Skin tags are small growths on the surface of the skin that resemble warts. This condition is generally harmless and painless. However, if it is very disturbing, medical treatment needs to be done to overcome it.
Skin tags may appear small and appear light. However, never carelessly try to remove the skin tag yourself, OK? This can actually lead to injury, infection, or other health problems. Better, first identify the cause of skin tags and the right way to get rid of them.
What Causes Skin Tags?
Skin tags vary in size, from a few millimeters to about 5 centimeters. Skin tags are often found around the armpits, chest, calves, groin, neck, eyelids, or around the buttocks.
Skin tags are formed from blood vessels and collagen in the outer layer of the skin. However, until now the exact cause of skin tags is still unclear. This condition is most likely due to friction on the surface of the skin, either between the skin and clothing, jewelry, or other objects.
Skin tags can occur in both men and women, especially those who are overweight and people with diabetes. Skin tags can also appear as a side effect of increased pregnancy hormones in pregnant women.
How to Remove Skin Tags?
It is not recommended that you remove skin tags yourself at home, either by pulling them using a rope or applying chemicals to remove them peeling. These methods can actually cause pain such as burning, bleeding, and infection. Instead, consult a doctor to remove skin tags.
There are several ways that doctors can do to remove skin tags, including:
1. Minor surgery
Minor surgery is a common procedure performed to treat skin tags. This procedure is done by cutting the skin tag with sterile scissors or cutting it with a scalpel.
2. Electrosurgery
Electrosurgery or electrosurgery is a surgical method that uses high-frequency electric currents to generate heat. In this procedure, the skin tag will be heated using an electric current with a certain voltage. After that, the doctor will remove the skin tag.
3. Cryotherapy
Unlike electrosurgery, which uses electricity to generate heat, cryotherapy uses liquid nitrogen to freeze skin tags. After freezing, then the doctor will remove the skin tag from the skin.
4. Ligation
Skin tags are removed by tying and cutting the flow of blood vessels in them using surgical threads. Doctors generally do not need to anesthetize the patient if the skin tags are small and scanty. Local anesthesia is only performed on large skin tags in large numbers.
One of the risks of handling skin tags is light bleeding. However, in general, patients do not need a long recovery time so they can go straight to their normal activities.
In addition to some of the remedies above, many people choose to remove skin tags as a natural treatment, such as using apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or with tea tree oil. However, until now, there has been no scientific study that has been able to prove the effectiveness of these natural remedies.
The presence of skin tags is generally not bothersome, so most do not require special handling. However, immediately consult a doctor if the skin tag starts to bother you or if it shows changes, both in color, shape, size, or number.