I am going to a walk-in dermatology clinic (public health care) to treat genital molluscum contagiosum (male, if that makes a difference?). I have 20-35 papules, 1-4mm, and just had my second cryo treatment today. For my first treatment last week, the nurse used a cotton swap dipped in liquid nitrogen which was causing some freezing and halos, but apparently didn't freeze the entire papule body because not of them ended up scabbing over. This week they just looked more irritated than before the first treatment. We also only did 1 freeze-thaw cycle for all of them. When I came in today for a second treatment, I told the nurse I think they needed to be frozen a bit longer because the first treatment didn't make any difference. The nurse told me that the doctor had advised them to not be as aggressive with genital treatments because the area is sensitive. What would you advise me to say to the next nurse I get treatment with to ensure that I get sufficient freezing to actually start to alleviate this infection? From my understanding, the treatment needs to entirely freeze all the cells of a papule and kill them in order for the body to repair the area and ensure that no viral matter remains to continue the spread of the infection into neighbouring cells. Doing this in 2 freeze-thaw cycles ensures the job is done. It's not like making the cells "cold" is going to do anything. If anything, the pressure from the cotton swap might rupture the papule and cause further spread. Am I understanding this correctly? And how can I advocate for a better treatment without overstepping a nurse's training and knowledge?   submitted by   /u/PalaceCarebear [link]   [comments]