4 ms·

Turn a can of computer spray upside down and it becomes DIY cryotherapy. Cover the healthy skin with aluminum foil or ducktape, or you will burn yourself. Obvio

by 1970-01-01 2y ago

Turn a can of computer spray upside down and it becomes DIY cryotherapy. Cover the healthy skin with aluminum foil or ducktape, or you will burn yourself. Obviously, do not breathe the propellant. https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/10454/what-causes-compressed-air-from-dust-off-cans-to-freeze-but-only-when-turne https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/10454/what-cause...

ssl-3 2y ago
Safer method: Get a can of "air" that still uses the smaller size of straw (they've broadly gotten bigger in recent years). The OD of this straw is close-enough to that of the plastic tube of a Q-Tip. Cleanly off one end of the Q-Tip, nice and square, and then install the cut end into the nozzle on the can. Then invert, point away from people, and spray for just a second or less. The refrigerant travels down the tube in largely liquid form. It boils off and evaporates once it reaches the remaining cotton end of the Q-Tip, becoming stupidly cold. Congratulations, you now have a DIY cryotherapy rig. It boils off fast and is coldest whilst still boiling. One should experiment with it first to get an idea of how it works. With the valve disengaged (finger off the trigger), touching the still-boiling liquid on the remaining cotton Q-Tip end to the wart will flash freeze it. Wear eye protection in case it goes wrong (which we should all be doing anyway when dealing with compressed anything, including canned "air" in its intended use). (This method also works well for dispensing just a tiny, controlled amount of lots of other stuff that comes in aerosol cans.)
- foobarian 2y ago
  I did this several times, and what worked on the successful attempt was to engage the valve partially, creating a slow trickle of the cold liquid. I placed the end of the tube to the wart, and let the liquid pour over it until it visibly turned a lighter shade (presumably from freezing). The previous times, just a few drops was not enough to achieve this. The challenge was to balance the valve just the right amount so that it doesn't overshoot the affected area.

ssl-3 2y ago

Safer method: Get a can of "air" that still uses the smaller size of straw (they've broadly gotten bigger in recent years). The OD of this straw is close-enough to that of the plastic tube of a Q-Tip. Cleanly off one end of the Q-Tip, nice and square, and then install the cut end into the nozzle on the can. Then invert, point away from people, and spray for just a second or less. The refrigerant travels down the tube in largely liquid form. It boils off and evaporates once it reaches the remaining cotton end of the Q-Tip, becoming stupidly cold. Congratulations, you now have a DIY cryotherapy rig. It boils off fast and is coldest whilst still boiling. One should experiment with it first to get an idea of how it works. With the valve disengaged (finger off the trigger), touching the still-boiling liquid on the remaining cotton Q-Tip end to the wart will flash freeze it. Wear eye protection in case it goes wrong (which we should all be doing anyway when dealing with compressed anything, including canned "air" in its intended use). (This method also works well for dispensing just a tiny, controlled amount of lots of other stuff that comes in aerosol cans.)

foobarian 2y ago
I did this several times, and what worked on the successful attempt was to engage the valve partially, creating a slow trickle of the cold liquid. I placed the end of the tube to the wart, and let the liquid pour over it until it visibly turned a lighter shade (presumably from freezing). The previous times, just a few drops was not enough to achieve this. The challenge was to balance the valve just the right amount so that it doesn't overshoot the affected area.