If you see or feel a soft protrusion hanging from your eyelid, it may be a skin tag. While a skin tag is usually nothing to worry about, its presence on the eyelid can be esthetically unpleasing. Rubbing your eyelids may also cause the skin tag to become irritated and even painful at times. Skin doctors (dermatologists) have several methods for removing skin tags from anywhere on the body, including the eyes.
Identification
Before discussing removal, it is important to identify what is a skin tag. Skin tags are quite common and usually develop on the neck, underarms, inside skin folds and on the face and eyelids. Usually benign, skin tags look like tiny pieces of hanging skin attached to a stalk, according to MedlinePlus. While some skin tags match the normal skin tone, others may be hyperpigmented, meaning that they are darker than the surrounding skin.
Function
Doctors commonly use liquid nitrogen to remove eye skin tags in a method known as cryotherapy. Liquid nitrogen causes rapid freezing on contact when it touches skin tissue. According to the "Dermatology Online Journal," the patient usually lies flat during the skin tag removal procedure. An instrument, such as a hemostat, needle holder or pair of forceps, is set in liquid nitrogen for approximately 15 seconds. The doctor then grips the eyelid skin tag with the instrument of choice, holding for 10 seconds.
Facts
During cryotherapy, the patient may feel a slight stinging or burning. If the doctor warrants it necessary, he may apply a local anesthetic to dull the burning sensation. The procedure requires no dressings or ointments afterward. The freezing process will kill the skin cells that make up the skin tag, eventually causing it to dry up. Within seven to 10 days, the skin tag should detach from the skin and fall off with little to no pain and without bleeding.
Considerations
Home skin tag removal kits have offered an alternative for those who dislike visiting their doctor. Such home kits include a variety of chemical methods to burn and kill the skin tags. While some manufacturer's claim that the chemicals in the kits are safe for use on skin tags around the eye area, others advise against using their products for such purposes. It is a good idea to read the literature enclosed in the kit before using any method of home skin tag removal.
Warnings
Eyelid skin tag removal requires careful and sterile methods to prevent infection and excessive bleeding. While such complications are a rare possibility, they are not unheard of. Aetna explains that any bleeding associated with skin tag removal is often relieved with the use of aluminum chloride. Color changes, pain or swelling requires a doctor's attention to diagnose or rule out infection. If the doctor suspects infection, an oral or topical antibiotic may be necessary.
