title: Tolerability and effectiveness of liquid nitrogen spray cryotherapy with very short freeze times in the treatment of xanthelasma palpebrarum.
abstract: Xanthelasma are cholesterol-filled, soft, yellow plaques that usually appear on the medial aspects of the eyelids bilaterally. They are always benign lesions so therapy is usually undertaken only for cosmetic reasons. Surgical excision, chemical peeling with tricholoroacetic acid, and laser ablation are commonly used treatments. Liquid nitrogen cryotherapy is a potentially effective but rarely used treatment due to the risk of intense eyelid swelling. We report on our experience with four of our patients, and propose an explanation for the effectiveness of gentle liquid nitrogen spray cryotherapy in xanthelasma. We consider that gentle liquid nitrogen cryotherapy should be used in the treatment of xanthelasma due to the ease of application and low risk of adverse effects.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Labandeira
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vázquez-Osorio
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Olalla
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Figueroa-Silva
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pereiro
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Toribio
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000336:Aerosols; D003452:Cryosurgery / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005141:Eyelid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014973:Xanthomatosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: benign neoplasms; cryotherapy; liquid nitrogen; topical therapy; xanthelasma