Skin tags are common growths that may be completely harmless but still become bothersome.
Some catch on clothing or jewelry. Others become irritated from repeated friction. Skin tags on the face, eyelids, underarms or other sensitive areas may be particularly noticeable or uncomfortable.
Some patients have one skin tag they would like removed. Others have many.
The important first step is making sure that a growth assumed to be a skin tag actually looks consistent with one.
Skin tag assessment and removal at our Newmarket clinic is performed by Dr. Victoria Hayward, Chief of Plastic Surgery at Southlake Regional Health Centre and a board-certified plastic surgeon. Skin tag removal is one of several minor procedures offered at our clinic. PSSC also sees patients from surrounding communities and the broader region.
Not every skin growth is a skin tag
Skin tags have recognizable features, but several types of skin growth can appear similar to someone examining their own skin.
Dr. Hayward will assess the area before treatment and determine whether the growth appears consistent with a skin tag or whether it should be managed differently.
This is particularly important if a growth is increasing in size, changing in appearance, bleeding without an obvious reason, becoming painful, unusually firm or otherwise behaving differently.
A changing or unusual growth should be medically assessed as soon as possible rather than simply assumed to be a skin tag.
How skin tags are removed
Skin tags are removed with a minor procedure.
The technique used depends on the skin tag's size, location, appearance and the way it is attached to the skin.
The area is numbed with local anesthetic before treatment. Patients may feel a brief sting from the freezing needle, but the procedure itself should be comfortable.
Dr. Hayward then removes the skin tag using the technique most appropriate for that particular growth and location.
She has extensive experience performing minor procedures and has performed thousands of them over the course of her practice.
Skin tags in sensitive or visible areas
Location matters.
Skin tags can develop around the face, eyelids, underarms, nipple and other areas where the surrounding anatomy requires additional care.
A growth near the eye, for example, deserves particular consideration because of the delicate structures surrounding it.
Dr. Hayward will assess the exact location, size and appearance of the growth before recommending how it should be treated.
Assessment is especially important if there is uncertainty about whether the growth is actually a skin tag.
Irritated or painful skin tags
Skin tags can become irritated from repeated rubbing or catching.
This is particularly common in areas exposed to clothing, jewelry, shaving or skin-on-skin friction.
An irritated skin tag can often be removed.
If a growth is repeatedly bleeding, unusually painful, changing or otherwise behaving differently, it should be medically assessed rather than simply treated as a routine skin tag.
Removing multiple skin tags
It is very common for patients to have more than one skin tag.
Multiple skin tags can often be treated during the same appointment.
How many can reasonably be addressed depends on their size, location and appearance.
Patients also understandably want to know whether every skin tag is charged at the full starting price. They are not.
When multiple skin tags are being removed, they are priced together rather than simply charging the full individual rate for each one.
Dr. Hayward will assess the areas and the complete treatment plan and pricing will be discussed before anything is performed.
Will skin tag removal leave a scar?
Any procedure that removes something from the skin can leave a temporary mark or some degree of scarring.
How noticeable that becomes depends on the skin tag's size, location, the technique required and how the patient's skin heals.
Dr. Hayward has years of extensive training and experience in scar management and uses precise plastic-surgery techniques designed to minimize scarring where possible.
Our Advanced Medical Aesthetician is available before and after the procedure to discuss scar-management options, including topical products that may support healing and help improve the appearance of the treated area over time.
How much does skin tag removal cost?
Skin tag removal at our clinic starts at $300.
The final cost depends on the number of skin tags, their size and location and the treatment required.
Multiple skin tags are priced together rather than simply charging the full individual rate for every skin tag.
Dr. Hayward will assess the areas and explain the treatment plan and price before proceeding.
No procedure is performed until the recommended treatment and pricing have been discussed and the patient has agreed to proceed.
Can moles and skin tags be removed together?
Often, yes.
Some patients come in with several different concerns — for example, moles and skin tags they would like assessed at the same appointment.
Each area is assessed individually because different growths may require different removal approaches.
Where medically appropriate, multiple concerns can often be addressed during the same visit.
If a mole or another growth has features that warrant further examination, Dr. Hayward may recommend pathology testing after removal.
Same-day assessment and treatment
Skin tags can frequently be assessed and removed during the same appointment.
We appreciate that most patients would rather avoid an unnecessary second visit, and our clinic aims to assess and treat skin tags at one appointment whenever medically appropriate.