Skin Tag Disaster

[royskopp]

I am a male in my twenties. For as long as I can remember I've had several skin tags on my neck and one in my armpit. They were small but still made me self-conscious. I recently took to the internet for ways to get rid of skin tags at home, as I'm unemployed and without health insurance. One method utilized an apple cider vinegar application three times daily for three weeks. A couple days into that I realized I'd rather have skin tags I can cover with a shirt than smell like vinegar.

Another suggested method was to use a wart remover as skin tags are supposedly similar to warts. I had a wart outbreak on my hands when I was a child and a dermatologist gave me a shot along with a "DNCB/AQUAPHOR .1%" gel that was supposed to work in unison with the vaccine I received. She said if I ever received a wart in the future that this gel would last a lifetime. When I found that bottle under the sink it seemed like writing on the wall. I applied it to my tags with a cotton swab (as directed for warts). The following morning I woke up extremely itchy and in the mirror discovered a horrible bright red rash all around my neck. Not only that, the skin tags doubled if not tripled in size! I think some new ones even popped up. It's a nightmare. One of the bigger ones seems to have transformed into a mole. It not longer has the thin tag-like base it did before, it's just a clump now.

This was a week ago. The rash is still there but I think it's subsiding. It doesn't itch and is lighter in color. My skin is rough and I think it may peel. In many ways the rash mimics a bad sunburn. I suppose a chemical burn in this case. There are some small white spots present in areas, as well.

Posting this may be an exercise in futility as a doctor's visit would obviously be most beneficial, but I can't afford to do that. That being the case, what can I do?  Wait for the rash to subside completely and hope the tags go back to their original size? It's sad that, at this point, I'd be okay with them just going back to how they were.

[srambo718]

Hi, I know this post was a long time ago but I'm hoping you might see this. I was just wondering if the tags you snipped off are still gone? I have a bunch of them on my neck/shoulder areas and want to clip them off but I'm kind of scared. I dont want to do it if they will just come back later or leave big scars where they were.

[royskopp]

Thank you for your reply. I pretty quickly realized that my 'sunburn-like rash' was probably, in fact, an actual sunburn. I forgot that salicylic acid increases skin's sensitivity to the sun, and I had been outside the day I applied it. It 'healed' as a dark tan.

I went ahead and removed most of the tags myself with sterilized nail clippers. The pain was minimal. I did leave one that appears to be more of a mole than a tag, as there is no thin base. That one I will definitely save for a doctor.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
The skin rash that you had seems like irritant contact dermatitis after applying the wart remover. Irritant dermatitis, the most common type of contact dermatitis, involves inflammation resulting from contact with acids, alkaline materials such as soaps and detergents, cosmetics, or other chemicals.

Avoid using any lotions and creams over the face for the meantime. Wash your face with a mild cleanser with moisturizing properties like Cetaphil. Pat your face dry. Then apply a good hypoallergenic moisturizer over the area and see if this improves. If the symptoms still persist then you can apply mild steroid. Regarding the skin tags, Treatment options include removing with scissors, freezing (using liquid nitrogen), and burning (using medical electric cautery at the physician's office). You should consult a dermatologist to find out which treatment is the best one for you.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.