A skin tag on the corner of your mouth doesn't present any medical concerns, but it may be a nuisance while eating and considered a cosmetic concern. There is no way to prevent skin tags, which are simply over-growths of skin tissue formally called acrochordons. Skin tags are not uncommon by age 60, though a growth on the mouth is less typical than growths in folds of skin on the armpits, groin, neck and beneath the breasts, according to Aetna's InteliHealth. Skin tags are permanent; they do not shrink or go away on their own. The only remedy is removal.
Step 1
Undergo a medical examination by your primary care physician or your dermatologist. Your doctor should confirm that the growth on the corner of your mouth is a skin tag. What may appear to you to be a skin tag may be something else requiring treatment such as a viral infection or viral wart. For this reason, removing your skin tag at home is not advisable.
Step 2
Allow your doctor to remove the skin tag. The area will be numbed with a freezing agent or local anesthetic. Your doctor will cut off the growth using a surgical blade or scissors. In other instances, cryosurgery or electrosurgery are employed to freeze or burn off the skin tag, respectively.
Step 3
Compress a bandage or clean cloth to the area of the mouth where the skin tag was removed if you experience any bleeding at home. Moderate pressure for a few minutes should suffice.
Step 4
Apply a topical antibiotic to the area once bleeding stops. Keep an adhesive bandage over the area as needed, changing it daily or after it gets wet.
Things You'll Need
- Bandage
- Topical antibiotic
