Skin Tags – How to Remove Them

Skin tags are a common skin condition and can be seen on the neck, face and skin of several people. It appears as a small outgrowth of hanging skin, and comprises a core of fibers and ducts, nerve cells, fat cells, and a covering or epidermis. They are usually joined to the skin by a small, narrow stalk, and may be darker than the surrounding skin. Certain regions of the body, such as the neck, underarms, eyelids, and under the breasts, are prone to have large clusters of skin tags. Other common locations of this outgrowth also include skin tags on the groin. This is because they may be the outcome of skin rubbing against skin, as all these areas have skin folds.

Irritation of the skin caused by rubbing, insulin resistance caused by diabetes, hormones secreted during pregnancy and human papilloma virus are a few possible skin tag causes. Most people aren't aware that illegal steroid use is also one of the causes of skin tags, which makes the collagen fibers in the skin bond so that skin tags are formed.

How to Remove Skin Tags
As skin tags are benign tumors that are painless, often the only problem they pose is aesthetic. It is highly unlikely to see either growth or change in skin tags. How to remove them presents two options: the physician's method or using home remedies. There are a few basic medical procedures that can be used for skin tag removal. Alternately, many people opt for skin tag removal at home. The following are the commonly used methods of skin tag removal:

Freezing
This procedure involves the freezing of skin tags through cryosurgery. It is performed by a dermatologist , and does not require local anesthesia. The doctor dips a cotton swab in a cryogen (usually liquid nitrogen), and lightly dabs the tag with it. This freezes the cells and kills them. For a big tag, the process may be need to be repeated once or twice more for it to fall off. Among the methods of application of the cryogen, it may either be applied using a frozen probe for about a minute, or sprayed onto the skin tag for up to 20 seconds. The patient experiences only mild discomfort during the procedure. While freezing is relatively inexpensive, safe, and reliable, it may be painful and cause temporary swelling and redness.

Cauterization
Cauterization is a skin tag removal procedure where the tags are cauterized with an electrically heated metal probe. The patient is administered local anesthesia, and once the blood supply has been cauterized with the probe, the skin tag is removed. While you do need to visit the doctors office to get it done, the procedure gets over in a matter of minutes with very little bleeding.

Ligation
This procedure, usually adopted for smaller tags, has your dermatologist tying a suture around the neck of the skin tag. This cuts off the blood supply, resulting in the shrinking of the skin tag, after which it will fall off on its own. This method of skin tag removal is known to be relatively painless, and the surrounding skin is left unaffected.

Excision
This procedure is not used as often for the removal of skin tags, but more often for complete removal of skin cancers. The most common method employed is the elliptical excision, which ensures that marks left, run parallel and thus mimic existing skin creases. The dermatologist cuts around and under the lesion with a scalpel and sharp scissors to remove it completely. If there is bleeding, the doctor may use diathermy to coagulate the blood vessels. Finally, the edges of the ellipse are sewn together, or occasionally, a special skin glue is used.

Read more on

• Skin Tag Removal at Home - Home Remedy for Skin Tags
• How to Get Rid of Skin Tags

Home Remedies for Skin Tags
There are several other do it yourself options for the removal of skin tags. How to remove them at home involves picking out an over-the-counter wart removal mix, or trying out a home remedy. Application of a castor oil and baking soda paste is a skin tags home remedy that works wonders. This paste must be applied multiple times, everyday to the skin tag with a cotton swab, until the time it disappears. Another option is to apply apple cider vinegar to the tag for about three weeks or until the time it falls off. These methods can be used for tags all over the body, including groin skin tags.