If you have a skin tag you’d like removed, book a consultation or surgery date now.
We offer rapid access for consultation and short waitlist for surgery.
If you have a referral from your family physician, the consultation fee ($150 + HST) will be waived.
How do I treat skin tags?
What does a skin tag removal entail?
What is the recovery time?
Is there a cost?
How do I book my surgery?
Skin Tag Removal
What is a skin tag?
Skin tags are common, harmless, soft, skin-colored growths that hang from the skin, typically appearing in skin folds like the neck, armpits, eyelids, groin, and under the breasts, caused by extra skin cells and often by friction.
Although these lesions are harmless and benign, they can sometimes get pinched by clothing or patients may be bothered by their appearance.
For most my patients, no treatment is required and these are completely benign.
For patients who have skin tags that keep getting irritated or would like these removed, I recommend surgical excision
Most small skin tags will have some local anesthetic injected into the area and then have the lesion removed. Larger skin tags may require sutures. Dissolvable sutures are used to close the incision, if needed. I often do not have any follow-up scheduled with my patients, but if you have any issues please do not hesitate to call my office.
What are the risks of surgery?
All surgeries will make a scar. If the skin tags is small, I often tell my patients they are trading a small bump for a minimal scar.
All surgeries may cause infection, nerve injury, bleeding, or persistent pain.
Infection ranges from 1-5%. Patients who have diabetes, use nicotine products, or have an autoimmune disease are at higher risks. If you use nicotine products please stop this 4 weeks before and after your surgery. A mild infection may have some increased pain or redness and can be treated with antibiotics. More severe infections may require the wound to be opened up again and long-term IV antibiotics.
Nerve injury to the nerve is always possible although very rare and dependent on the area on the body it is being removed.
There is no significant bleeding from this procedure, but the wound can ooze blood. If this happens, please place firm pressure on the wound for 10 minutes and this should stop. If it does not, please call our office or present to your nearest emergency department for an assessment.
Persistent pain may continue after surgery either due to scar tissue or sensitive nerves after surgery. This often goes away, but can be quite distressing. I will continue to follow you closely until this improves.
Most patients to need only a few days to fully recover. Location of the skin tag and size are significant factors. Skin tags located on the lower extremity or large skin tags will require more recovery. Some patients may take longer due to scar tissue pain. I ask patients a minimum of two weeks of recovery are needed if sutures are used. This is to let the sutures heal the wound. The sutures are strong, but not invincible!
You will be provide with a post-operative instruction sheet to guide you on healing. The dressing can come off after 3-5 days and washed with soap and water. The sutures will start dissolving between 2-4 weeks if used. After four weeks, if the wound has completely healed there are no restrictions.
I ask all my patients to not place their surgical site in any still bodies of water until the wound has healed - this includes bathtubs, jacuzzis, beaches, and no dishes until it is fully healed. (I can write a prescription if your spouse does not believe you!) This is to prevent any infections.
Skin tags are not covered by OHIP. The size and location of the skin tag will impact the cost of your surgery
If you have a referral from your family physician, the consultation fee is waived. Otherwise, there will be a consultation fee of $150 + HST.
If you have a skin tag you would like assessed, we are happy to book you in with rapid access for a consultation and a short waitlist for surgery.
If you would like the consultation fee ($150+HST) waived, please have your family physician send a referral.