Does electrosurgery treat skin tags?

Skin tags are soft, benign growths that often hang from the skin on a narrow stalk. They may rub against collars, jewellery, or skin folds. Electrosurgery delivers heat through an instrument to cut or destroy the tag and help control minor bleeding at the treatment site.

A clinician should confirm that a bump is a skin tag before removal. A dark, firm, rapidly changing, or broad-based growth may need another diagnostic approach. Numbing medicine is commonly used, and the treated area may form a small crust before new skin covers it.

Do not cut, tie off, or burn a suspected skin tag yourself, particularly if it is near the eye, genitals, or a skin fold that is already irritated. Share details about bleeding disorders, implanted electrical devices, medicines, and previous problems with wound healing.

After removal, keep the site clean and follow the dressing instructions. Avoid friction and do not pull at the crust. Watch the area as it heals, and use sun protection once the surface has closed if the site is exposed.

Have a clinician assess a tag-like growth that changes colour, grows quickly, bleeds repeatedly, hurts without rubbing, or does not resemble your other skin tags. After electrosurgery, seek advice for worsening pain, spreading redness, pus, fever, or bleeding that continues despite pressure.

Ask how the diagnosis was made, whether removal is needed for symptoms or irritation, how the site will be numbed, what scar or colour change is possible, and which wound-care products are appropriate.