Skin Tag Removal in Edinburgh
Skin tags are soft, harmless growths that hang from the skin on a narrow stalk — most often where skin folds or rubs: the neck, armpits, groin, eyelids and under the breasts. People have them removed when they catch, become inflamed, or are cosmetically bothersome.
At Waterfront, every skin tag is examined at consultation before removal — what looks like a skin tag is occasionally something else — and the consultant who assesses you performs the removal. Most are removed in one outpatient visit under local anaesthetic; multiple tags in the same session. From £395, plus £100 per additional tag.
Contents
Skin tag removal at a glance
- Consultants — Mr Ben Aldridge or Mr Kazem Nassar, both on the GMC Specialist Register.
- What it is — a benign, soft growth attached to the skin by a narrow stalk.
- Methods — surgical excision, electrocautery (snip-and-seal), or cryotherapy. Method is chosen at consultation.
- Anaesthetic — local anaesthetic for most procedures.
- Hospital stay — outpatient day case.
- Recovery — typically no time off work.
- Guide prices — from £395 for the first skin tag, £100 for each additional skin tag in the same session.
- Time from booking to consultation — typically within 1 to 2 weeks.
- GP referral — not required.
What skin tags are
A skin tag — in clinical terms an acrochordon — is a small, soft, benign growth of skin attached by a narrow stalk. They are extremely common; most adults develop one or more by middle age. They are not infectious, do not turn into skin cancer, and rarely cause symptoms unless they are knocked, twisted, or rubbed.
Skin tags are most often found on:
- The neck and collarline
- The armpits
- The groin and upper inner thighs
- The eyelids
- Under the breasts and in other skin folds
They are usually flesh-coloured or slightly darker than the surrounding skin, and can be a few millimetres to a centimetre or more in length. People often have several at once, and once one appears, more commonly follow over time.
How removal is performed
The method is chosen at consultation, based on the size and site of the skin tag.
Surgical excision — the skin tag is removed with fine scissors or a scalpel under local anaesthetic, and the base sealed. The most common method for skin tags larger than a few millimetres.
Electrocautery (snip-and-seal) — the skin tag is snipped off and the base sealed in the same movement using a fine cautery device. Quick, with minimal bleeding, well suited to multiple small skin tags in one session.
Cryotherapy — the skin tag is frozen with liquid nitrogen and falls off over the following one to two weeks. Suitable for some small skin tags, particularly on the neck and trunk.
Most procedures take only a few minutes per skin tag. Multiple skin tags are removed in the same session, and most patients return to normal activity immediately.
Why consultant assessment matters even for skin tags
Skin tag removal is the procedure most commonly delegated to non-consultant clinicians at private clinics. For an unambiguous skin tag, that approach is generally safe. But not every soft skin growth is a skin tag — small moles, viral warts, fibroepithelial polyps, and (rarely) early skin cancers can all present in a way that resembles a skin tag.
A consultant-level assessment confirms what is being treated before it is removed. Where the appearance is unambiguously a skin tag, removal proceeds. Where the appearance raises any doubt, the lesion is removed by excision with histology rather than as a cosmetic skin tag removal. This is the principal safeguard a consultant assessment provides.
When to seek removal
Patients commonly book skin tag removal when they have noticed one or more of the following:
- A skin tag that catches on clothing, jewellery, or during shaving
- A skin tag that has become tender, inflamed, or has started to bleed when knocked
- Multiple skin tags in a visible site such as the neck or eyelid
- A skin tag that has grown larger or changed in colour
- A skin growth thought to be a skin tag that does not behave like one — bleeding repeatedly, growing quickly, or developing pigmentation
The last point is the reason consultant assessment matters: a changing growth that looks like a skin tag is worth confirming clinically before it is removed.
Risks and considerations
Skin tag removal is a small procedure with minimal risk. The risks discussed at consultation include:
- Bleeding — minor and self-limiting.
- Infection — uncommon; managed with antibiotics where needed.
- Scarring — usually minimal but possible — a small pale spot or darker mark may remain at the site of the removed skin tag, particularly in darker skin types.
- Pigmentation change — particularly after cryotherapy on darker skin.
- New skin tags — removing one skin tag does not prevent new ones developing elsewhere over time.
Aftercare
Wound care advice is provided in writing on the day of the procedure. Most skin tag removal sites heal within a few days with no special care beyond keeping the area clean. The Waterfront nursing team is available for the first week for any wound-related concerns. Your consultant remains accessible after the procedure — if anything concerns you, they will respond directly and arrange to see you as soon as needed.
Before and after skin tag removal
What skin tag removal costs
Guide prices at Waterfront Private Hospital:
- Consultation — £200
- Skin tag removal — from £395 for the first skin tag
- Additional skin tags in the same session — £100 each
The price covers the consultant’s fee, the hospital and theatre fees at Waterfront, and routine post-operative review. Final pricing is confirmed in writing after consultation, based on the number of skin tags to be removed and the method chosen.
Waterfront Private Hospital is self-pay.
Your consultants
Skin tag removal at Waterfront is performed by Mr Ben Aldridge — the UK’s only consultant dual-qualified in dermatology and plastic surgery, with a PhD in skin lesion diagnostics — and by Mr Kazem Nassar, consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon. Both are on the GMC Specialist Register. The consultant who assesses you at the consultation is the consultant who performs the removal.
Frequently asked questions about skin tag removal
Who performs skin tag removal at Waterfront?
Do I need a GP referral?
How quickly can I be seen?
Can multiple skin tags be removed in one session?
Does removal hurt?
Will it leave a scar?
Can a skin tag come back?
What if my consultant thinks it might not be a skin tag?
Can skin tags around the eyelid be removed?
How is treatment paid for?
Page author
Mr Kazem Nassar, MBChB, FRCS (Plast), GMC 7131999, is a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon Consultant with over 10 years of experience. He practices at St John’s Hospital and the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, specialising in melanoma, skin cancer treatments, breast surgery, and post-cancer reconstructive surgery.
