Destruction of Skin Tags by CO2 Laser

Skin Tags are soft fibromas that usually appear on the folds of eyelids, neck and axilla, under breast, on groin or thighs. It is unclear what cause them, however they might develop from skin friction. It appearance increases after middle age making them extremely common in general population. Even though they are harmless, they can be annoying or even painful for its facility to get trapped in clothing or external objects and be pulled.

When to Treat Skin Tags

When their location makes it easy to get sagged by clothing or jewelry
They cause discomfort during daily activities, work, sport, hobbies
Interfere with hygiene or grooming
Becomes irritated or bleed frequently
Cosmetics reasons

Treatment

There are multiple treatments for skin tags on the market, however we always recommend going with a specialist. Your doctor is the only one who can properly evaluate and diagnose skin tags, to make sure to rule out any other condition that might look alike, such as moles, warts, skin cancer and seborrheic keratosis or other skin diseases.

Over the counter products and home remedies for skin tag are not recommend. They come with a higher risk of complications such as bleeding, unsightly scaring, severe swelling and inflammation, incomplete tag removal and damage of nearby healthy skin.

Dr. Jozef Tryzno has been diagnosing and treating skin tag since 1998, his vast experience, along with his ability to use the CO2 laser, makes this a great treatment option to consider.
Experience, skills and equipment are what make the difference.

Ablation on skin tags with CO2 Laser

Traditional methods of skin tags removal involve cutting off with surgical scissors, zapping with electrical coagulator or freezing. Each of these treatments has own disadvantages, from excessive bleeding in cuts with scissors, inflammation and tenderness of tags, scarring or surrounding tissue post freezing, to incomplete removal are the most common complications we see in patients coming for second opinion.

Over the years we have proven that use of CO2 laser for skin tag removals has multiple benefits:

Reduces amount of bleeding, during and post procedure,
Laser destruction lets us evaporate the base of the tag which prevents future regrowth.
Decreases post-operative discomfort

Laser destruction of small skin tags does not require injection of anesthetic. For sensitive areas like face and eyelids, a numbing cream is applied for 45 min prior to procedure. For procedures done on neck, axilla and upper trunk no anesthetic is needed. Procedure itself feels like “tiny stings on the skin.” Use of cream anesthetic is always an option and decided individually with each patient.

Postoperative Care

It is important that you follow your provided postoperative instructions after your procedure to ensure the best possible results. Including these few essential rules:

Keep post procedure sites moisturized with provided ointment.
No rubbing, no scrubbing, pat-dry with towel only
No makeup for first few days after procedure, if face treated
Avoid sun exposure of healing skin to prevent hyperpigmentation.

Can Skin Tags come back after treatment?

Skin tags are unlikely to re-grow after laser destruction, however it might be possible to develop new ones.
Some tags are viral in nature and new lesions will start forming sooner or later if preventive steps are not taken. Other people are genetically predisposed to this condition. If you only have had several tags over the years your chances of long-lasting benefits are much higher than for patient with hundreds of spreading tiny lesion. One way or the other it might be years before you need another procedure.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment do not hesitate to reach out, our team is here to help you.

Disclaimer: Every patient is unique; therefore, cosmetic results can vary between patients. No two laser treatments will get same results – even if performed by same physician on patients with similar conditions.