freezing Into Your Practice
The FrostAway™ Cryotherapy Pen kit includes the pen, two interchangeable applicators, six 16g nitrous oxide cartridges, and a carrying case with tweezers and a stand, everything you need to start offering precision cryotherapy alongside your existing liquid nitrogen protocol.
