Skin tags

Skin tags are small growths that hang off your skin. They are common and harmless but can be removed if they’re bothering you. Skin tags are small, soft, skin-coloured growths on your skin. They can be a few millimetres to a few cm wide. Skin tags tend to grow in the skin folds, where the skin rubs against itself, such as on the neck, armpits or groin. They can also grow on the eyelids or under the folds of the buttocks.

Skin tags can look like warts, but skin tags are usually: Smooth and soft Knobbly and hang off the skin Not contagious Skin tags are made of loose collagen fibres and blood vessels surrounded by skin. Collagen is a type of protein found throughout the body

Who gets them?

Both men and women can develop skin tags. They can occur in older people, people who are overweight ,type2 diabetes and can occur in Pregnancy.

Skin tags are harmless and do not usually cause pain or discomfort. However they can catch on clothing irritate and be embarrassing skin tag removal is regarded as cosmetic surgery.

Diagnosis and treatment

Skin tags can easily be burnt or frozen off in a similar way to wart removal. They can also be surgically removed using local anaesthetic. Freezing or burning skin tags can cause irritation and temporary skin discolouration. The skin tag may not fall off, with further treatment needed. Surgical removal has the advantage of removing the skin tag completely. The base is then cauterised to stop any bleeding. A small scab will form and will fall off after a few days. If your skin tag is small with a narrow base, you can try to remove it yourself by tying off the base of the skin tag with dental floss or cotton to cut off its blood supply and make it drop off . Do not attempt to remove large skin tags yourself as they can bleed heavily.

We will advise you as to which removal method is best.

Aftercare and possible complications will be discussed in your initial consultation and again following the procedure.

Skin Cyst

Is a fluid-filled lump found just underneath the skin. It’s common and harmless and may disappear without treatment. Skin cysts can range in size from smaller than a pea to a few centimetres across. They are usually yellow or white, often with a small dark plug, through which you might be able to squeeze pus out. They grow slowly and do not usually hurt, but can become tender, sore and red if infected.

There are different kinds of skin cysts:

• Epidermoid cysts (one of the main types) are commonly found on the face, neck, chest, shoulders or skin around the genitals.

• Cysts that form around hair follicles are known as pilar cysts. They’re often found on the scalp. Pilar cysts typically affect middle-aged adults, mostly women. Unlike epidermoid cysts, they run in families.

• A cyst that forms on the eyelid is called a chalazion or meibomian cyst.

Anyone can develop a skin cyst, but they are more common post-puberty, in people with a history of acne or through skin injury.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Small cysts that are not causing any problems can be left alone. Holding a warm flannel against the skin will encourage the cyst to heal and reduce any inflammation. Do not be tempted to burst the cyst. If it’s infected, you risk spreading the infection, and it can grow back if the sac is left underneath the skin. Diagnosis is easy and the cyst can be removed using a local anaesthetic and an incision is made in the skin and the cyst is squeezed out. The wound is usually closed with sutures, which require removal after 7 to 10 days. Histology is usually recommended.

After care

In general, the area will need to be kept clean and dry for a few days. If dressed, kept covered for 5 days. There is no need to change the dressing unless it is soiled, or a wound inspection is needed. sutures to be removed in 7-10 days .

Complications

This procedure will leave a scar. The cyst may also grow back, particularly if it was removed from the scalp.

Infection, the wound becomes painful and red, with some pus visible along the wound. This usually happens from day 2 to day 7 post-procedure and may require a course of oral antibiotics.

Keloid scarring is a possibility; this is abnormal healing where the resulting scar is large and raised and dark. They are more common in certain parts of the body like the ears, neck, shoulders, back and chest. People of African, Asian and Hispanic descent are more commonly affected. Keloid scars are difficult to treat.

Aftercare and possible complications will be discussed in your initial consultation and again following the procedure.

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Seborrhoeic Keratosis

Seborrhoeic keratosis are harmless warty spots are a common sign of ageing. They are extremely common and it is estimated that over 90% of adults over the age of 60 years have one or more of them. The precise cause of seborrhoeic keratoses is not known. As time goes by, seborrhoeic keratoses become more numerous. Some people inherit a tendency to develop a very large number of them. They can vary in appearance and can arise on any area of the skin, covered or uncovered, with the exception of the palms and soles. They do not arise from mucous membranes. They appear to stick onto the skin surface like barnacles as a flat or raised papule or plaque ranging from 1mm to several cm in diameter. They are skin coloured; yellow, grey, light brown, dark brown, black or mixed colours and have a smooth, waxy or warty surface. They can appear in isolation, or grouped in certain areas like the scalp, under the breasts, over the spine or in the groin.

Seborrhoeic keratoses are not premalignant tumours. Very rarely, eruptive seborrhoeic keratoses may denote an underlying internal malignancy or an adverse reaction to certain medications like chemotherapy drugs.

They can get irritated because of friction with clothing and present as an inflamed, red and crusted lesion. They may be unsightly or itchy.

TREATMENT

An individual seborrhoeic keratosis can easily be removed if desired. We use the following methods:

• Cryotherapy (liquid nitrogen) for thinner lesions (repeated if necessary)

• Curetage and/or electrocautery

• Shave excision (shaving off with a scalpel)

• Histology is not usually required

Lipoma

Are soft, fatty lumps that grow under your skin. They are common, harmless and do not usually need any treatment. They can be a size of a pea to a few centimetres across, they are slow growing and usually not painful. They are a soft and squishy lump under the skin and may move slightly under your skin.

Diagnosis

They are more common in the 40–60-year age group and tend to run in families. Research suggests that lipomas may develop in an area where an injury has caused a significant impact. A lipoma isn’t cancerous and is usually harmless. Sometimes the lipoma can become large and/or painful this may necessitate a referral from your GP for a specialist imaging.

Treatment

Lipomas can be treated with steroid injections to shrink the lipoma, but it does not completely remove it. Surgical removal of the lipoma will be done under a local anaesthetic. Electrocautery is used to stop any bleeding vessels. The skin will be closed with sutures and aftercare will be discussed with you. Any lipoma removed is normally sent for histological confirmation.

After care

The area will need to be kept clean and covered for 5 days. There is no need to change the dressing unless it is soiled, or the wound needs to be inspected.

Complications

Wound infection (generally occurs from day 2 to day 7 post-surgery), where the area might become increasingly sore and red and you might see some yellow discharge along the wound. This may require a course of oral antibiotics. Please contact us if you have any concerns.

A haematoma (a collection of blood where the lump was removed). This usually resolves on its own, without any intervention.

The lipoma can grow again either in the same place or nearby, though this is quite rare.

Keloid scarring may also occur. This is abnormal healing where the resulting scar is large, dark and raised. They are more common in certain parts of the body like the ears, neck, shoulders, back and chest.