Skin tags are common, benign skin growths. Retinol is a widely recognized skincare ingredient known for its skin health benefits. This article explores whether retinol can remove skin tags.
What Are Skin Tags?
Skin tags, medically known as acrochordons, are small, soft, and harmless growths that protrude from the skin. They vary in size and usually match the surrounding skin color or appear slightly darker. These growths frequently form in areas where skin rubs against skin or clothing, such as the neck, armpits, groin, eyelids, and under the breasts.
Factors like friction, genetics, hormonal changes, and certain health conditions like obesity and diabetes are associated with their development. Skin tags consist of loose collagen fibers and blood vessels surrounded by skin. They are generally painless, but can become irritated or bleed if snagged by jewelry or clothing.
What Is Retinol?
Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A and belongs to a family of compounds called retinoids, widely used in dermatology and cosmetic skincare. Its small molecules can penetrate deep beneath the skin’s outer layer, the epidermis, reaching the dermis. Once absorbed, retinol converts into retinoic acid, its active form, which interacts with skin cells.
Retinol primarily functions by promoting increased skin cell turnover, meaning it speeds up the shedding of old skin cells and the generation of new ones. It also stimulates collagen production, a protein that provides structure and elasticity to the skin. These actions contribute to improving skin texture and tone, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and addressing issues like sun damage and hyperpigmentation.
Can Retinol Remove Skin Tags?
Despite its numerous benefits for skin health, retinol does not remove skin tags. Retinol’s mechanism of action involves influencing cell turnover and collagen production within the epidermis and dermis, which primarily affects surface skin issues like fine lines, texture, and acne. Skin tags, however, are benign outgrowths of skin tissue, physically attached to the skin.
Retinol’s effect is on the cellular processes of the skin, not on the physical detachment or dissolution of a raised growth. Applying retinol to a skin tag will not cause it to shrink, fall off, or disappear. The ingredient is designed to improve the overall quality and appearance of the skin by promoting cellular regeneration and collagen synthesis, not to physically remove growths. Therefore, while retinol can enhance skin’s texture and reduce signs of aging, it lacks the capability to address the structural nature of skin tags.
Proven Methods for Skin Tag Removal
Since retinol is not an effective solution, several medically recognized methods are available for safe and efficient skin tag removal, typically performed by a dermatologist.
- Cryotherapy involves freezing the skin tag with liquid nitrogen, causing it to blister and fall off.
- Excision uses sterile surgical scissors or a scalpel to snip off the skin tag at its base.
- Cauterization, or electrocautery, uses heat from an electrical current to burn off the skin tag and destroy the tissue.
- Ligation involves tying off the base of the skin tag with a surgical thread to cut off its blood supply, causing it to wither and fall off.
These professional procedures minimize risks like infection and scarring, providing a safe approach to removal.
When to Consult a Professional
It is advisable to consult a dermatologist or healthcare professional if you have any new or changing skin growths. While skin tags are benign, other skin conditions, including moles or certain skin cancers, can sometimes resemble them. A professional can accurately diagnose the growth and recommend the appropriate course of action.
You should also seek medical advice if a skin tag becomes painful, irritated, bleeds, changes in color or size, or affects your eyesight, particularly if it’s on the eyelid. Attempting to remove skin tags at home can lead to complications such as infection, excessive bleeding, scarring, or incomplete removal. Professional intervention ensures safe and effective treatment.