Skin tag removal at our clinic in Donington, near Spalding and Boston, is quick. Each tag is examined first, then removed with advanced electrolysis or cautery, under local anaesthetic where needed, in an appointment that usually takes fifteen to thirty minutes. Anything that might not be a skin tag is left alone, and you are told where to take it instead, usually your GP.
What is a skin tag?
A small, soft, harmless growth of skin, often hanging from a narrow stalk. Skin tags are common, they become more common as people get older, and they grow where skin folds and rubs: the neck, the underarms, the eyelids, under the breasts and in the groin.
They are not dangerous and do not need treating. People have them removed because they catch on necklaces, rub under collars and bra straps, get in the way of a razor, or simply bother them, and that is a perfectly good reason.
Is it a skin tag, a mole or something else?
You may not be able to tell, and that is the point of the check. Some skin cancers can look like a harmless lump to an untrained eye, so every tag is examined before anything is removed. The check is included in the price.
See your GP promptly about any mole or lesion that:
- is asymmetrical
- has an irregular or blurred border
- contains more than one colour
- is wider than about 6mm
- or has changed in any way, in size, shape or colour, or by itching, bleeding or crusting.
A new mole appearing after the age of about 35 is also worth having looked at, whether or not you ever plan to have anything removed.
If something you want removed has changed, bled or grown, it will not be removed here. We will tell you what we think and refer you to your GP, urgently if it needs it.
Why won't the clinic remove a mole?
Because removing a mole with heat destroys it, so nothing is left to send for testing. If that mole was an early melanoma, the evidence would be gone, and with it the chance to catch it in time.
Your GP can assess a mole and arrange for it to be cut out and examined where that is appropriate. That is free, it is thorough, and it does not risk your life for the sake of convenience. So moles are never removed here for cosmetic reasons, although you are welcome to have one looked at and hear what we think.
Will the NHS remove a skin tag?
Not usually. Removing a harmless skin tag counts as cosmetic, so the NHS does not usually fund it. It may remove one that bleeds regularly, keeps getting infected, causes constant pain or affects your sight. If that sounds like yours, ask your GP before you book anything.
Do not try to remove one yourself. The NHS advises against it unless a GP has recommended it, because of the risk of infection, bleeding and scarring, and it skips the step that matters most: someone checking that it really is a skin tag.
What happens at a skin tag removal appointment?
The tag is looked at first. If it is what it appears to be, you are told the price before anything is done. It is from £50 for the first tag, with reduced pricing for additional tags in the same appointment, and the price for those is confirmed before anything is removed.
Removal is done with advanced electrolysis or cautery, which treats the tag with heat from a fine probe, under local anaesthetic where needed. Several tags can usually be treated in one visit, including in awkward places such as the eyelids, neck and underarms. Seborrhoeic keratoses and other clearly benign lesions can be removed too, once assessed, and so can milia.
The clinic is at Glebe Farm in Donington, about fifteen minutes from Spalding and twenty from Boston, with free parking outside. Skin tag removal is for adults aged 18 and over.
Does skin tag removal hurt?
Skin tags do not usually hurt in themselves. Removal is done under local anaesthetic where needed, and you are talked through it before anything starts.
How should I look after the skin once a tag is removed?
A small scab forms where each tag was. Leave it alone and let it come away by itself, which usually takes a few days. Picking it off makes a mark more likely.
It usually heals with no visible mark. A small pale spot is possible, and on black or brown skin the mark can be darker instead.
You go home with aftercare instructions and a direct number to call. If the area becomes more red, swollen, hot or painful over the next few days rather than less, or starts to weep, call the clinic.
Will a skin tag grow back?
A tag that has been removed does not usually grow back. New ones can still appear elsewhere, which is common as people get older.
Prices, the areas treated and the questions people ask most are on the skin tag removal page.