Freezing treatment for genital warts (cryotherapy)

What is cryotherapy for genital warts?

Cryotherapy treats genital (anogenital) warts by freezing them with very cold liquid nitrogen. The freezing destroys the wart tissue, which then blisters, scabs and falls away over the following days as the skin heals.

Genital warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is very common and passed on by skin-to-skin sexual contact. Cryotherapy removes the warts you can see, but it does not get rid of the HPV in the skin. That is why warts can come back after any wart treatment, including freezing.

It usually takes more than one session. Clinics typically freeze the warts about once a week until they clear. It can be uncomfortable, and the treated skin is often sore, red or blistered for a few days afterwards.

Cryotherapy is one of several options. Creams and liquids you apply at home (such as imiquimod or podophyllotoxin) are alternatives. Some warts also clear on their own over time without any treatment. A clinician will help you weigh these up — treating genital warts is a personal choice, not something you have to do.

Types, options & approaches

There may be different ways to do this. The right approach depends on the clinical question and your circumstances.

Common genital wart treatments

Warts can return after any of these because treatment does not remove HPV. A clinician will advise which suits your warts and situation.

Preparing for your procedure

• Have the diagnosis confirmed at a sexual health clinic or by a clinician — not every genital lump is a wart.
• Tell the clinician if you are or might be pregnant, as this affects which treatments are safe.
• Mention any skin conditions, and whether the area is currently sore or infected.
• Ask whether numbing cream can be used if you are worried about discomfort.
• Plan for the area to be sore for a few days; loose clothing helps.
• Ask about a full sexual-health check, as warts are often diagnosed alongside other STI testing.
• Understand that several weekly sessions are usually needed, and plan for these.

What happens

In a clinic, the clinician examines the warts and confirms they are suitable for freezing. Numbing cream may be applied first for larger areas. Liquid nitrogen is then applied to each wart, either as a spray or with a cotton tip, usually for a few seconds, sometimes repeated as a freeze-and-thaw cycle.

You will feel cold, stinging or burning during and shortly after freezing. The whole session usually takes only a few minutes. You go home straight away with advice on aftercare.

Over the next days the treated warts typically blister, then scab and fall off as the skin heals. You will usually be asked to come back about a week later for the next session if warts remain, and treatment continues until they clear.

Is this procedure right for me?

A good consultation should explore whether it's the right choice for you now — including reasons to wait or consider something else.

Before you decide

Use this as a shared-decision checklist. The aim is not just “can this be done?”, but whether it is right for you, now, with the risks and alternatives clearly understood.

Comfort, sedation or contrast choices

If local anaesthetic, sedation, contrast or pain relief is used, ask what is planned, why, and what it means afterwards.

The biggest things to understand are that several sessions are usually needed and that warts can return because freezing does not remove the underlying HPV. Skin-colour changes are more likely on darker skin, so ask the clinician about this. Tell them if you are pregnant, as this guides treatment choice.

Published figures to discuss

Reported clearance and recurrence figures for genital wart treatments vary widely between studies because they use different protocols, follow-up lengths and patient groups, and because warts often need several sessions. The figures below are cautious ranges from clinical studies and should be treated as a guide, not a promise. The key, well-established point is that warts commonly recur after any treatment because HPV is not eradicated.

These are literature figures, not a personalised prediction. Your own risks and likely benefits depend on your circumstances, your health, and how your care is carried out and followed up.

What happens afterwards

There is no real downtime, but the treated skin is usually sore, red and blistered for a few days and then scabs as it heals. Most people carry on with normal life, taking care of the treated area.

• Soreness, redness and blistering of the treated skin for a few days
• Scabbing and then the warts dropping off as it heals
• Mild discomfort with tight clothing or sitting for a day or two
• Needing more than one session to get rid of the warts

Aftercare

• Keep the treated area clean and dry, and pat rather than rub it dry.
• Wear loose, breathable clothing while the skin is sore.
• Avoid picking blisters or scabs; let them heal naturally.
• Use simple pain relief such as paracetamol if you need it.
• Avoid sex until the treated area has healed and any soreness has settled.
• Use condoms with new or untested partners; they reduce, but do not remove, the risk of passing on HPV.
• Return for follow-up sessions until the warts have cleared.
• Contact the clinic if the area becomes increasingly painful, hot or discharges (possible infection).

• Loose clothing for the days after each session
• Simple pain relief at home
• Knowing how to keep the area clean and dry
• Your next weekly session booked
• The clinic's contact details saved
• An understanding that warts may return and what to do if they do

Scars and how they heal

Cryotherapy works by freezing, blistering and then healing the skin — it is not designed to leave a scar, and most people heal without one. The treated skin can change colour for a time, becoming lighter or darker, and this is more likely and may last longer on darker skin. Occasionally a small mark or area of altered texture remains. Letting blisters and scabs heal without picking helps the skin recover well.

⚠ Get urgent help if…

• Increasing pain, redness, heat or swelling spreading from the treated area
• Pus or a foul-smelling discharge from the treated skin (possible infection)
• Fever or feeling generally unwell after treatment
• An ulcer or sore that is not healing after a couple of weeks
• Bleeding that does not stop
• Difficulty passing urine if warts and treatment are near the opening

Who to contact: your clinician, clinic or test provider first (keep their number to hand). For urgent advice when you can't reach them, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

General guidance — it doesn't replace the specific advice your specialist gives you.

Results & realistic expectations

Cryotherapy can clear visible genital warts, but usually only after several sessions, and results vary from person to person. A good outcome is the warts clearing and the skin healing well.

