How to get rid of a skin tag?

[aprilsfools]

This is so weird, but I am pretty sure I have a skin tag on my aerola. It looks kind of like a mole in color, but is flappy around the edges.

Up until a week ago it didn't really bother me, but now the flappy edges keeps getting pulled by my shirt and bra and even bled a little bit last night.

So, does anyone have any suggestions on how to get rid of it? I have read that it will probably go down when I am no longer pregnant, but I am afraid that when I start BF it is going to be irritated and get worse before it gets better.

When I googled it someone suggested just ripping it off, but I don't think I could do that- ouch!!!

Anyone else have any suggestions?

TIA!!

[JennaW]

I would ask your midwife, she might be able to remove it for you

[catnap70]

Depending on how big it is, you can just pull it off. Or, a doctor can clip it for you. DH had a big one in his armpit and the doc told him he could have just cut it with scissors. Yuck.

[xixstar]

it really depends on the size. if it's tiny, you can snip it off with scissors, this isn't nearly as bad as it sounds. Snipping with good sharp scissors is much easier than ripping.

If it's a little bigger than that you can tightly tie a thread around it at the base really tight and wait for it a fall off (or snip it off after it's been tied many days). If it's even bigger, then I'd contact a medical professional at that point.

I get lots of tiny little tags, my family always called them mouse titties and we've found dealing with them ourselves is cheaper and easier than visiting the doctor where they just snip them off. I've also gotten two on my areola during this pregnancy and got rid of them because they were annoying me.

[DawnaRose]

I get a bunch of small ones due to my PCOS and I just yank the lil suckers off. It does hurt for a moment but better than them rubbing all over my clothes

I get most of them in my arm pits, which is a pain in the butt because I'm a shavin' mama, so those need to go!

[Kidzaplenty]

:

[lorelei]

If cutting/ripping scares you, you can now get OTC those freezing sprays Dr's use for removing warts. It does hurt though, I'd probably go w cutting w really sharp clean scissors, personally. Or a new pair of nail clippers. lol

Good luck!!!

[Bad Horse]

If you've only gotten them since being pregnant, they will most likely also go away once the baby is born, too.

I got tons with my first! I had NO IDEA this was in the range of weird pregnancy stuff that can happen. I mentioned it to my mom and she was the one who told me it was pregnancy related (was a nurse in post partum for years). Bizarre!

The ones I didn't take off did go away after he was born. They are weird and grosss, blech!

[Bad Horse]

Ha, I just read more closely that you did read about it going away after birth. But yeah, if it's bothering you just use some sharp scissors as long as it's not huge, otherwise tying is good, as pps have said

[Veritaserum]

I've got one that's bugging me. I think I might try the tying....

[goldingoddess]

I had one, it annoyed the crap out of me, then I picked at it enough that it went away, it took about a week!

Sorry probably not the best way to deal with it, but I wasn't about to cut it off either!

[aprilsfools]

Thanks ladies. I know I totally sound like a wimp, but I swear if it was on my underarm it would already be gone...it's just the fact that it is so close to my nipple that it makes me reluctant to rip or cut. I really don't want to start BF with an open wound (and as my EDD was yesterday, I have no idea if I will have enough time for it to heal over).

I think I will ask my MW at my apt. on Sunday what she thinks and then go from there.

[RubyOrganique]

I've gotten tons of these, too! Thought it was just me. Mine are all on my neck (that I know of...) Glad to hear they tend to go away after the baby is born.

My sisters also had a lot of skin pigmentation changes, large brown spots when they were pregnant. I haven't gotten those yet, so perhaps it's not something familial.

Hormones are amazingly powerful and not to be taken lightly.

[devilish_fetish]

My dh gets tons of these. If they are small enough, I'll twist it around and around (think like tightening a screw) until it comes or pulls off easily (and mostly painlessly). If its larger, I put ambesol on it and cut it with a scalpel (you can get them from most medical supply stores). The scalpel blades are individually wrapped and alot more sanitary than scissors imo (and really sharp, which makes it alot easier). I've also tied a string around some of them, and they just fall off after a few days.

[prothyraia]

I had one on the nipple itself. After my son was born, after the first few days, nursing him on that side was EXCRUITATING. I looked at it closely and saw that it was bloody at the bottom, he was basically almost sucking it off every time he nursed.

I ripped it off myself, and everything was better in 24 hours.

sorry, that's all I got

[Kidzaplenty]

It sounds so painful! Ouch!

But, my BIL said to clip it with nail clippers. I have never done this, but have been tempted to. I just can't quite get past the "ouch!" factor.