Skin flaps, also known as skin tags and acrochorda, are a common skin condition, especially in areas that experience regular friction such as under skin folds, beneath the breasts and on the neck where your shirt collar consistently rubs. Although typically not dangerous to your health, you may find your skin flaps unattractive and since they commonly occur on prominently visible areas of the skin, you may wish to remove them. There are three main ways in which skin flaps can be removed.
Step 1
Ask your doctor to use surgical scissors to remove the skin flap from your body. For this procedure a local anesthetic will be used to numb the affected area. The surgical scissors are then used to snip off the tag. Some mild bleeding may occur. Unlike other treatments, surgical scissors take care of skin tags immediately without having to wait for the treatment to take affect, states the Mayo Clinic. Apply local pressure to the wound to help stop the bleeding. Your doctor may also use aluminum chloride to help stop the bleeding.
Step 2
Freeze the skin flap using cryotherapy. In this procedure your doctor will use liquid nitrogen to freeze the excess skin tissue, causing the area to blister. Wait a few days and the blister will fall off on its own, taking the skin tag with it. Be aware that in some cases, blistering may occur outside of the intended treatment area, states the Dermatology Online Journal.
Step 3
Talk to your doctor about the possibility of using electric cauterization to burn the skin flap from your body. Electric cauterization vaporizes the excess skin from your body by exposing the tissue to controlled amounts of electrical current. Ask your doctor about using a local anesthetic on the affected area before the procedure, as it can be painful.
