What should you know about eyelash skin tag?

Skin tags are soft, flesh-coloured growths that may hang from a narrow base. Beside the lashes, friction from blinking, glasses, or cosmetics can make one catch or become irritated. A growth that is hard, crusted, pigmented, rapidly changing, bleeding, or painful may not be a skin tag and needs a clinician’s assessment.

The examination helps distinguish a skin tag from a mole, wart, cyst, or another eyelid lesion. Do not assume that every bump at the lash line is harmless simply because it is small.

Avoid cutting, tying off, burning, or freezing the growth at home. These methods can cause bleeding, infection, scarring, or injury to the eye. Keep the area clean and avoid rubbing it; pause makeup on the lesion if products make it sore.

If removal is wanted or the tag is repeatedly irritated, a clinician may discuss skin tag removal. Depending on its size and position, options can include cryotherapy or electrosurgery. Treatment close to the lashes should be planned with eye protection and clear aftercare instructions.

Arrange a dermatology or eye review if the growth changes, bleeds without rubbing, develops a sore, or interferes with blinking or vision. Seek prompt care for severe swelling, spreading redness, pus, eye pain, or any change in sight.

Ask how confident the clinician is that the lesion is a skin tag, whether removal is necessary, and which technique suits its distance from the eye. Ask about wound care, makeup, expected tenderness, and the signs of infection to monitor.