Skin tags are harmless growths
of skin but many people choose to remove them in order
to make their skin look smooth, perfect, and more attractive.
However, skin tags may also be the cause of inconvenience,
irritation, and sometimes, pain. Currently there is no
known medical skin
tag causes, but most Medical Experts believe that
skin tags are somehow created by combination of aging
skin, and rubbing, or friction on the skin area. This
is particularly true when skin
tags are rubbed by clothing items or snagged by jewelry
etc. To date, a number of methods have been developed
for removing them. One technique commonly used by physicians
is to freeze skin tags. In medical terms, it is called
cryotherapy or cryosurgery. To freeze skin tags, physicians
use an extremely cold substance like liquid nitrogen,
argon, or dry ice. The procedure is simple, easy, and
carries only minimal risk. Most people who have skin tags
are not aware of the risks involved with learning how
to remove skin tags from home. Some examples are home
surgery and duct tape methods - both of which can be painful,
dangerous and leave scarring.
How to Freeze Skin Tags?
Cryotherapy is performed to freeze skin tags in the
dermatologist’s or therapist’s clinic. The
skin
tag removal procedure is mostly done without giving
the patient local anesthesia. Therefore, some pain may
be experienced during the process, which is quite brief.
Three main techniques are used to freeze skin tags.
In the commonest one, used also for other benign skin
growths besides skin tags, a cotton swab (or some other
applicator) is dipped in the cryogen (the extremely
cold substance), which is usually liquid nitrogen at
a temperature of – 196 °C. It is then applied
to a skin tag, quickly, so as to freeze it and kill
the cells of the growth. Depending on the size of the
growths, a second round of applying the cryogen may
be required to completely freeze skin tags. Another
way of removing skin tags by cryotherapy involves spraying
the cryogen directly onto the target (skin tags). Depending
on the size of the growth, the procedure takes 5 to
20 seconds; a bit longer for larger tags. Yet another
method to freeze skin tags is to use a pre-cooled probe
(frozen with the cryogen) to destroy the target tag(s)
on the skin. This method takes about a minute or longer,
depending on the size of the growths.
Benefits of Cryotherapy for Skin Tags
Removing skin tags by freezing has a number of benefits
for both the patient and the therapist. First, it is
a simple and easy procedure, taking only a few minutes.
It also has fewer risks involved as compared to removal
of skin tags by surgical incision. Another benefit of
cryotherapy is that it stimulates the immune system
of the patient and boosts the body’s resistance
to fight malignant (cancerous) growths. Patients who
choose to freeze skin tags can be sure that the healthy
cells of the surrounding skin will not be injured during
cryotherapy. Elderly patients and those who are not
so tolerant to other invasive surgical procedures also
respond well to cryotherapy skin
tag treatment.
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