"Skin Tags!" EWWW

My husband had them quite a bit, and his doctor froze them off with a little freeze gun, kind of like a mole (they were easier than a mole, though).

I don't know what causes them, but they are supposed to be a good indicator of future diabetes, which runs through my family and his. It would be a good idea for him to check on that as he gets older, even if he has them removed.

I didn't like them either... but they are very easy to remove, and it will take a while for any to grow back.

1 mom found this helpful

I had one and my Dr looked at it for any discoloration and then he chemically burned it off. It is a pretty quick procedure, and stings a little when he applied the chemical. Otherwise no big deal. So my sggestion is have him go in and get them checked out and taken care of.
You can go to your normal Dr for this, it doesnt have to be done by a dermatologist.

my son was born with a skin tag; he is now three. When he was born the doctor was only worried because it was right by his ear. BUT I said if it didn't bother him then leave it alone. Most of the time if someone is born with it, they are just extra skin; I have a few that I have always had. Tying them off is a way to get rid of them; probably the least expensive way as well.

my ex was advised by a dr to tie string or dental floss( not the fuzzy kind) tightly around the base and it will die and fall off.. i will say we werent successful at this but we had a bugger of a time tieing the string tight enough HTH BK

I too have read that they believe skin tags are caused by insulin resistance (which could be pre-diabetes). If I were him, I'd make sure to have a blood sugar level test to make sure everything's ok on that front.

My mom's doctor told her that they are a fungus and will grow in places that get moist, from sweating etc. The diabetes thing is interesting because he didn't tell her that and she does have diabetes.

My husband had a LOT of them around his neck. His sister's husband was in the Marines and is a former Wisconsin farm boy who had to give himself stitches on a few occasions. He took small forceps and a very sharp, sterile razor and just cut them off. My husband had to wear bandages around his neck for the night, but they are gone and there isn't a mark where any of them used to be. Whoever does it will want to use a good topical anesthetic, if you choose to go that way. Some doctors will not remove them. It is even "illegal" in some states to remove them, though I don't know why. I hope this helps.

My esthetician (SP?) used little scissors to snip a couple of mine off. It stung for just a second and then she put a little piece of gauze on it and it was a done deal. I've also had my Dr. use some kind of spray on once and it froze it, then a week or so later it fell off. They are still gone.

H.

I have a friend that had a number of large ones also, he had the doctor remove them. Personally, I had one, it was under the band to my bra, I just kept a bandaide on it because it kept rubbing it sore. It eventually went away. Good luck with what you decide to do with these. They can be annoying and sometimes painful.
Jennie

I get them I think we inheret it. cause my sister and mom both have them too. I just cut them off with a very small pare of sissors, sterlized of course, but why pay the doctor to do the very same thing. the will come back occasionally. nothing you can do to get rid if them permanantely.

A doctor told me that they were a early warning of diabetes. He also said that if you remove them and they are caused by insulin issues they will return. So maybe get them removed by a Doc and make some easy dietary changes and all will be well.

Sounds like a job for the dermatologist...

You can have them frozen by a derm. They will fall off in a couple of days.

a dermatologist can take them off easily...

Hello L.,

I remember reading something about mold in your body that caused those. I can't remember where I read that though. I have found a web site called "know the cause" that helps get rid of the mold in your body. Just a thought. I have never actually tried it. Good Luck.

Lauri