# Canned Air - Can I use it to freeze warts? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 21, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766 "2003-10-21T21:07:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/1 "2003-10-21T21:07:50Z")
In [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=218091) thread there is a discussion of the liquid propellant that is used for “Canned air” and it’s boiling points, etc, and how it comes out at -26 degrees celcius. i.e., really friggen cold. I don’t have any warts handy for experimentation at the moment, but I have had them in the past, and the docs froze the off with liquid nitro or some such cold liquid. Could I eschew the doctors office next time and instead run up to Office Max with a que tip? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/2 "2003-10-21T21:20:32Z")
They now make a product specifically for that purpose. [Wartner Wart Removal System.](http://shop.store.yahoo.com/lildrugstoreproducts/warwarremsys.html) Dunno if canned air can acheive the same effect. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/3 "2003-10-21T21:50:48Z")
I would think the temperature is not low enough, not to mention that you would have to aim carefully and not freeze more than necessary. OTOH you can use a soldering iron. ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/4 "2003-10-21T22:12:47Z")
Yes. It works, but requires multiple (painful) applications. I’ve applied it directly from the can (carefully) and also with Q-tips. The liquid can cause permanent discoloration of surrounding tissue. I don’t recommend it. Yes, I was playing doctor. Don’t ask. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/5 "2003-10-21T22:17:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Danalan \* > Yes, I was playing doctor. Don’t ask. I will. Did you have a “nurse” assist you? Well, you admitted you were playing doctor! It kinda goes without saying … 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/6 "2003-10-22T07:47:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Danalan \* > \*\*Yes. It works, but requires multiple (painful) applications. I’ve applied it directly from the can (carefully) and also with Q-tips. The liquid can cause permanent discoloration of surrounding tissue. I don’t recommend it. > > Yes, I was playing doctor. Don’t ask. \*\* permanent discolouration? What colour? Lighter? Darker? Green? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/7 "2003-10-22T07:50:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NurseCarmen \* > **how it comes out at -26 degrees celcius. i.e., really friggen cold.** That’s nothing compared to liquid nitrogen, which boils at about -200 celcius. (Though I don’t think doctors apply liquid nitrogen directly to the skin - do they?) ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/8 "2003-10-22T08:25:33Z")
I’ve tried it. Never had guts enough to complete the procedure though. It does hurt. I used “Freeze Mist” used by electronic repair people to find heat sensitive parts. I believe its CO2 though. I just sprayed it on using the long nozzle. You know ,the one like on the WD40 can that you always lose. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/9 "2003-10-22T11:57:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scr4 \* > \*\*That’s nothing compared to liquid nitrogen, which boils at about -200 celcius. (Though I don’t think doctors apply liquid nitrogen directly to the skin - do they?) \*\* I’ve had liquid nitrogen applied directly to my toes, to freeze off a verruca … the procedure, as I recall it, went something like: - technician bloke drags in huge steaming Dewar flask full of liquid nitrogen. - doctor inserts swab-type thing, like a very long Q-tip, into flask. - business end of swab-type thing, having acquired a coating of liquid nitrogen, is then applied to my toes. - brief moment of calm before the sensation hits. - I squeak, gibber, grimace with pain, and cry like a little girl. This was quite a few years ago, it’s possible the procedure’s changed. ---
**Author:** ![Boo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@Boo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/10 "2003-10-22T13:04:22Z")
You can go the opposite route and use heat. Skin burns at 117 degrees F. Warts don’t like heat. Soak it in 115 degree water and it will go away. I heard this on Dr. Dean Adell’s (sp) radio show. ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/11 "2003-10-31T05:04:09Z")
Sorry for the late postings, but I was on vacation & missed these questions. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duckster \* > **I will. Did you have a “nurse” assist you?** No, but I didn’t use it only on myself… > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Seven \* > \*\*permanent discolouration? What colour? Lighter? Darker? Green? \*\* Hyperpigmentation, so very dark, and not on each spot, only on a couple. BTW, I’ve also used liquid nitrogen for the same purpose, and I highly recommend it – far superior. ---
**Author:** ![Maxxxie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f14d63/32.png) [@Maxxxie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maxxxie)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/12 "2003-10-31T12:08:57Z")
For those of you who aren’t into pain, here’s a tip: Take a job as a goldfish-bagger. Seriously. I did this for a week when the Ekka (travelling show here in Brisbane) was in town. I started with warts on my thumbs. I ended up wart-free. Fish water. Several hours a day, for about a week. Really. Max 😃 ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/13 "2003-10-31T12:48:38Z")
Yes, it works quite well. I’ve used it on a tiny wart on my thumb, and on my daughter’s giant warts, and it works – I’ve never noticed any discoloration, but then again I’ve only done it on five warts total, so that’s not a very big sample. On myself, I put a several pieces of duct tape on my thumb around the wart, with tiny holes cut out over the wart itself, to insulate the surrounding skin. Then I sprayed directly onto the wart for a minute or so. It was painful, but not too bad (and I don’t have a high pain threshold at all). For my daughter, I used the commercially available wart freezing product, which is essentially like the Q-tip method that **Danalan** mentioned, although they use special foam-like applicators rather than Q-tips. And when the can of freeze-off liquid they supplied ran out, I checked the contents label and verified that it was the same stuff that my regular “canned air” was (tetrafluoroethane) and just used canned air as a substitute. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/14 "2003-10-31T14:43:55Z")
It’s just this kind of scientific goofy threat to life and limb that I’ve grown to expect and admire from the denizens of the SDMB. Honest, if I had a wart, I’d be reporting the results. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/15 "2003-10-31T15:03:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by chorpler \* > **daughter’s giant warts** Band name! -Joe, follower ---
**Author:** ![Stoneburg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Stoneburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoneburg)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/16 "2003-10-31T15:10:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Steve Wright \* > \*\*I’ve had liquid nitrogen applied directly to my toes, to freeze off a verruca … the procedure, as I recall it, went something like: > > - technician bloke drags in huge steaming Dewar flask full of liquid nitrogen. > - doctor inserts swab-type thing, like a very long Q-tip, into flask. > - business end of swab-type thing, having acquired a coating of liquid nitrogen, is then applied to my toes. > - brief moment of calm before the sensation hits. > - I squeak, gibber, grimace with pain, and cry like a little girl. > > This was quite a few years ago, it’s possible the procedure’s changed. \*\* I have had it applied to… my penis. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/17 "2003-10-31T15:48:19Z")
I’ve had a verucca removed with liquid nitrogen too. I was in agony, I was only about ten at the time, the best age for picking veruccas up from the mandatory school swimming lessons. Within a few weeks of the treatment, I’d got another one. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/18 "2003-10-31T17:06:07Z")
> [@](#): > > I have had it applied to… my penis. GAH! Fnergel! Gah! OWWWWWW owwwie owwie owwie!whimper Now I’ll be reading with my legs crossed. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/19 "2003-10-31T19:05:15Z")
I’m somehow skeptical. -26 celsius is cold… but not THAT cold. It’s a temperature at which people still go out and function in the middle of winter. And I don’t recall any warts dropping off after being outside for a minute. ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766/20 "2003-10-31T19:52:35Z")
-26 is a temperature at which you’d go out and function, but only without exposed skin - it’s DAMNED cold. Frostbite occurs at, what, -30 celsius? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-air-can-i-use-it-to-freeze-warts/208766.md?page=2)