This depends on the size and location of the skin tag, but expect the procedure to take 5-10 minutes.

There will usually be a small dressing over the surgical wound. The area will remain numb for an hour or so. When the local anaesthetic wears off the area will be tender. We advise taking paracetamol and/ or ibuprofen to help with the discomfort. Over the first 24 hours the area may become swollen and bruised. This is to be expected and is completely normal. You may be given an antibiotic cream to use for a few days. There may or may not be stitches. We will advise you on appropriate aftercare.

The potential risks with this type of surgery are pain, bleeding, infection, scar, swelling, numbness and recurrence.

Skin tags are usually caused by areas of friction on the skin, such as from bra straps or the waist belts of trousers. So the skin tag could regrow in the same place. Some people are prone to them and you may develop one in another part of your body.

The vast majority of skin tags are completely benign (non-cancerous). Rarely there can be some cancer cells within them. For this reason we will discuss whether the removed tissue should be sent for analysis.