How to Tackle Those Skin Tags

While skin tags are usually harmless growths that can appear anywhere on your skin, they can come with the nuisance factor. 

They will often develop on the neck, eyelids, or underarms. They may be the same color as your skin or darker.  While some are pink, others can turn red when irritated.  They can dangle from a stalk or they may be firmly fixed to the skin.

The medical name for skin tags is acrochordons but the nuisance factor as well as their appearance means that many people will want to remove them.

These growths can appear anywhere on the skin, but they usually develop where skin has been rubbing against skin, against jewelry or against clothing for some time. And when this happens, they are more likely to occur in one or more of these areas:

• Beneath the breasts 

• On the eyelids

• The groin

• In those neck creases (or where clothing or jewelry rubs against the neck)

• Under the arms

Skin tags can also be found on the abdomen or the back.  Shaving can irritate skin tags especially if you accidentally nick them.

Because they develop where skin rubs against skin, people who are overweight, pregnant or have loose skin are more likely to get skin tags.

Skin tags can also appear if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, abnormal  blood sugar levels, extra fat around the waist or high cholesterol levels.  It can also be genetic.

You might want to remove skin tags even though they are harmless

• If they become irritated or bleed.
• If they develop on the eyelid, affecting your eyesight.
• If they feel painful.
• If you dislike the way they look.

How can skin tags be removed?

A dermatologist can remove one or more skin tags during a single appointment and usually without the need for a follow-up appointment.  The treatment they use will depend (a) on the size of the skin tag, (b) where it appears on your body, and (c) other considerations.  Here are the different options.

• Cryosurgery: During this treatment, an extremely cold substance such as liquid nitrogen is applied to freeze and destroy the skin tag.  Sometimes, such freezing will cause a blister or scab which when it falls off will take the skin tag with it.  Sometimes, the dermatologist may freeze only the bottom of the skin tag and then snip it off with a sterile surgical blade or scissors.

• Electrodesiccation:  Using a tiny needle, the dermatologist will attempt to destroy the skin tag.  A scab will follow which can take several weeks to heal.

• Snip:  With this method, the dermatologist will numb the area, use sterile surgical scissors or a blade to remove the skin tag, and then apply a solution to stop the bleeding.

Following these different methods, the dermatologist may give you aftercare instructions to follow including removing the bandage, washing the area carefully, and covering with a new bandage.  This is to prevent any problems such as infection.

But you can use a safe and gentle natural product for your skin tags

You can use a natural product from Healing Natural Oils without the risk of pain, bleeding, scabs, scarring or infection. 

The formula is rapidly absorbed into the skin tags where it works to gently flake them away.

You can of course carry out this procedure in the comfort of your own home.

It is important to remember to refrain from picking or filing the tags, giving the formula the time to do its work. The tags may change in color, size and/or appearance before they begin to flake away. 

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