Skin tag removal at Glasgow Skin Specialists
At Glasgow Skin Specialists, we provide safe, straightforward skin tag removal carried out by experienced clinicians. Skin tags are common and harmless, but can catch, rub, or become bothersome. We assess each lesion carefully before removal, ensuring treatment is appropriate and carried out comfortably in a clinical setting.
What Are Skin Tags?
​Skin tags are extremely common benign (non cancerous) lesions that develop on the skin as we grow older. They are usually skin coloured, and are commonly found in skin folds (armpits, groins etc.) or where clothing tends to rub (neckline, waistline). They are harmless overgrowths of the outer layer of the skin, called the epidermis, and carry no risk to your health, but they can often be symptomatic when catching on clothing or chaffing against the skin. While usually small, some skin tags can grow to be very large.
Skin Tag Removal - What To Expect:
1 / Consultation
When you attend for your consultation, you will be seen by a specialist dermatologist or plastic surgeon, who will take a short medical history from you and some photographs of the lesion for your medical records. They will discuss with you your options for treatment, which will usually be a straightforward skin tag removal operation under local anaesthetic. Following this discussion, if you are happy to proceed, you will be offered a further appointment to return for your surgery. In some cases, if you have a small number of skin tags to be removed, you may be offered treatment at the time of your consultation, although this will be time dependent.
2 / Surgical Procedure
The skin tag removal operation is carried out under local anaesthetic. These are skin-numbing injections, similar to that used at a dentist. Once the skin is numbed, a skin tag can be shaved off at the base, leaving a graze-like wound that heals over naturally in a week or two. You will be left with a pinky-purple patch of skin, that will usually fade away over a few months, although in some cases you may develop a small scar. Larger skin tags may need to be removed by cutting it out from the skin, and stitching the wound together, leaving a straight-line scar that will be permanent. Skin tag removal generally takes about 15-20 minutes, but obviously depends on the number you want to be removed.
3 / Postoperative Care
Following your surgery, you will be given some aftercare information and offered a follow-up appointment free of charge, to ensure your wounds have healed satisfactorily and to take some post-operative photographs.
