Hemorrhoid skin tags, also known as hemorrhoids, are a fairly common skin condition. They are simply skin tags that occur on the anus. You usually notice them as a few bumps on the anus. This article will explain how to identify hemorrhoid skin tags, explain what causes them, and the exact process doctors use to remove them from your body.
What Causes Hemorrhoid Skin Tags?
The skin in that particular region of the body needs to be much looser than the skin on any other part of the body. The reason for this is because the skin must expand a lot during bowel movements.This loose skin works great for bowel movements, but it may cause hemorrhoid skin tags or other problems.
Hemorrhoid skin tags are caused when a blood vessel swells up and stretches the skin. Once the swelling goes away, the skin may not go back to its original size.If it does not go back to its original size, then the loose skin will hang down. We call this a hemorrhoid skin tag.
Now, you might wonder what exactly causes a blood vessel to swell up in the first place. There are a few different reasons that a blood vessel might swell up. Here are some of the reasons:
- Straining while trying to force a bowel movement
- Lifting a heavy object
- A blood clot
- Pregnancy
- Regular hemorrhoids
Identifying Hemorrhoid Skin Tags
Skin tags tend to be benign which makes them much less of a health concern than a malignant growth. However, despite their benign nature; a skin tag can still cause problems and discomfort. More importantly, only a doctor can tell you for certain whether a skin tag is benign or malignant.
You should always go to a doctor if you feel any bumps or suspect you have a skin tag around your anus.Your doctor will have a few options for diagnosing you. The first step will involve a visual inspection. The doctor will inspect your anus and the bumps. They will look for discoloration, bruising, and any other larger lumps or lesions.
Some doctors may even do a physical inspection. A physical inspection will involve them inserting their finger into your rectum and feeling for any bumps or lumps inside it.
Finally, your doctor still might not have enough information to make a diagnosis. In this case, your doctor will remove a small piece of skin and send that to a laboratory for further examination. The laboratory can confirm or deny whether the skin tag is a benign growth or a cancerous growth.
How Doctors Remove Them
Fortunately, removing a hemorrhoid skin tag is not a difficult or complicated procedure. In fact, your doctor will most likely do it in their office with local anesthesia. The following is a brief rundown of what you might expect when you go to the doctor to remove skin tags.
You will arrive at the doctor’s office and complete a quick questionnaire. They want to make that you are healthy enough for the procedure.Your doctor will then apply a local anesthetic to the skin tag area. The local anesthetic will remove all feeling from your anus, which makes the entire process pain free. Some doctors may give you light anesthesia to relax you, but not all doctors do this to remove skin tags.
Once you have received the local anesthesia, the doctor will begin the process of removing the tag. Some doctors will use a sharp scalpel or surgical scissors to cut away the skin tag. They also apply some anti-bacterial soap to the area before they begin. Don’t worry; you won’t feel anything.
Other doctors will apply a freezing agent to the skin tag. The cryotherapy method will kill the skin, which means it will eventually fall off. It should take a few days to fall off.
If you have multiple skin tags, then your doctor will probably only remove one during the procedure. This is because removing too many at one time will make the recovery process more difficult.
How Long Does Recovery Take?
Recovery usually takes a day or two. You should not do any heavy lifting or too much moving about as this can cause more skin tags.
Fortunately, you can usually return to work the day after your procedure. However, if your job involves a lot of heavy lifting, then you will likely have to wait another day for the full recovery. You should discuss the specifics with your doctor.
Tips For A Smooth Recovery
Your doctor will tell you exactly what you need to do for the best recovery. Most of the time you will have to go on a liquid diet to prevent any hard stool that can irritate the area and cause pain and bleeding.
You should also not participate in any strenuous activity. The worst thing that can happen is an infection at the surgical site. An infection will increase the overall recovery time. On rare occasions, the infection can spread to other parts of your body and create needless difficulty.
Preventing Hemorrhoid Skin Tags
You should ask your doctor what you should do to prevent future hemorrhoid skin tags.
Some quick tips that you can do now to prevent them include the following:
Take a laxative if you feel constipated
The laxative will loosen your stool, which means you will not have to strain when you go to the toilet. This will greatly reduce the risk of any hemorrhoid skin tags.
Avoid Heavy Lifting
Avoiding heavy lifting is another way to prevent hemorrhoid skin tags. You may need to move heavy objects from time to time. What you want to avoid is attempting to pick up objects that are so heavy you can’t even pick them up. This causes a lot of strain and strain is one of the root causes of a hemorrhoid skin tag.
Final Thoughts
A hemorrhoid skin tag is nothing to worry about too much. Your doctor can quickly diagnose it. After the diagnosis, your doctor can easily remove it without the need for a hospital visit. It is a relatively straightforward and painless procedure with short recovery time.