Cosmetic reasons are the most common reason for removing skin tags.
A dermatologist usually performs skin tag removal. For skin tags located in sensitive locations, a specialist may have to do the procedure. An ophthalmologist may be able to remove skin tags on an eyelid, whereas skin tag removal toronto a surgeon may be able to remove skin tags on the perianal area. A skin tag can be removed using cauterisation, cryosurgery, ligation, and excision.
Electrocauterization is a technique for treating small skin tags in which heat energy is generated using a high-frequency current to burn the skin tag cells. After applying anaesthetic to the skin tag, theĀ skin tag removal toronto is burned off by using a cautery probe or pen. After a few minutes, the skin tag and the burnt material are removed. Patients are advised not to wash the cauterised area overnight, and an antibiotic ointment is usually applied.
On the other hand, cryosurgery involves freezing the skin tag with a special substance, usually liquid nitrogen. The basement membrane is disrupted during the procedure, causing tissue destruction. The substance can be applied to the skin tag using cotton or cryoprobes. Some physicians apply cryotherapy to the forceps to minimise damage to surrounding tissues after grasping the skin tag.
It is impossible to examine tissue destroyed by cauterisation and cryosurgery since they are both ablative procedures. The stalk of a small skin tag can also be ligated using suture material or copper wire to stop blood flow to it. You can cut off a small skin tag with curved scissors and then ligate the stalk to remove the tag.
For the complete removal of large skin tags, excision may be necessary. Under local anaesthesia, a small surgery may be performed to remove a narrow stalk of skin. It is possible to shave it off with a scalpel and sear it for haemostasis. After a few days, the skin re-epithelializes. In contrast, if the stalk is wide, the stalk can be wrapped in a fish mouth incision to the dermis. The skin tag may be removed along with a small amount of normal skin.