Freeze Skin Tags

Almost 50% of people will develop a skin tag at some point in their life so as you can see they are a very common condition and many of these people will want to get rid of them by freezing skin tags. Most people remove their skin tags for two reasons: firstly because they do not like their unsightly appearance and aesthetics and secondly because they can be damaged, and even bleed, when they catch on clothing or other items causing g daily irritation. When you freeze skin tags to remove them, there is always the chance that they can grow back so be prepared for the possibility of return visits to your doctor if necessary.

What happens when you freeze skin tags?

Skin tag freezing involves using liquid nitrogen to literally “freeze off” the unwanted flap of skin in a procedure known as cryotherapy.

Until recent times, doctors applied the freezing agent directly to the skin tags but it was found that cold blisters could appear on the surrounding skin if the liquid nitrogen accidentally came into contact with it.

So these days, most doctors now submerge the tips of special forceps into liquid nitrogen. Then they clamp the skin for approximately fifteen seconds to freeze it. And they carry on in the say way to treat any additional skin tags that are visible on the skin. No dressings are necessary and about a week after the skin tag freezing, they will fall off on their own.

This procedure for freezing skin tags is especially useful for those small skin tags that hang from the eyelids on a stalk because the patient can lie down, try to relax, and there is no fear of dripping from the liquid nitrogen which is on the frozen instrument. This is also a good way of removing genital skin tags as the skin in the genital area can be especially sensitive.

Although this procedure usually only causes a bit of a stinging sensation in patients, some doctors give a shot of local anesthesia to dull the pain. One treatment is generally sufficient for freezing small skin tags but if you have larger skin tags they may have to be frozen several times over the course of a few weeks to achieve the desired result.

Can you freeze skin tags at home?

There are even many over the counter products which you can buy and use to freeze skin tags at home. The main ingredient of such over the counter products for freezing skin tags is salicylic acid but you would obviously need to be very cautious and follow the instructions carefully if you decided to try such products yourself at home.

Medical research has not yet fully determined the exact cause of skin tags although they know that several conditions make their appearance more likely. Those with diabetes (type two mellitus) as well as very overweight people, including pregnant women, seem to be especially prone to developing skin tags. Pregnancy causes the hormones in a woman’s body to react differently. It is also known that bodybuilders who use illegal steroids can actually bring on skin tags through the pills or drugs they ingest. This is because such steroids interfere with the natural make up of the body, muscles and skin so that the collagen fibers bond in such a way that ancrochordons are formed. The medical term for a skin tag is ancrochordon.

Conclusion

Cryotherapy or the freezing of skin tags can be a good method to choose for getting rid of your skin tags particularly if you want to have your medical practitioner do the job for you and cost is of no importance. It is comparatively pain free especially if you have a local anesthetic and the success rate can be quite good.