*discounted procedure
Skin tags are little bumps on the skin that don’t need to be treated, but if they annoy you, then there are treatment options out there. In this blog post, I have put together all the information you need to know about skin tags, information on laser skin tag removal, photos of the healing process and even a video of the procedure itself. I had my milia treated at the same time at my skin tags, and if you want to know more about it read my Milia Removal blog post. All of my laser removal treatments are done by Kat at Laser Skin and Wellness (aka Laser Queen)
what are skin tags?
Skin tags (acrochodron) are small benign tumours on the skin. They look like a small piece of soft skin that hangs from the skin via a stalk (peduncle). The skin tags I had treated had only recently appeared, so they look more like the head of a pin. Skin tags have a fibrovascular (fibrous connective tissue with vascular supply) core, that sometimes includes fat cells, and is covered by skin (epidermis). It is not known why skin tags form, but they do form in places where skin is more likely to rub up against itself, like the neck, eyelids, armpit, groin and under breasts. Genetics, obesity, diabetes and pregnancy can make them more likely to occur.
Skin tags are benign, so they do not need to be treated. You should however always have any new growth, or a growth that has changed, checked out by a doctor to ensure it isn’t anything that you need to worry about. There are multiple treatment methods if you want to get skin tags treated. I had mine done for cosmetic reasons, but they can also be treated due to irritation from things like jewellery, clothing, shaving and eczema. On rare occasions skin tags can fall off by themselves, but they’re usually permanent unless treated.
laser skin tag removal
As with any procedure, I researched the various options for skin tag removal before getting this done. The options available for skin tag removal include freezing them with liquid nitrogen, excising them with a scalpel or burning them off with electrical energy. I spoke to my doctor about how he would treat them, and he would have used liquid nitrogen. If that was my only treatment option, then I would have gone ahead and done it, but it was not my preferred treatment option. When I’ve previously had nitrogen treatment, the skin has had very visible residual redness for months afterwards. I do have very sensitive skin and can have delayed healing due to chronic illness, so that could be playing a part in my nitrogen experiences. I had already had many milia treated, by Kat at Laser Skin and Wellness, without issues using thermocoagulation, so that is what I wanted to try to treat my skin tags. Thermocoagulation uses high frequency current to discharge pin point energy to treat skin imperfections. I refer to this as laser treatment, as it is far easier to say.
The laser looks a bit like a pen with a very pointy slanted tip. When it touches the skin, it does hurt slightly, but I found the skin tag removal on my neck to be really easy to tolerate. It is far less painful than milia removal on the eyelids, even though the laser stays on the same area for a lot longer. I also want to note that before any milia or skin tags are removed, I had a facial. So my skin is red and blotchy in the before pictures and video, but that’s a normal reaction for my sensitive skin.
The attached IGTV video shows the laser removal of both my milia and skin tags, that I had done in the same appointment. For more information on milia removal, see my Laser Milia Removal blog post. The video clearly shows how the laser treats the skin tags. The second skin tag treatment is very interesting as it shows the core of the skin tag coming out during the treatment.
healing after treatment
The treated skin tags looked their worst around one week after treatment. By that stage the scabs were starting to peel off at the edges which revealed the pink healing skin, but they weren’t painful or annoying at all. When the scab came off the first skin tag, it still had a slight bump there, but that went away as the skin healed. The skin was more pink when the scab came off the second skin tag, but the area was completely flat.
Both areas healed completely within a few weeks, and there is a very slight red mark left where each skin tag was. This will fade in the coming months. The healed pictures were taken in artificial studio lighting, so they amplify the redness, to help it be visible on camera, but it’s barely noticeable in person.
I’m really happy with how my skin has healed after the treatment. I would absolutely get any new skin tags removed via this laser method. Skin tags seem to be a genetic problem for me, that other family members also get, so I’m glad I now have an easy treatment option. If you have skin tags that don’t bother you, then leave them alone, but if you’re like me and want to have a skin tag removed, see if you can find someone in your area who uses this laser (thermocoagulation) treatment method. Let me know if there is any other skin treatment that you would like to see me write a blog post on. I know that most people online show edited versions of themselves, so I hope these unedited, real skin blog posts help you to see that skin isn’t perfect. I will have more skin care and makeup blog posts up soon, so don’t forget to subscribe to email updates if you want my new blog posts sent to your inbox or you can find me on social media – Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.
Have you got skin tags or had any removed before? Do you like these skin treatment posts with healing picture updates?
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