Skin Tag Removal: Why Not at Home, and How It's Done in a Clinic

Skin tags are small, soft, harmless flaps of skin, common on the neck, armpits, eyelids and groin. They don't need to be removed, but many people want them gone because they catch on clothing or jewelry or bother them. Cutting, tying off or freezing a skin tag at home can cause bleeding, infection and scarring, and it means no one has checked that the growth really is a skin tag. A clinician can remove one quickly and safely.

What is a skin tag?

A skin tag is a small growth of normal skin that hangs from a thin stalk. They're usually skin-colored or slightly darker, from a few millimeters to about a centimeter across. They're more common with age, during pregnancy, and in people with diabetes or excess weight, especially where skin rubs against skin.

Why not remove it at home?

• Bleeding: even small skin tags have a blood supply, and some bleed more than you'd expect.
• Infection: household tools and over-the-counter kits aren't sterile.
• Scarring and pain, especially from freezing kits or strong chemicals.
• A missed diagnosis: some moles, warts and skin cancers can look like skin tags. Removing one at home means it never gets looked at.
• Risky spots: skin tags near the eye or in the groin are best left to a clinician.

How a clinician removes a skin tag

After numbing the area if needed, a clinician removes the skin tag by snipping it with sterile instruments or freezing it. It takes a few minutes, and most people go back to their day right away. If anything about the growth looks unusual, it can be sent to a lab to be checked.

Afterwards, keep the spot clean and dry, cover it if it rubs on clothing, and watch for signs of infection.

When a skin growth needs a closer look

Get a growth checked if it:

• Is changing in size, shape or color
• Bleeds, itches or hurts without being caught on something
• Has uneven edges or more than one color
• Looks different from your other skin tags or moles

Getting it done at AfterOurs

AfterOurs removes skin tags at our clinics. Our skin tags page explains the visit. At an AfterOurs clinic, a standard self-pay visit is $175, and a self-pay in-clinic visit never costs more than $330. We contract with all major commercial and government plans, including Colorado Medicaid and Medicare. Cosmetic removal may not be covered by insurance. See the cost and insurance page.

Get seen the same day if a skin tag you tried to remove at home won't stop bleeding after 10 minutes of firm pressure, or the area becomes red, swollen, hot or starts draining pus. Call 911 or go to the ER for heavy bleeding that won't stop.

Where to find us

Four clinics across metro Denver, all ages welcome, se habla español:

• Hampden (Southeast Denver): 8 AM–11 PM daily
• Littleton: 8 AM–11 PM daily
• Thornton: 8 AM–11 PM daily
• Highlands: Mon–Fri 5–11 PM, Sat–Sun 8 AM–11 PM

Walk in, or book online.