SKin Tags

Skin tags are harmless growths that can appear anywhere on your skin, but often develop on neck, eyelids, or underarms. They may be the same colour as your skin, pink or darker and  most can easily be treated with advanced electrolysis or cryotherapy.

With advanced electrolysis your skin tags will be removed instantly and the blood vessels feeding the skin tag will be cauterised with the current through the probe. You will be left with a small wound which may require a dressing for 1-2 days.  Any size of skin tag can be removed using this treatment method. Local anaesthetic will be injected or applied subject to suitability, therefore the treatment will be painless. As with any cut or wound, there is a small risk of scarring, especially if the wound becomes infected or the scab is picked. The area will remain red until completely healed.  Some aftercare restrictions apply, which you will be fully informed of at your appointment. 

Cryotherapy freezes the stalk of the skin tag, therefore there is no cutting or breaking of the skin. This procedure has a low risk of scarring but due to the extreme freezing a pale red spot may be present around the treatment area for up to 8-weeks. Most skin tags will change colour and naturally fall off within 2-6 weeks after a single treatment. The procedure is designed for your comfort, with only a slight stinging sensation during treatment.  After treatment, your tag may look red and feel irritated for a few days but as there is no open wound, there is no risk of infection. Larger skin tags will require 2 - 3 treatments at 4-week intervals and if very large this procedure would be unsuitable. 

Multiple skin tags can be treated in one simple treatment session of up to an hour, saving you time and ensuring effective results.  For multiple areas/large numbers of skin tags, additional treatment sessions will be required. During your initial consultation you will be provided with a personalised treatment plan and a estimate session time (s) required.

Below is a guide to the warts that can be safely and effectively treated. Warts vary in appearance and commonly occur on the hands, feet, face, and neck. While usually painless, they can cause discomfort and embarrassment.

• Appearance: Firm, raised growths with a rough surface, sometimes resembling a small cauliflower. Usually greyish-white or light brown and a few millimetres across.
• Locations: Hands, fingers, knees.
• Treatment: Cryotherapy or advanced electrolysis.

• Appearance: Found on the soles of the feet, sometimes with tiny black dots at the center (blood clots in tiny vessels). Can be painful when standing or walking.
• Special Form: Mosaic warts – clusters of verrucas that have fused together.
• Treatment: Cryotherapy.

• Appearance: Long, narrow projections 1–2 mm from the skin. Can be yellow, brown, pink, or skin-colored. Usually appear as single growths rather than clusters.
• Locations: Face or neck.
• Treatment: Advanced electrolysis for immediate removal.

• Common warts and plantar warts/verrucas:
  These are best treated with cryotherapy. As a viral infection, treatment usually requires at least two 30-minute sessions. Blistering after treatment is common and does not reduce effectiveness. When multiple warts are present, the largest is treated first; smaller warts often disappear within 4–6 weeks after the second session.
• Filiform warts:
  Advanced electrolysis can remove these instantly. A scab will form and should be left to fall off naturally. A follow-up may be needed after 4 weeks if any regrowth occurs.

Sun pigmentation damage or sun spots occurs when melanin becomes clumped or is produced in high concentrations from sun exposure. Prolonged use of sunbeds can also cause sun spots. Either advanced electrolysis or cryotherapy, or a combination of both on different areas can be an effective treatment.

Advanced electrolysis  involves scraping the surface of the skin to remove the pigmented area. The skin is then cauterised to allow a scab to form. The pigmented area will be removed immediately but there will be a small grazed area in place of the sun spot. Large spots will be covered with a waterproof dressing, which should remain in place for 2-3 days. A scab will form but which should be left to come away of its own accord.  Local anesthetic will be injected or applied, subject to suitability, therefore the treatment will be painless. As with any cut or wound, there is a small risk of scarring, especially if the wound becomes infected or the scab is picked. The area will remain red until completely healed. 

Cryotherapy  can also be used as there will be no open wound the risk of scarring for some can be lower, however for some a red or white mark may be left if the skin does not re-pigment. Most sun damage will respond after one treatment. After treatment, the area will become darker and pinker, a blister may form. Over 1-2 weeks a scab will form which should not be removed, but will eventually drop off. Underneath the skin will be new and pink – this is not scar tissue, the skin will take between 4-6 weeks to re-pigment to your natural colour. 

For both treatments  during the healing time, it is crucial that you use factor 50 sunblock (SPF50) and do not use sunbeds.

Smaller sun spots/sun pigmentation changes can be treated in one 30 minute treatment session, saving you time and ensuring effective results. Larger areas of skin damage will need to be treated over several treatments at 2-week intervals. 

There are several types of moles sometimes referred to as a Nevus or Nevi. These moles are benign, meaning that they are non-cancerous skin growths. Most are typically symmetrical with a rounded shape and a smooth edge. Dermal moles or nevi are usually raised, pale, and sometimes hairy. They are common on the face, especially around the nose. Junctional melanocytic moles/nevi are usually brown, round and flat. Compound or common moles/nevi are usually raised above the skin, light brown, and sometimes hairy. An atypical mole/Nevi also known as dysplastic nevi, describes an unusual-looking mole with one such example being Blue moles/nevi which have a dark blue colour. A blue nevus may be present at birth or develop as a person ages.

It is important to consult a doctor if a mole’s appearance changes or if it becomes painful or bleeds.

Only moles fitting the following criteria can be treated;

• The mole is no bigger than about the size of a blunt end of a pencil
• It is more than 2 years old (not new)
• It is a regular circular size and shape 
• It is not bleeding, flaking or itching
• There is no inflammation or changing in size
• It is not showing any pigmentation on the surrounding skin or have any black areas or red edges

You  will require a letter from your GP or a Dermatologist confirming the diagnosis of a benign mole before treatment can commence. 

Advanced electrolysis can be used to dehydrate and reduce the mole. Dependant on  how raised the mole is this can take between one to three treatment sessions 4-6 weeks apart, with most completely disappearing. Multiple smaller moles can be treated in one treatment session, with most not requiring any follow up. Post treatement the mole will immediately appear smaller and a scab will form which should be left to come away of its own accord. Local anaesthetic will be injected or applied, subject to suitability, therefore the treatment will be painless. 

As with any cut or wound, there is a low risk of scarring, especially if the wound becomes infected or the scab is picked. The area will remain red until completely healed, as with any other surgical wound or cut/graze. Some aftercare restrictions apply due to open wound being present.Underneath the skin will be new and pink – this is not scar tissue, the skin will take between 4-6 weeks to re-pigment to your natural colour. 

For both treatments  during the healing time, it is crucial that you use factor 50 sunblock (SPF50) and do not use sunbeds.