Question from an ER resident - skin tags

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Question - small skin tags (we're talking something 2-3mm or smaller). When you excise it from the base, do you throw in a stitch or just let it heal via secondary intention?

Thanks - I'm at a county program, we try not to overload the derm clinic.

Originally Posted by pinipig523

Question - small skin tags (we're talking something 2-3mm or smaller). When you excise it from the base, do you throw in a stitch or just let it heal via secondary intention?

Thanks - I'm at a county program, we try not to overload the derm clinic.

Check with the folks in the derm clinic as they will be able to provide you with the advice you seek.

when i get my first skin tag I'm going to the ED to get it treated. but only after it's been there for several years. then i'll treat it as an emergency.

Originally Posted by pinipig523

Question - small skin tags (we're talking something 2-3mm or smaller). When you excise it from the base, do you throw in a stitch or just let it heal via secondary intention?

Thanks - I'm at a county program, we try not to overload the derm clinic.

Always secondary intention, I can't think of a single skin tag where I sutured the base. Do people actually show up to the ER for skin tags??

Originally Posted by asmallchild

Always secondary intention, I can't think of a single skin tag where I sutured the base. Do people actually show up to the ER for skin tags??

Oh my friend... people show up to the ER for everything. Including male pattern baldness.

Thanks all.

I had someone show up one time for neck pain...from sleeping the wrong the way the night prior. Another one was 'My arms hurt'....'Ok, have you done anything recently that would have caused trauma or injury to your arms?'..."Well, yeah, I just started lifting weights last week"

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Originally Posted by asmallchild

Always secondary intention, I can't think of a single skin tag where I sutured the base. Do people actually show up to the ER for skin tags??

some ER programs also have a cosmetic derm clinic with their program

yeah, just snip it. if it needs a stitch, it probably wasn't a skin tag.

caveat... if a kid comes in with "skin tags," send to derm. they may have an unusual genetic syndrome.