Skin tags are common skin growths that are soft and look like a balloon on the skin. It can occur on any part of the body but usually occur in the regions of armpit, eyelids, neck, groin folds and under breasts. It can happen at any age but middle-aged obese people are observed to be more prone to this. Skin tags are also called ‘acrochordon’ in medical science. Many dermatology clinics provide the facility of skin tag removal in London.
Skin tags are believed to occur on the sites where the skin is allowed to rub against itself. There is no precaution available, the skin tags occur to almost half of the population, at least once in their lifetime. They are a type of tumor but are completely benign and cannot be cancerous. They are not at all contagious and there is no way that these tags can transfer from one person to another.
These tags do not cause any pain, blood flow and usually cause no discomfort as well. There is no necessity of removal of the skin tag unless it is really causing discomfort in movement or it is for cosmetic reason. Hence, the major reason for its removal is usually cosmetic, it is very rare that it becomes irritated and starts to bleed, in which case surgical removal is recommended. There is no evidence that removal of skin tag will cause more of tags to grow on other sites. These tags are non-cancerous and do not have such property. But they may occur more than once and in many sites in the body even after its removal. There are many skin tag removal techniques available, these are:
1. Cryotherapy
2. Ligation method
3. Electric cautery
4. Surgical removal
In cryotherapy, a freezing technique is employed to remove the tag. This is done by freezing the tagged tissue with liquid nitrogen. A pair of tweezers is used to hold the tag and then it is dipped in the liquid nitrogen for about 10-15 seconds. It is advised to not cover it after the treatment is done. This method is cheap but may require many sessions and the chances of return exists here, hence it is not generally advised.
Ligation is the most common method that is used to treat skin tag. It inhibits the supply of oxygen and blood to the tag tissues by tying a thread around the tag. Tag bands are also available in the market which is cheap and safe way to remove the tag. You must tie the tag tightly with a string and must re-tight it daily until the tag is completely removed.
Electric cautery is another method that is used to remove the tag. In this method, the tag is burned off by heating an instrument electrically and applying it on the tag. The area is numbed to carry out this process, using a local anesthesia. This method is conducted by qualified health professional only.
The last is surgical removal, it is also done by applying local anesthesia and then cutting off the tag using a surgical scalpel. This method gives immediate relief to the patient. You might be advised to apply antiseptic ointment in the area from where the tag has been removed.
The methods such as the electric cautery and freezing are generally not recommended since these should be done very carefully. These methods may result in skin discoloration or scar. Also, they require many sessions and the patient gets irritated.
Some people are more prone to skin tags than others and may develop them on other parts of their body later after some time. Some patients, therefore, require it to be treated periodically like, annually or quarterly.