Skin tags normally tend to be small flaps of skin that are raised up from their neighboring skin areas. Skin tags can vary dramatically in their appearance and also their color, with some being irregular and even bumpy, while others smooth. Others may contain some pigment that is different from the normal color of the skin, whilst some are flesh colored. It is uncommon to see red skin tags develop; although these can look worse than other colors, they are not considered any more dangerous than normal skin colored tags.
Skin tags normally grow in the armpit, underneath the breasts in females, on the neck and in the groin, but they can also develop in other places on the body; pretty much any area where there is skin on skin contact. It is thought by many that one of the main reasons for the growth of these skin tags is from friction.
Skin tags can appear either as a flap attached to the skin or on sometimes like a structure in the appurtenance of a stalk, this is often referred to as a peduncle. When these skin tags are attached to the skin by a peduncle, they look very much like a small mushroom with their bulbous tips and firm stalks.
Are Red Skin Tags More Dangerous?
Red skin tags are not generally thought of as a cause of medical issues for the vast majority of people, they also don’t produce any pain for the individual concerned. However, sometimes red skin tags will develop on areas of the body where they could possibly lead to becoming irritated; this normally happens through friction with clothes or jewellery, which when this happens can lead to infection.
Sometimes red skin tags are located in areas that might be considered bothersome, this can be something like on an eyelid; other times it may just be purely cosmetic reasons as to why they are unwanted.
Quick Ways to Remove Red Skin Tags
Once a person comes to the conclusion that they wish to have their red skin tag or tags removed then the process for doing so is normally quite a simple one, very often one of the following methods is used:
- Excision or cutting out the skin tag, normally happens alongside a local anaesthetic which is required to numb the area
- Ligation is where a fine string is tied around the base of the skin tag, this cuts off the supply of blood to the skin tag, which simply falls off without any pain for the individual concerned
- Cryotherapy is where the tag is frozen by applying liquid nitrogen to it, the surrounding cells are killed, without effecting other nearby tissue area
Home Removal Methods for Red Skin Tags
As well as the methods that are listed above it is also possible to remove a red skin tag in the comfort of your own home, these methods tend to work out cheaper than surgery and as such are proving more and more popular, these include:
- Nail polish for skin tag removal, a clear nail polish is applied to the skin tag over a period of a number of days; the skin tag starts to shrink as the nail polish dries out the skin area. After a couple of weeks the skin tag will disappear
- Cutting off skin tags, this can be done with either scissors or nail clippers. Normally a quick and popular method as the results are seen instantly, the downside is that sometimes it can be difficult to do, depending on the exact location of the red skin tag.
- Floss, this is exactly the same as in the string method above, where the blood supply to the skin tag is cut off, over a short period of time the skin tag will simply fall off
- Salicylic Acid, this is applied directly onto the skin tag and after just a couple of weeks the skin tag completely disappears