Skin tags are commonly found around the neck, and in areas of skin folds, such as the underarm area. They appear to be exactly as their name describes; loose little tags of skin. Seborrheic keratoses usually look like rough, brown growths on the skin, with a “stuck on” appearance. They can be located anywhere, and are commonly found on the face, back, limbs, or the area under the breasts. Sebaceous hyperplasia refers to a benign growth of oil glands. Usually these growths look like one to two millimeter yellowish bumps on the face.
While these types of growths are harmless, we realize some patients would prefer to have them removed for aesthetic purposes. We offer several in-office treatment options to remove these growths, including simply clipping them off, cauterizing them, or using liquid nitrogen to freeze them off. Your practitioner will determine the most effective method for you.
What can I expect after treatment?
After a removal session, usually the treated areas will have some swelling and crusts, lasting approximately one week. There is also usually some discoloration of the treated sites. You should avoid tanning for at least a few weeks before and after the session, to minimize the discoloration. Sometimes, lesions cannot be completely removed without extensive scarring, and may grow back. Often, patients will return for repeat sessions as new growths appear.
What risks are involved?
Although the actual removal of these growths is very simple, the most important task your practitioner must perform is to examine your skin, and determine which growths fall into the category of tags, benign keratosis, and oil glands. Most people have multiple growths on the skin, including moles and other benign or possibly cancerous tumors. Obviously, these latter lesions should only be removed by biopsy for pathology examination. Therefore, we suggest to first have a skin examination or consultation appointment, prior to scheduling a removal session.
Because skin tags, seborrheic keratosis, and sebaceous hyperplasia are benign growths, their removal is considered an elective cosmetic procedure.