Most skin tags are medically harmless growths of skin
and people choose to remove them only for cosmetic reasons
i.e. to make their skin look smooth and attractive. However,
there are a few other reasons for seeking skin tag treatment.
These include:
• Pain or irritation on skin tags upon rubbing
with clothes or when snagged by jewelry items etc.
• Sudden change in the color, shape, and/or size
of skin tags that is indicative of potential health
risk.
For these reasons, skin tag treatment is sought by
many people who want their skin
tags removed permanently and safely. Various methods
of skin tag treatment are available and patients have
the choice to go for the method which sounds more convenient
to them. It is worth mentioning that after removal,
skin tags do not grow back. However, there is no real
skin
tags cure, since new skin tags can grow back anytime.
To this date, there is no medically verified explanation
for the cause
of skin tags.
Cryotherapy
Perhaps the most popular skin tag treatment available
today is cryotherapy, or cryosurgery. It refers to the
technique of freezing
skin tags with an extremely cold substance (usually
liquid nitrogen) which kills the cells of the skin tag
and causes them to fall off or insensitive to removal
by cutting off the growth. The procedure is performed
in the doctor’s clinic and local anesthesia may
or may not be given, depending on the size of the tag
and the patient’s level of tolerance. For larger
tags, more than one shot of cryotherapy may be required
and hence the patient may need to visit the doctor two
or more times.
Cauterizing
Cauterizing refers to burning the skin tag and destroying
its cells by means of an electrically heated, metallic
source. This follows cutting off the skin tag with scissors
and is preferred by some patients on account of its
quick results. Local anesthesia is applied before cauterizing
the tags. An advantage of this method of skin tag treatment
is that it stops the bleeding from the wound and thus
quickens the recovery.
Ligation
Ligation is another method of skin tag treatment. It
works by cutting off the blood supply to the tag by
tying it up around the base with a string. This results
in shrinking of the tag and its eventual falling off.
There is no damage to the surrounding skin tissue and
the patient experiences minimal pain.
Costs of Skin Tag Treatment
The costs of skin
tag removal vary according to the number and size
of tags, the method of skin tag treatment, and the kinds
of medications prescribed for recovery. For a few tags
of average size, most skin tag treatment methods are
not very expensive, costing an average of about $150.
It is important to remember that skin tag treatment
is not generally covered by insurance as it is considered
a cosmetic concern.
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