Skin tags are small, soft, skin-coloured growths on your skin. They can vary in colour and size – from a few millimetres up to 5cm wide. Skin tags are usually found on the neck, armpits, around the groin, or under the breasts. They can also grow on the eyelids or under the folds of the buttocks.
Surgical removal for skin tags is a common outpatient procedure. After numbing the area with a local anesthetic, your doctor may perform one of the following procedures based on the size and location of the skin tag:
Cauterization. Your doctor uses heat to remove the skin tag.
Cryosurgery – Your doctor sprays a small amount of liquid nitrogen over the skin tag, which freezes off the growth.
Electrocautery – You doctor could also burn the skin tag off with a specialized electric current.
Ligation- Skin tags can sometimes be removed by cutting off the blood flow with surgical thread.
Surgery -This simply involves your doctor snipping off the skin tag at its base with surgical scissors. The size and location of the skin tag will determine the need for bandages or stitches.
