Skin tags can pop up without any warning, and can really get you down especially on your face. I often get asked how do you safely remove skin tags on your face.
As an owner of a Medispa and trainer I personally use a Plasma device to remove skin tags, but there are many methods available. I’ll give you a few options to look at here which are safe and effective.
There’s always a temptation to do some DIY skin tag removal – but on the face I’d recommend you leave this to someone qualified to remove them as opposed to getting the scissors out!
Larger skin tags can easily bleed and you definitely don’t want a scar on your face.
Plasma Pen:
This clever little device uses plasma technology to remove excess skin such as skin tags. It can also be used to remove other growths too such as sebaceous hyperplasia, keratoses and milia.
It’s a very safe treatment which can be performed in different ways depending on the size and position of the skin tag. We might wear away the stem with plasma, which means the skin tag can be lifted away. Or if it’s in a really difficult place like the eyelid we may just tap over it little by little and shrivel and vaporise it.
Either way you will get a back crust which will heal and drop off over the next 3-7 days. Your skin may look lighter where the scab has dropped off, Â but it should return to normal within a few weeks. Here’s a photo of a skin tag before and immediately after removal on the face:
Advanced Electrolysis:
This is also a pen like device but it used a different type of energy. It’s an electrical current which is used with a needle to also cut the tag off at its stem. Similar to Plasma another technique may be used where the needle is inserted or rested on the skin tag to make it shrivel and die.
This will also leave a scab which will drop off and your skin will heal over the coming weeks to return to normal.
Both advanced electrolysis and plasma have a hot pin prick sensation which is unpleasant but it’s very bearable. I will often use a numbing cream before treatment to minimise the sensation – but non all salons and clinics will use numbing cream. Often if the skin tag is very small it will only take seconds to remove so pain isn’t really a factor.
Cryotherapy:
This works by freezing the fluid inside the cells of the skin tag. Little crystals form inside the skin tag which makes the cells shrivel and die. The skin tag just drops off by itself within around 7 days. The skin may look darker to start with but should return to normal by itself within about 6 weeks.
Cryopen is safe to use on the face in most cases. It’s obviously a cold sensation which is unpleasant – and some people report this to be a more painful way to remove skin tags.
For treatments on the eyelids and around the eye, plasma pen and advanced electrolysis are better options than cryopen. They are more versatile for this area and better tolerated.
I hope this article has given you some options of how to safely remove skin tags on the face.
IF you have any further questions please feel free to email me here: rach@radiantliving.co.uk
