Although skin tags are harmless, they may be annoying or get caught on clothing or seatbelts. They can also become irritated from repeated rubbing, especially near skin folds.
It’s best to have skin tags examined by a health professional. This is particularly important if other conditions like warts or moles appear in the same area. Contact Skin Tag Removal Phoenix for professional assistance.
Skin tags are small, benign growths that many people find annoying and want to remove for cosmetic reasons. Thankfully, the internet is awash with home remedies that promise pain-free and cheap removal from the comfort of your own home. From tea tree oil to apple cider vinegar, these DIY treatments are touted as natural and effective. However, there’s no scientific evidence to back up these claims. Plus, these methods are not always safe and can cause skin irritation.
The most common home treatment for skin tags involves soaking the tag in a natural substance and covering it with a bandage. Some of these substances are easy to find in your kitchen, such as apple cider vinegar, coconut oil or garlic. Others include banana peel, liquid iodine and honey. The idea is that the natural ingredients will irritate or burn the skin tag and eventually cause it to fall off. Most of these home treatments have limited success and may take weeks or months to work.
Other home remedies involve cutting off the skin tag or tying it off. These are not recommended because they put you at risk for infection and scarring. In addition, many people mistake skin tags for warts or other types of growths and might cut off the wrong one. Lastly, skin tags often have a central blood supply, so cutting them off can leave a wound that will quickly bleed and lead to infection.
There are also over-the-counter (OTC) creams that claim to remove skin tags by freezing or ligating them. These products are not regulated by the FDA, so there’s no guarantee they will actually work. Additionally, if you choose an OTC cryotherapy kit, you have to wait until the growth freezes, which can be difficult and uncomfortable.
There is no medically approved cream that can safely and effectively remove skin tags. Those that are available haven’t been proven to be effective and can be harmful if used improperly. For example, using a chemical peel or nail polish remover on a skin tag can cause painful irritation and even permanent damage to the surrounding healthy skin.
Cryotherapy
Cryosurgery uses an extremely cold substance to freeze the skin tag and destroy it. This is a safe treatment that can be performed in your dermatologist’s office. Your doctor may apply a topical anesthetic or use injection anaesthesia to numb the area before applying the cryogen. Liquid nitrogen is typically used because it has the lowest boiling point of all available cryogens and provides maximum tissue freezing capability. Other cryogenic agents that are used in clinical practice include nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and fluorinated hydrocarbons. While these are safe for noncancerous lesions, they have higher boiling points and less efficient freezing capabilities.
During this procedure, your dermatologist will carefully cleanse and dry the affected area before applying the frozen nitrogen. They will then use a cotton swab or spray device to freeze the skin lesion. Depending on the treatment site and your skin type, your dermatologist may perform a ‘timed spot freeze’ technique or a single continuous spray of the ice compound to ensure that the targeted lesion is fully destroyed.
After the skin lesion is thawed, your dermatologist will either snip or cauterise the area to remove the skin tag. If the skin tag is large, your doctor may also use a scalpel to cut off the growth. In addition to being safe and effective, cryotherapy is very fast. Your dermatologist can typically remove one or more skin tags during a short office visit.
You should always seek prompt medical attention if you notice that a skin tag or mole changes in appearance, is painful or itching. These symptoms could indicate a more serious condition and need to be addressed immediately.
During this study, the Pixie skin tag removal device was found to be relatively painless compared with the Wortie device. Pain was assessed using a self-assessment scale and averaged 2.2 for the Pixie skin tag removal device, while it averaged 1.3 for the Wortie device.
Cauterization
If you prefer not to wait for your skin tag to naturally fall off or it is in an awkward location, your doctor can treat it with cauterization. It is a procedure that dries out the tissue using a heated electric current, which then burns away the skin tag. This is a common option for thicker skin tags and it is also an effective treatment for skin tags that are on sensitive areas such as your eyelids. Once the skin tag is removed, it will develop a scab that will disappear within one to three weeks. Unlike cryosurgery, this procedure doesn’t leave any scars behind, but it is important that you follow your doctor’s instructions for healing.
Your doctor will usually apply a topical cream anaesthetic or inject a local anaesthetic in the area prior to treatment. Once the anaesthetic takes effect, they will either snip the skin tag or its stalk with surgical scissors or scalpels and may cauterize it to stop bleeding or prevent infection. They will often use a sterile bandage to cover the wound until it heals, but stitches are rarely needed.
Regardless of which method is used, your dermatologist will thoroughly clean the area and may apply an antiseptic to reduce bacteria. Some people may experience some discomfort during the procedure, but it is usually quick and well-tolerated. The only downside to this method is that it does carry the risk of a minor scar, but most patients need only one session for successful removal. Sometimes the surgeon will send a sample of the growth for a microscopic exam to make sure it isn’t a more serious condition such as a skin cancer. These tests are especially recommended if the skin tag appears to have bled or changed in any way. They can also help ensure the skin tag isn’t an indication of another health condition such as diabetes or pre-cancerous growths.
Cryosurgery
Cryosurgery uses liquid nitrogen to freeze and kill warts or skin tags, causing little damage to surrounding tissue. It’s especially good for lesions on a large area of the body that would be difficult to reach with other treatments. It’s also used to treat skin cancer in early stages, before it’s spread beyond the surface.
The procedure can be done in the doctor’s office or home, depending on your medical history. The treatment site is cleansed, and the doctor applies the frozen nitrogen to the lesion with a cotton swab or spray device. The amount of cryogen applied, the duration and the technique used all affect the result.
You may experience some pain or stinging during the treatment, but this generally doesn’t last more than a few minutes. You may see the lesion blister and swell, but this is usually harmless and is expected to go away in several days. The scab will then dry out and fall off by itself. If you’re concerned about this process, talk to your dermatologist about the possibility of applying a topical antibiotic.
If you’ve decided to have cryosurgery, your doctor will probably advise you to avoid the area until it thaws. This will help prevent infection until the dead skin sloughs off naturally. After treatment, your doctor will advise you to wash the area with a gentle soap twice a day and apply vaseline.
In some cases, a scab will form over the area after the lesion is treated with the freezing device. This is normal, and it should fall off on its own in a few weeks. Some people find that they need to have a follow-up appointment to have any remaining scabs removed, or to have a new lesion frozen.
During the follow-up appointment, your doctor will again use the freezing device to remove any remaining scabs or to freeze and kill any new ones that form. Then you’ll be ready to start the healing process. The most common side effect after a cryotherapy session is redness and swelling of the treated area, which typically go away in a few hours. You might also experience some numbness in the area, and the color of the skin in that location might change.