Lasers, Liquid Nitrogen Freezing (Cryotherapy, Cryosurgery)

The most common route DSAP patients go (if they choose to try to go with any treatment at all) seems to be freezing. When liquid nitrogen is sprayed on a spot the top layer of skin is killed off, thus HOPEFULLY causing healthy, normal skin tissue to grow back. HOPEFULLY months later there isn't MORE redness (scarring). If you wish to try freezing be sure and proceed with caution! Find a doctor who has treated DSAP patients before and who is VERY experienced with freezing. You should probably call around and screen all of the doctors in your area. At least one person (who emailed me) tells me that freezing has actually cleared some DSAP spots. They have reported to me that the key is finding a doctor who is very experienced at freezing. Too little and the DSAP returns. Too much and a scar is left. I personally tried having a test spot lightly frozen but the DSAP simply grew right back.

Other notes: Liquid Nitrogen is actually pretty painless. The doctor sprays some spots and you're out the door on your way. But forget about having these spots seen in public for weeks or months! You should thus have it done at the beginning of winter time. Again HOPEFULLY the end result will be a clearing.

Laser

I read comments by doctors on a message board that DSAP spots just kept growing back after treatment with the YAG laser. However one patient told me that they like the YAG laser for the treatment of "entrenched" lesions. This treatment may have to be repeated, but it is far less invasive than other laser treatments and topical treatments like Efudex (with essentially no resulting "fallout"--hyperpigmention or erythema). Apparently the YAG laser in more commonly used on legs than arms.

Here's yet another patient's positive story:

"... the only "treatment" that worked for me was YAG laser resurfacing. Today those spots are gone with no hyper- or hypo- pigmentation (and I'm very pale). However, the treatment itself was temporarily extremely disfiguring and it was only after 9 months or so that I became better off than before the treatment. (It could be that I heal unusually slowly - about five times as long as I was told it would take...) Would I do it again? Yes, if I could go hang out in a cave or wear a burka for 9 months. What didn't work for me: efudex, retin-a, aldera, lac-hydrin cream.... I also think liquid nitrogen can be beneficial but you have to go pretty deep."

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