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Health

Skin tags

(42 Posts)
Grammaretto Tue 27-May-25 12:45:09

I have a skin tag on my lower eye lid which is unsightly. I have asked about getting it removed but both the community nurse and the optician say it's too near my eye for safe removal but also that as it doesn't interfere with my sight, I would have to have a private operation as the NHS wouldn't pay for it. This suggests it would be possible to remove but difficult and not serious enough.

Has anyone experienced similar and can offer advice?

ViceVersa Tue 27-May-25 12:54:50

My beautician does skin tag removal, so it might be worth investigating whether any of your local salons offer a similar service.

silverlining48 Tue 27-May-25 13:30:00

If two medics say it’s risky I would think hard about having it done by a beautician.
I have so many tags and other lumps and bumps, with two behind my ear and another couple on my eyelid. I am leaving them alone.

janipans Tue 27-May-25 13:46:13

It's a 10 minute job (hubby had a couple removed - but his was on nhs as on his neck where they kept catching on clothing) so probably wouldn't cost the earth to go privately if it is bothering you.

Bigred18 Tue 27-May-25 13:50:17

I had something similar in the same place - not a tag but a little white pimple thing. It was removed easily but by an eye specialist. Numbing injection under eye then it was removed. Everything is private and expensive in Sydney, $400, but it was worth it. Good luck.

Bigred18 Tue 27-May-25 13:51:24

Took 10 minutes!

oodles Tue 27-May-25 13:53:10

I don't know if this might be helpful, but I had some skin tags, and was diagnosed with pre-diabetes, I hadn't known that skin tags are sometimes a symptom of that.
I worked hard on putting that into remission, and my skin tags (including an upper eyelid one) shrunk. I still have the odd one which I could probably do something with, but the eyelid one is almost I perceptible.
I do know someone who had a big one removed from a top eyelid, and it was done at the hospital, as it was affecting her sight.
Are there any nurse clinics near you, having one on the lower lid seems a bit less risky than on the upper lid

Oldbat1 Tue 27-May-25 14:05:46

I had one for 10yrs. Optician referred me to hospital as it grew so much affecting my line of vision but as optician said not cancer nhs wouldnt see me! Last year When i went with dh when he had cataract surgery the nhs consultant said he could remove my “tag” £1000 privately.

Youngnanny Tue 27-May-25 14:05:56

I had one on my left eye, very near the eye on the waterline, 2 years ago…. I went to a private clinic to have removed, they injected local anaesthetic, and basically burnt it off, was uncomfortable but not painful. My eyelashes took a few months to grow back, but no after effects and it never come back. I think it cost about £400
NHS do not remove skin tags as it’s cosmetic, I suffer with them, had load’s removed over the years.

Grammaretto Tue 27-May-25 14:15:12

Thankyou all. How interesting. It makes me want to investigate further. Curious about the connection with diabetes too oodles.
How do I find out if I'm pre diabetic?

Schnackie2 Tue 27-May-25 14:18:02

As it's near the eye, Gramaretto, I would go with the private medical removal. However I had many skin tags around my neck when I turned 60, and I learned that wearing a necklace was a big part of the cause -so I stopped wearing my religious chain, and they never came back. As to removal, a Boots pharmacist recommended Cryotag, which is a freezing type of therapy that you use at home. It is not cheap (around £25 I think), but with several applications it worked a treat and I have not been bothered since.

HazelEyes Tue 27-May-25 15:13:42

Pre-diabetes check at Boots online -
onlinedoctor.boots.com/hba1c-home-test-kit

orly Tue 27-May-25 15:26:26

I had one removed from my upper eyelid several years ago at my, then, local GP. He ran a cryo clinic once a week and it was a brilliant, painless procedure taking about 15 minutes of careful twiddling with a frozen lance type thing. The tag, which had grown quite long and wiggly, just fell off eventually and it left no scary and never returned. Unfortunately the cryo clinic was stopped some time afterwards due to funding restrictions I suppose.

Calendargirl Tue 27-May-25 15:30:22

Bigred18

I had something similar in the same place - not a tag but a little white pimple thing. It was removed easily but by an eye specialist. Numbing injection under eye then it was removed. Everything is private and expensive in Sydney, $400, but it was worth it. Good luck.

I had a little white pimple thing on my eyelid.

Hated it. Must have been there nearly 2 years. Enquired at GP’s about removal, no way would it be done on NHS, and no help where to go privately.

Lo and behold, less than a week later, it went on its own! Couldn’t believe it, but had read they eventually go.

Just hope it doesn’t return. Another sign of ‘age’ I assume.

fancythat Tue 27-May-25 15:58:18

I have two currently. I presume because of psoriasis.

I had one previously, about 6 months ago, but it went by itself.

Grammaretto Tue 27-May-25 16:21:24

I have discovered that the other medical practice in my town has a weekly minor surgical clinic. I've filled in a questionnaire on-line and you never know, they may take pity on me and take it off.

There's a 6 week, at least, waiting time but that's ok. I have had it for years but it suddenly got more noticeable and even my little DGC ask me what it is!.

fancythat Tue 27-May-25 16:25:11

My DGC played with mine when she was on my lap!
Her parents were embarassed!

Patsytaylor Tue 27-May-25 18:19:54

My daughter in law had her own clinic and removes loads

PaperMonster2 Tue 27-May-25 18:37:22

I had one that was catching on clothes. My daughter has ‘spot patches’ for when she has spots. I put one on my skin tag and removed it when the patch turned black (a couple of days) and the skin tag had come away.

Treebee Tue 27-May-25 19:08:37

I’ve removed a couple of skin tags by tying cotton tightly round the base; they fall off quite quickly. But around your eye, that method would be difficult.

growstuff Tue 27-May-25 19:28:32

HazelEyes

Pre-diabetes check at Boots online -
onlinedoctor.boots.com/hba1c-home-test-kit

Or get an HbA1c test for free at your GP.

Grammaretto Tue 27-May-25 19:29:06

It's the position of mine that is the problem. It's too close to the eye and I wouldn't want to risk my sight.

The nurse I saw recently removed various other lumps and bumps with her zapper and reassured me that none were cancerous.

I had a BCC removed from my nose a few years ago. That was done by a dermatologist using Mohs day surgery. It was quite deep and so I needed a skin graft and stitches.

growstuff Tue 27-May-25 19:32:07

Ask the GP to test for high cholesterol, which is also associated with skin tags, especially round the eyes.

Iam64 Tue 27-May-25 19:49:52

Yes, I had one removed privately about 8 years ago. I was near the lower eye and growing up like a cone but not yet disrupting my sight. It was done under local anaesthetic with no probs. My GP explained the NHS wouldn’t remove until it was affecting my sight

Growing0ldDisgracefully Tue 27-May-25 20:00:02

Also interested in this as I have one in amongst my lower eye lash roots, and the dratted thing is getting bigger but occasionally bits of it come off. Was thinking of getting a GP appt (yes, I know, rarer than rocking horse poo) but sounds like GPs aren't likely to treat it so won't waste my time.