Skin tag removal. Clinic-grade, same-day clearance.
Cryotherapy, electrocautery, snip-excision — when we use which, what we won't treat without biopsy.
Clinic-grade removal is fast — most tags come off in a single 10-minute visit using one of three techniques: cryotherapy, electrocautery, or snip excision under local anesthetic. The technique depends on the size, the location, and whether the lesion looks unambiguously like a skin tag or warrants biopsy first. At-home kits and string removal are not procedures we recommend.
And what it isn't.
An acrochordon — a skin tag — is a small, benign, soft growth of skin connected by a narrow stalk. They typically appear in areas of friction: the neck, the underarms, the eyelids, the groin, the inframammary fold. They aren't precancerous, they aren't contagious, and they don't change in the way that a melanoma or a basal cell carcinoma changes.
What's important is that they look like skin tags. Other lesions — small nevi, seborrheic keratoses, atypical moles, and occasionally early skin cancers — can be confused for tags by a patient or by a non-clinical practitioner. Before we remove anything, we look. If a lesion doesn't behave or look the way a tag should, we don't burn it off. We refer for biopsy.
When we use which.
We don't run an electrocautery production line. The right technique is the one that produces a clean, low-scar outcome on your specific lesion in its specific location.
| Snip excisionSterile scissors under local anesthetic | Our default for pedunculated tags large enough to grasp cleanly. A small amount of lidocaine is injected at the base, the stalk is cut, and the area is dressed. Heals quickly, minimal scarring, predictable outcome. Same-day clearance. |
|---|---|
| ElectrocauteryControlled thermal removal | A precise heated probe seals and removes smaller tags and tags in areas where a clean snip is awkward — the eyelids especially. Slightly longer healing than excision but produces a clean, minimal-scar outcome. |
| CryotherapyLiquid nitrogen, for select cases | A brief freeze with liquid nitrogen. Useful for very small lesions and for patients who prefer not to have an injection. Sometimes requires a second pass at two weeks if the tag doesn't fully release. Mild post-procedure blistering is expected. |
Short, sterile, done.
A typical skin-tag visit runs 15 to 25 minutes from the moment you sit down. The lesion is photographed and assessed. If it's an unambiguous tag suitable for in-office removal, we numb (or freeze, depending on technique), remove, dress, and you leave with written aftercare.
Most patients have more than one tag removed at the same visit. We don't charge by the lesion in a way that punishes addressing a cluster all at once. Pricing discussed at consultation; usually one visit, sometimes a quick recheck.
On at-home kits"If a clinic-grade removal is fifteen minutes, the right answer isn't a freeze pen from the drugstore."
The lesions that don't get same-day clearance.
Some growths look enough like a skin tag from a distance that a patient reasonably books them as such, but on closer inspection they require evaluation we don't perform in-office. We'll tell you at the visit if your lesion falls into this category, and we'll refer you to a dermatologist who can biopsy and report the result properly before any removal.
What pushes a lesion into the biopsy-first category: irregular pigmentation within the growth, an asymmetric shape, a recent change in size or color, bleeding without trauma, a stalk that doesn't behave like a normal tag stalk, or any clinical feature that doesn't fit the diagnosis cleanly.
It's better to send four lesions for biopsy and have all four come back benign than to miss one that wasn't.
What the next week looks like.
- 01
Day 0 · Dressing on.
A small adhesive bandage protects the site for the first 24 hours. Keep dry. Mild stinging is expected; ibuprofen is fine if you need it.
- 02
Days 1 – 3 · Scab forms.
A small crust develops over the treatment area. Do not pick. Petrolatum-based ointment twice a day, dressing changed as needed.
- 03
Days 4 – 10 · Scab releases.
The crust falls off naturally, leaving pink new skin underneath. Sun protection on the site is non-negotiable for the next month — a healing site that gets UV exposure can leave a darker mark.
- 04
6-week check (if requested).
Most tags don't need follow-up. If you have a cluster or want a recheck, we'll see you back at six weeks at no additional cost.
- Pigmented lesions where the diagnosis isn't clearly a skin tag — referred for biopsy first.
- Lesions inside the eye or on the mucosa of the eyelid margin without ophthalmology input.
- Patients on blood thinners without an explicit risk-and-bleeding discussion.
- Children under 12 in our practice — pediatric dermatology is the right setting.
Supervised by Dr. Charles Peterson, board-certified physician with nearly a decade in aesthetic medicine.
Questions we get.
Will it scar?
A properly performed in-office removal usually leaves a small, flat, pink mark that fades over several months. Some patients are left with a faint depression or pigment change. Patients with a history of keloid scarring should mention this before removal.
Will the tag grow back?
The removed tag doesn't return. New tags can develop nearby over time, particularly in friction-prone areas. The new ones are new lesions, not regrowth.
Is this covered by insurance?
Cosmetic skin-tag removal is rarely covered. Some plans cover removal if the tag is symptomatic — bleeding, snagging on jewelry, or chronic irritation. We don't bill insurance directly, but can provide documentation if you'd like to submit.
How much does it cost?
Pricing depends on the number, size, and location of the tags. Multiple lesions in one visit are priced as a cluster rather than per tag. Pricing discussed at consultation.
Can I just freeze it at home?
Drugstore freeze kits are weaker than clinical cryotherapy and harder to apply precisely. They sometimes work, often produce inconsistent results, and occasionally cause a hyperpigmented mark larger than the original tag. We don't recommend them.
Continue.
Ablative resurfacing, pigment, vascular, RF, hair removal, tattoo and PMU removal — how we choose by concern, not by device.
Pores, fine lines, tone unevenness, crepiness and laxity — a layered approach using regenerative microneedling, lasers and peels.
Swissa Med Spa shares a building, a clinical team and a thirty-year history with Ruth Swissa, the paramedical tattooing practice.