basement membrane may cause scarring and destruction of hair follicles can cause alopecia or hair loss. Occasionally, hypopigmentation may occur in the area of skin treated with cryosurgery, however, this complication is usually transient and often resolves as melanocytes migrate and repigment the area over several months. Bleeding can also occur, which can be delayed or immediate, due to damage of underlying arteries and arterioles. Tendon rupture and cartillage necrosis can occur, particularly if cryosurgery is done over bony prominences. These complications can be avoided or minimized if freeze times of less than 30 seconds are used during cryosurgery. Patients undergoing cryosurgery usually experience redness and minor-to-moderate localized pain, which most of the time can be alleviated sufficiently by oral administration of mild analgesics such as ibuprofen, codeine or acetaminophen (paracetamol). Blisters may form as a result of cryosurgery, but these usually scab over and peel away within a few days. See also Cryoneurolysis Cryotherapy Electrosurgery References Dermatologic surgery Cryobiology Surgical procedures and techniques de:Kryotherapie#Kryochirurgie