Clearing the warts does not mean the HPV has gone. Because the virus can stay in the skin, warts can come back weeks or months later, and you may still be able to pass HPV on. This is true of all wart treatments, not just freezing — it is not a sign the treatment failed.

Even after warts clear, they can recur because treatment removes the warts but not the underlying HPV. Many people's immune systems eventually control the virus and warts stop returning, but this can take time and is unpredictable. The HPV vaccine helps prevent the types of HPV that cause most genital warts and several cancers, and a clinician can advise whether it is relevant for you.

Related tests, treatments or support

Freezing is sometimes used alongside or after home creams (such as imiquimod or podophyllotoxin), depending on the warts and how they respond. Diagnosis and treatment of warts is usually combined with a full sexual-health check, since other STIs can be present at the same time. The HPV vaccine may also be discussed.

Follow-up & long-term care

You will usually be reviewed about weekly for further freezing until the warts clear, then advised what to do if they come back. The clinic will also follow up any other STI testing done at the same time.

• Return promptly if warts come back, as early treatment is often easier
• Use condoms with new partners to reduce HPV transmission
• Consider the HPV vaccine if your clinician advises it
• Attend cervical screening when invited, as it is unaffected by having had warts

Repeat, follow-on and what comes next

• Several sessions are usually needed; one treatment rarely clears warts completely.
• If warts do not respond to freezing, a different treatment or specialist referral may be offered.
• Recurrence is common and means returning for further treatment, not that the first treatment failed.
• Persistent or unusual lesions may need a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis.

Ask what happens if the result is unclear or needs repeating, and what is included if further tests or follow-up are needed.

What good aftercare looks like

• Clear written aftercare for keeping the area clean, managing soreness and spotting infection.
• A planned schedule of weekly sessions until warts clear, with a named contact.
• Honest counselling that recurrence is common and what to do if it happens.
• An offer of full STI testing and a conversation about the HPV vaccine.
• Advice on reducing transmission to partners, and reassurance that having warts does not change cervical screening.

What affects the cost

Costs vary a great deal between people and providers, and we don't publish prices. What matters is understanding what drives the cost and making sure your quote is complete. The main things that affect it:

• The number of sessions needed, which varies from person to person.
• Whether numbing cream or other preparation is used.
• The clinician or clinic fee per session if treated privately.
• Any STI testing done at the same time.
• Follow-up appointments to check healing and treat any recurrence.

• The cost per session and an estimate of how many sessions may be needed (if private)
• Whether follow-up reviews are included
• What happens if warts do not clear or come back
• Whether STI testing is included or extra
• Who you will see and their experience treating genital warts
• A clear aftercare plan and who to contact if problems arise

On the NHS? Treatment for genital warts, including cryotherapy, is available on the NHS through sexual health clinics for eligible people; private care is used by some for convenience or speed.

You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including reports, follow-up and what happens if the result is inconclusive — before you decide.

Consent traps and marketing red flags

These are not small details. They are often where patients lose choice, time to reflect, or realistic expectations.

Choosing a specialist safely

• Check the specialist is on the GMC Specialist Register for this area.
• Make sure they work at a CQC-registered service, and look for membership of the relevant Royal College or professional body.
• You're entitled to time to consider and to have your questions answered before you agree — the specialist who looks after you should explain it, not a salesperson.
• Be wary of pressure: time-limited offers or deposits taken before you've had time to think are red flags, not bargains.
• You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including any follow-up — before you decide.

How Vuemedics verifies every consultant →

Take this to your consultation. A good specialist will welcome every one of these.

• Is freezing the best option for my warts, or would a cream suit me better?
• How many sessions am I likely to need, and how far apart?
• How likely are my warts to come back, and what do I do if they do?
• Could the treatment change my skin colour, especially as I have darker skin?
• Can I use numbing cream to make it more comfortable?
• Should I be tested for other STIs or consider the HPV vaccine?
• Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for this area, and which Royal College or professional body are you a member of?
• Will you be the specialist who carries out my procedure, and who looks after me afterwards?
• What are the risks for someone like me, and how often do your own patients have a problem or need it repeated or redone?
• What does a realistic result look like — and what can this procedure not achieve?
• What are my options, including waiting, doing nothing for now, or choosing a different approach?
• Can I have written information, results and aftercare instructions in a format I can use, including any accessibility or communication support I need?
• What is the total cost in writing, including any follow-ups, and how much time do I have to decide?

Find a verified specialist for freezing treatment for genital warts (cryotherapy)

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How we made this page

Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant. Written in plain English, checked against NHS, NICE, GMC and relevant Royal College / specialist-society guidance, and kept under review. No clinic paid to appear on this page, and we publish no pricing. This is general information to help you prepare — it is not a substitute for advice from your own clinician. How we review our guides →

Source hierarchy: UK regulator and NHS/NICE guidance first, then relevant Royal College or specialist-society guidance, then peer-reviewed evidence for procedure-specific figures where available.

Sources & standards: NHS — Genital warts BASHH — UK guidelines on the management of anogenital warts (2024) BASHH — UK national guidelines on the management of anogenital warts (2015) Comparison of cryotherapy to imiquimod for anogenital warts — PubMed Podophyllin vs cryotherapy vs electrodesiccation RCT — PMC

Reviews reflect patients' experience of care, not clinical outcomes. For procedure volumes and outcome data see PHIN.

Last medically reviewed 2026-09-21. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report an error in this guide.